You Shall Be My Witnesses
Acts 1:6-8

Introduction
How many of you have heard someone say they did not have the gift of Evangelism? Well I want you to turn to your and say "I don't have the gift of Evangelism." Now to the person on the left say "good because there is no such gift."

Some of you will say "preacher are you sure? I think I heard of a gift for evangelism somewhere in the Bible." What you heard of was a gift of an Evangelist, but not evangelism. In fact the word evangelism does not even appear in the major translations.

You may ask what is your point and I say my point is this; stop waiting for a gift and get serious about being a witness. Jesus said "You are My witnesses.

Four of us attended a Witnessing Clinic called The Faith Clinic. We will start the Training here in a few weeks. We need two ladies to join with us in the training. Talk to God about this.
 
 

A.    Notice verse 4.
        "And He had to pass through Samaria."

        1.    Jesus Intended to witness in Samaria.
        2.    We should intentionally plan to witness.
 

B.    Notice Our Intentionality In Witnessing.

        1.    Thursday Night all 4 of the men who attended the clinic were required to go out witnessing.
                We Intended to do be a Witness.

Illustration
Phil and I went to with a lady from the First Baptist Church of Ozark to an assigned home and no one was at home. I knocked on the door next to this home and the lady let us in and we shared with her. Jennifer Hordt a 20 year old young lady allowed us to come in and share with her. Her church background was very weak Catholic. She told us she went to church on Easter and Christ some times, but I always make the sign of the cross as I pass a church.

We presented the gospel and she prayed to invite Christ into her Life. This happened because we witnessed Intentionally.
 

Illustration
Guy Saunders taught the Faith Evangelism Clinic we attended. He told about intentionally trying to win a man in his church field. This man owned a car dealership and if he saw Guy coming he would leave the premise or go hide somewhere. One day Guy came by to witness but the car dealer had just gone home.

Guy went to the man's home and caught him out by his pool. The man said "preacher I can't become a Christian I have been one of the meanest men in town. I have swindled most everybody in town. Guy told him he had made the first step toward becoming a Christian.

That surprised the man he sat down and listened to the gospel and man a decision to trust Christ.    A few months later that man dropped dead. If Guy had not been intentional in his witness that car dealer may never have been saved.

Illustration
In my pocket I carry a list of lost persons I am praying for. Eddie Parsons was one of them. Eddie recently got saved. I have on several occasions intentionally gone by to witness to him. This week the cancer he was battling took his life. I believe he is in heaven. Part of the reason rest with some intentional visits.

Application

Every Christian can be Intentional in their witnessing. Every Christian should be Intentional in their witnessing.
 
 

A.    Relationship we Initiate. v 5 b
        ". . ."Zacheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

        1.    Jesus invited Himself to Zacheus's home.
        2.    He initiated a relationship.

Illustration
I took my friend Jim McNiel to a clothing store in St. Louis and introduced him to the Jewish men who own the business. Jim has gone out of his way to become a friend to Ben Gelber. Ben's father prayed to  receive Christ, but at this time Ben has not acknowledged Jesus.

B.    Relationships that just happen.

        1.    All of us have friends where the relationship just happened.
        2.    We should try to win them to Christ.

Illustration
I am trying to develop a relationship with several men in town. One of them told me he did not believe in God. But recently he came by my office to tell me he had changed his mind and was now convinced there is a God. He also told me he though he would be making a commitment to Christ. I explained the plan of salvation to him and he said "I need more time."
 

Illustration
I have determined to help my oldest grandson Brandon Dodd to know how to witness. I took him with me several years ago when he was 6 years old and as we went door to door we came to a home where another person from our church was witnessing and he saw a person lead to the Lord through personal witnessing.
 

When Brandon was moving to Michigan he determined to lead some of his friends to Christ before he left. He did lead two friends to Christ and one of the mothers said "you should not under estimate the influence of your grandson he deserves a lot of credit for his witness."
 

Application

We need to witness through our relationships. Jesus had a relationship with Zacheus. We need to follow His example.
 
 

A.    Some People along our paths want the touch of Jesus in their life. v 46 b
            ". . .'Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.'" v 46 b.

        1.    Along the road side Jesus allowed his influence and power to touch the lives of others.

Illustration
Many of the people attending the Faith Clinic stayed at the Days Inn Motel. I wanted to witness to the owners but had not found the right opportunity.

Thursday morning when I came down for the centennial breakfast a man was witnessing to the owner's wife. I asked him later if she had prayed to receive Christ. He said "yes" and then told me she had a Hindu background and told him they had many gods. He said "I asked her if any of them had died and rose again so her sins could be forgiven." She but her hand on her heart and said "Oh no".

Isn't that a great question? "Did any of those gods die for your sins to be forgiven? I said to my self "I am going to remember that question."

Illustration
Thursday Night after the conference Christa picked me up and we drove towards St. Louis as I was to speak at a Senior Adult gathering at noon on Friday. We stopped at Cuba, Missouri and I went to get us a room. The proprietor was a man who looked to be from India.

Immediately the Lord said "he doesn't have any god's that forgive sin. So I shared briefly with him as I could and I then left him a gospel tract.

Application

All of us have the opportunity to share our faith along the way. Our life styles are to be the life style of a witness for Christ.

Our Daily Bread, August 28, 1999
A Vanishing Vapor Read: James 4:13-17
<http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?James+4:13-17>

What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. --James 4:14

Evangelist D. L. Moody told a story about a minister who was preparing a sermon on the urgency of receiving Christ without delay. After studying for some time, the preacher fell asleep in his chair and had a strange dream in which he overheard a conversation among several demons. They were huddled together, trying to devise a scheme for leading people on earth into hell.

One of the evil spirits said, "Let's tell people that the Bible is not the Word of God and that it can't be trusted." The others responded, "That isn't enough."

Another spoke up, "Let's tell them that God doesn't exist, that Jesus was only a good man, and that there really is no heaven or hell."

Again the others responded negatively. Finally, a third demon said, "Let's tell people there is a God, a Savior, and a heaven, and a hell. But let's assure them that they've got all the time in the world to be saved, and encourage them to put off the decision." "That's it!" the others shouted gleefully.

Many people will spend eternity in hell because they procrastinate, thinking they can receive Christ "tomorrow." But for them tomorrow never comes. Don't be among them. Receive Christ today! --RWD