Don't Wait To Be A Witness

In April 22's sermon from Acts 22:1-21, I encouraged us all to be prepared to give a defense (witness) for Christ and His gospel.  This doesn't mean that we have to wait until we are thoroughly prepared to speak to lost people!  1 Peter 3:15 makes this plain: "In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..."

Always be prepared.  There are several implications to this including these: 1. That opportunities to witness for the Lord Jesus are always before us; and 2. That pursuing preparedness is to be part of our lives as we regard Him as holy.  Preparing and witnessing are to flow together in our lives as disciples as we regard Him as holy-- which means set apart, worthy of all worship, tops in our lives!

So let us not wait to be witnesses for Him!  Let us be preparing to give reasons for our hope!  Let us take up good resources to equip us for effective witnessing.  (Bob and Cindy Huisken's Apologetics Library will be open on April 26, 3pm - 7pm, on the campus of Rocky Bayou Christian School in Grace Presbyterian Church.  Check out this superb resource; talk with Bob and Cindy; get on their e-mail list.)  Let us pray for lost people by name and ask God to grant us boldness and help to speak up for Jesus Christ!  He will help us!  Christ promised, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).  And the Holy Spirit has come and is in you if you belong to Christ.  He will help!

Don't wait; do witness!

We Are All Natural Evangelists...

This morning I read this from Kevin DeYoung's blog: "We are all natural evangelists for the people and things we love the most."  And I join with Kevin in this: "As I seek to grow as a personal evangelist, and want my church to grow in the same way, my first prayer is 'More Love to Thee, O Christ!'  What we need first and foremost is greater wonder and greater delight in our Savior.  The more we love, the more we love to speak of the things we love...Would that my joy in Christ knew no bounds."

Pastor DeYoung is right.  We are all natural evangelists for the people and things we love the most.  Spouse, family, church, military service, food, sport, travel destination, television, electronic gizmo, movie, author... I could go on and on.

Am I a natural evangelist for the living Christ?  Are you?  The more we know Him and love Him, the more we naturally overflow and talk about Him.  

Resurrection Sunday is four days away.  Jesus lives, so we don't trust a dead teacher's instructions.  We believe in and love the Son of God and Savior who died for our trespasses and was raised for our justification (Rom. 4:25).  Talk to unbelievers about Christ this week; they desperately need to know Him!  Bring them with you to hear the gospel on Resurrection Sunday and afterward pursue an ongoing conversation with them about Christ.  He lives and will help you (John 14:25-26).