Acts
1:1-11 –
In
my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the
Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented
himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared
to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one
occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not
leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard
me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.”
Then
they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore
the kingdom to Israel?”
He
said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set
by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
After
he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from
their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when
suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they
said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has
been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen
him go into heaven.”
Romans
10:17 –
Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word
about Christ.
We were
greeted by one of the pastors who let us know it would be okay to bring our
coffee in for worship; this is always a question for visitors.
The
sanctuary has an interesting modern flat ceiling with a low center arch. The
large cross in front is framed by a stained glass window. There are some great
banners on the walls displaying minimal color.
The
message, part 6, was “Can I Get a
Witness?” Christ ministry was in a very small geographical area and most
people didn’t know of Him, which required people to witness about Him. Faith in
Christ was spread by these witnesses and the reality is, this is still how it
grows. Christ was limited on Earth by the human constraints of time and space.
People
seem hesitant to tell their story, much as the worship leader professed. My
answer is always, “Christ claiming me was the greatest thing that ever happened
to me, how can I be quiet about it?”
I’ve
known many people who try to intellectualize their way to Christ, but it just
won’t happen. However, your story may encourage them to faith.
He
cautioned to remember, when witnessing, display the love of Christ. If you are
not being Christ-like, it could invalidate your witness. Be bold, witness not
in “Paul’s Jesus,” but in your Jesus.
Being
a holiday weekend, we decided to worship someplace nearby. Our last visit here came
only a couple of weeks after this pastor’s arrival.
We
arrived plenty early, got a cup of coffee, and sat in the café area. Since this
church has three Sunday services, I was not surprised when only the Associate
Pastor greeted us.
Eventually
the sanctuary was filled, but since this was a contemporary service, we found
seats easily. I had forgotten how beautiful the unusual windows were, and the
banners were also distinctive: mostly white with gold colored accents.
The
people sitting near us welcomed us warmly during the greeting time.
The
sermon was the sixth and final part of the series SHARE and was entitled Can I Get a Witness? It focused on the
fact that all believers are called to be witnesses and he outlined the three
steps it takes to be a witness:
1
– You must have a personal experience with the Gospel.
2
– You must declare what you know to be true. Declaring God’s truth means telling
others how the story of Jesus has become MY story so that it will become THEIR
story.
3
– You must display the love of Christ in your life. Our character can validate
or invalidate our witness, and when we don’t extend the grace we have received,
the window gets foggy and Jesus becomes unclear. (I thought this was very well
put.)
He
encouraged the congregation to use the half sheet of paper included in the
bulletin to share their story and be witnesses, so we did also.
Lord, we pray for Your continued presence and guidance as this church moves to become an overwhelming witness to this community. Amen.
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