The Witnessing Church
When Jesus was about to leave His disciples to go back to the Father in heaven, He had some very important words for them. He told His disciples not to be so concerned about when God would restore the kingdom of Israel; instead, they were to be witnesses of Christ to every part of the world.
Christ had a world-wide vision for His disciples and He ordered them with authority to share the gospel of Christ. For the past twenty centuries the Holy Spirit has been working in the lives of true believers, moving them to share the transforming Word of God that can save souls and build the church. We can expect opposition from Satan, our adversary, who wants to silence us through threats and intimidation.
Acts chapter four contains the formula for success in sharing the gospel in the face of opposition (listen to Sunday's message here). The disciples relied on the promise of God that He would always be with them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and instilled with boldness to stand up in the face of opposition and triumph. They relied on the church to pray for them, asking God to continue to supply them with boldness and success. God’s power and grace was upon them because of their obedience, and they led many souls to faith in Christ.
Where are the bold witnesses of this generation? I believe many of them are sitting in the church, just needing to be filled and motivated by the Holy Spirit to move out and talk about Christ and what He has done to transform our lives. May we here at Wilmer become a witnessing people, and may we be known by our Lord and this area as a witnessing church. May God’s great grace be upon us and may our family, our friends and our community be transformed through the power of God and our faithful witness.
