Be a Witness for Jesus!

When Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures and the commission the prophets had laid upon them, He said: You are eyewitnesses of this! They saw how Jesus died and was raised on the third day. Now they were to make this known in order that the nations should repent and have their sins forgiven.

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. (Acts 1:8)

This will characterise you as a witness for Jesus.

You’ve had a personal meeting with Jesus! He has saved you, forgiven your sins and set you free! It is this experience with Jesus that makes you into a witness. Because you’ve experienced Jesus, you have something to talk about, and people always listen to what is experienced by an individual.

You will be able to put into words what you have experienced. You will be able to tell people what Jesus has done for you. He has promised that The Holy Spirit will remain over you and empower you to testify and give you what to say.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Col.4:5-6)

As in all other things there is a simple principle at work. Practice makes perfect! Just start to tell people in a simple manner what you have discovered and you’ll be amazed how well it is received.

When you testify about Jesus, you will experience His presence, and that His Spirit is upon you and empowers you. As you testify you have a certainty in your heart: The Gospel is the power of God to salvation. The word of Jesus has the power within itself to convince and create faith in those who listen. When you testify about Jesus, you know that the Holy Spirit is with you to break every barrier and convict in regard to sin, justice, and judgement. You know that what you say is effective and that the word you speak will not return empty to God because God’s Spirit is at work in your testimony.

When you testify you will experience compassion for those whom you give your testimony. You will experience how Christ puts His Love in your heart for them. Therefore you will show them genuine care and compassion and choose your words carefully to express His Love for them.

Proclaim The Gospel!

Jesus told us to go everywhere there are people and proclaim His Gospel. It is important to understand that He has asked us to go out; He wants the initiative to remain on us! He did not ask us to go into churches and prayer houses to proclaim the Gospel to those who attend our meetings. His commandment is simply that we should go out to the people, and proclaim the Good News about The Kingdom of God to them right where they live and where they work.

As we go out into the world to preach the Gospel, He has promised to be with us and confirm His word by signs and wonders. Jesus never told us to in our own power, but to receive the Holy Spirit and be guided by Him. It is only when the Gospel is proclaimed under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost that it will have the effect Jesus told us it would have.

To preach is to proclaim and make known, it is to make His message public. It is to announce certain facts, put forward claims that we know are true according to the Word of God. Free proclamation of the Kingdom of God will always be fruitful!

Each and every congregation should have a plan in order to preach the Gospel to all people in the community they live, and to be a part of bringing it to the nations who have never heard of it. In chapter 1.0 ‘Repent and believe the Gospel’, you’ll find a simple description of the Gospel of Jesus, of the word of the Cross which is God’s power for salvation.

Exercise:

Write a simple testimony about how you became a Christian, including:

What your life was like before you met Jesus

How you became a Christian by listening, accepting and acting on the Gospel

What Jesus is to you

Why others should become a Christian

Continue to memorise these Bible verses:

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20)