Luke 24:44-53
May 3 2009
"Witnesses 2"
Last week’s message was a more general approach to witnessing and this week I want to make it more personal. Last week I spoke about why and how the vow “to witness” was added to our membership vows. Today I will try to help you see how this applies to your personal life.
This is based on verse 48 of our scripture where Jesus said, “You are witnesses of these things.” Remember only those in that Upper Room and those that saw Jesus from his resurrection to his ascension could be “witnesses” in the sense of “eyewitnesses”.
Everyone else from the second generation of Christians on, we can only be “witnesses” in the sense that we “testify to the gospel story.” But “as in the first century, so now, the most convincing proof of the resurrection is the daily testimony of the faithful that the Christ still lives and the work of his Kingdom continues.” New International Bible Commentary on Luke p. ??
What you say and what you do matters tremendously in the salvation of others. Now witnessing is not what some think. When you determine that you are a witness and you need to witness to others you are not, I repeat, you are not bringing Jesus to them. Jesus is already with them and in them.
In the “Grace” study I am leading a prison chaplain pointed this out. She said, “I am not bringing Jesus into prison. I am meeting Jesus there. Jesus is already in prison in the prisoners that are there for Jesus said, “I was in prison and you visited me… whatever you did to the least of these my brethren you did to me.”
When we witness to people by what we do and by what we say we bring to life or enliven what is already within them. Remember in the 2nd chapter of Acts it says, “the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh.”
You when you share the love of God with another in words and deeds are bringing to mind and awareness what they already have, but are unaware of and maybe even hostile to at first. But when people experience our love in word and deed this brings out what God has already given them.
This means that ever person you come into contact with the meeting is not accidental if you are seeking to witness to Christ. Another way of saying this is that every relationship we have or begin is a sacred relationship. The Holy and I mean the Holy is there!! That is why the greeting time is just as important as the rest of our worship together.
Rosalee Murray pointed out to me that C. S. Lewis wrote it this way when two people meet, “The immortal in me meets the immortal in you.”
So what is “witnessing”. First of all I believe it is a desire and a calling. We all have “the calling” there is no question about that from the scripture, but what many of us lack is claiming that calling and developing a desire to do it. Once we have the desire and determination to do it great things, mysterious and deeply spiritual things will happen.
We will be put in places and with people who need Jesus to be brought out and acknowledged in them and we will be the person to do it!!!
When you desire to be a witness it will start with little things such as maybe wearing a Christian T-shirt, a cross or carrying a Bible. I call these faith discussion starters. Other things that are unusual in our culture are truly friendly smiles and greetings, not cussing, or gossiping, etc. People will just know you are different and they will know you are a Christian if you name it and claim it.
You can do little external things to show you are a believer but after awhile the Spirit will be so powerful in your life that people will just know who you are. The Spirit in you will call to the Spirit in them opening them to the love, forgiveness, healing and direction of God.
Charlie Washburn walks all over this town in the morning. His walks are not measured anymore in distance or time but in talks. In some places where he goes the whole atmosphere changes because the Christ in him calls out the Christ in others. He says it hasn’t always been that way. He says this is something he has seen grow in his life.
I know it is the case with many of you; which brings me to the next point this morning; verse 49b says, “so stay/wait in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” And verse 53 says, “and they were continually in the temple blessing God.”
What these disciples were doing was practicing what we would call “the means of Grace.” The means of grace are practices, places and activities that God has promised to meet us in. Through them, we grow in our discipleship.
Last week I shared with you the General Rule of Discipleship and its call to witness and practice works of devotion, worship, mercy and justice. In these activities God is present!! When we are in the presence of God practicing the things of God we grow more like God and the Spirit of God is more powerfully present in our lives.
We see the disciples in our scripture practicing these means of grace: Christian fellowship or conferencing, worship, and prayer. They were “staying or waiting” on God and while doing that they were “clothed with power from on high.” God met them!!! The Holy Spirit fell powerfully on them at Pentecost!!!
You and I when we practice the means of grace: fellowship, prayer, worship, Bible study, Holy Communion and more; we will be clothed with power and when we seek and desire to witness, the Spirit in us will call to the Spirit in others.
The problem is we often get so distracted in our own lives that we fail to get clothed in power through these means of grace. We become lightly covered with clothing rather than covered with the full armor of God. In honor of Mother’s day coming up here is a poem about this by Fay Inchfawn.
“I wrestle – how I wrestle! – through the hours.
Nay, not with principalities and powers –
Dark spiritual foes of God’s and man’s –
But with antagonistic pots and pans;
With footmarks on the hall,
With smears upon the wall,
With doubtful ears and small unwashen hands,
And with a babe’s innumerable demands.”
Those are the struggles of young moms but with dads it is usually work and sports and hobbies and landscaping that never ceases to grow, but when we determine in a disciplined way to open ourselves to God, to be in the places, activities and practices where God has promised to meet us we will be clothed with power from on high and our witness will be powerful indeed.
Now that is the third point. The more we’re clothed in power by practicing the means of grace the better we are at meeting Christ in others and drawing Christ out. You are part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. When you see yourself as part of God’s evangelical plan for the world we will thrive as a church.
Now you may feel right now you are inadequate to do so. You may think, “Well I never know what to say.” Well that may be so but as you practice the means of grace you will be clothed with power from on high. In the moment you need to speak to someone about Jesus you will be given what to say. That is Jesus promise to us from the scriptures. You will be made adequate by God. God has no other plan than using you for the spread of his message.
I close with this story: “A legend recounts the return of Jesus to heaven after his time on earth. He returned bearing the marks of his earthly pilgrimage with its cruel cross and shameful death.
The angel Gabriel approached him and said, “Master, you must have suffered terribly for people down there.”
“I did,” said Jesus.
“And,” continued Gabriel, “do they now know all about how you loved them and what you did for them?”
“Oh, no,” said Jesus. “Not yet. Right now, only a handful of people in Palestine know.”
Gabriel was perplexed. “Then what have you done,” he asked, “to let all people know about your love for them?”
“Well, I’ve asked Peter, James, John, and a few others to tell people about me. Those who are told will in turn tell others, and the Gospel will be spread to the farthest reaches of the globe. Ultimately, all of humankind will hear about me and what I have done on their behalf.”
Gabriel frowned and looked skeptical. He knew that people weren’t reliable, they got distracted and afraid. “Yes,” Gabriel said, “but what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? And what if, way down in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, people get too busy to bother telling others about you? Haven’t you made any other plans?”
“No, I’ve made no other plans, Gabriel” Jesus answered. “I’m counting on them!” Youth Specialties “Hot Illustrations”
God’s counting on us! God is counting on you!!! God wants to cloth us with power from on high. God has met us here in worship and fellowship to do this and now invites us to Holy Communion to strengthen us in our calling to share the gospel.
The very act of communion is a declaration of the gospel. It speaks of the Messiah’s suffering and death. It speaks of his resurrection from the dead and offers a time of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name.
Come participate in this with all your heart. Receive power from on high through Christ’s presence and be witnesses to the ends of the earth.
In Jesus’ name amen!!!!
