The Titanic’s captain did not believe the ship was sinking until water was ankle deep in the mail room. At that point he realized that the unsinkable ship was sinking. Ships that could have helped rescue the people on board were not asked to help early enough and did not arrive in time.
Many believe they will get saved at the eleventh hour. What they do not realize is, it may come so fast they do not know it is the eleventh hour. (Source: Leadership Magazine, Volume X, Number 3)
What about us, the modern-day church? Does our witness look much like the Captain of the Titanic…refusing to see the urgency of the gospel so that we do not speak out to the lost --- and then it’s suddenly too late? We must ask God to increase our witness in 2024! Witnessing is a matter of our obedience to Christ, our urgency for the greatest need of mankind, and most importantly, our heart’s condition before Christ.
Acts 1:8 gives us insight to the Lord’s gospel mission of the church. This passage tells us three key things:
God gives the power. “…ye shall receive power….”
God gives the message. “…witnesses unto me….”
God gives the map. “…both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the world.”
We have already considered the transforming habit of gratitude and prayer. Here is our third transforming habit that is seen in the life of the apostle Paul:
The Habit of Sharing the Good News
Paul had a bright witness for the Lord!
Acts 17:22-34 – Paul shared the good news on Mars Hill with a people who worshipped “An Unknown God.”
Acts 13-14 – Paul’s first missionary journey saw him sharing the good news "throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia."
Acts 15-18 – Paul’s second missionary journey saw him sharing the good news over in Macedonia. even in the Philippian jail!
Acts 18-21 – Paul’s third missionary journey included sharing the good news while under extreme persecution.
Paul modeled a faithful witness for the Lord amid times of severe persecution! B. F. Mills, a preacher from a generation ago, told the following story: “I remember going downstairs in a hotel at about midnight, with some letters in my hand that I wished to mail. The clerk was not in the office, but a policeman was there, and he said, ‘I will take your letters and mail them for you.’ I thanked him and handed them to him and started up the stairs. As I went, I heard a voice say, ‘Why did you not speak to that policeman about Christ?’
I said, ‘It was because it would not do any good.’
The voice said, ‘How do you know?’ I kept going up all the time. ‘Why did you not speak to him about his soul?’
I said, ‘Lord, he did not look as though he had a soul.’ He was a very worldly-looking sort of a man.
The voice said, ‘Are you going to preach to others and then be cast away yourself?’
I said, ‘No, Lord; I will go back.’ I started down the stairs, but I heard the door shut, and when I came into the office the policeman had gone. I had a sore heart that night and a sore heart the next day. I said, ‘If I see that man again, I will preach Christ to him, if it is a possible thing.’ To my great surprise and joy, he came into the afternoon meeting and sat down on the back seat. There was a crowd there, and I tried after the benediction to go back to where he sat, but the aisles were filled too quickly, and I could not do it. I thought I had missed another opportunity. As I stood talking with some people, in a few moments the aisle was cleared, and as I looked down it, I saw the policeman coming up toward the front. The tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he said to me, ‘I have never known what it meant to be a Christian, but if you tell me I will start now.’
Oh, I believe that all about us, touching our elbows today, waiting in the store and in the street, looking into our faces across the table, are people who are waiting for the touch of a living, earnest Christian in order to be led into the kingdom of God.” (Source: Present Day Parables, John Wilbur Chapman)
Consider the impact our church has had in 2023…it was good, but we could do so much more together! Are we a mission-minded church in our own Jerusalem (our own city)?
Unfortunately, the world seems to be making far too much impact on the people in the church, instead of the church making a strong impact on the community in which we live! As we were reminded a couple of weeks ago, we do not need more church programs to fix this problem. So, what is the solution for the church to make a bigger impact on the community? 7 Steps for Better Gospel Impact:
1. Evaluate Priorities with Honesty.
Does Jesus hold first place in our lives? (Matt. 6:33; Col. 3:1-2: Jn. 13:35)
2. Confess Sin & Repent.
Fruit of the Spirit is absent when sin is present. We are not the attraction – Jesus is the attraction – and sin blocks that view! (Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9)
3. Personal Bible Study.
This is more than attending church. This is individual pursuit of God. The more you know Him, the more you love Him, and the more you love Him – the more you will share Him with others. (II Timothy 2:15; 3:14; II Cor. 5:14)
4. Pray.
Is “the salvation of souls” on your prayer list? For whom are you praying to be saved? (Matthew 7:7-8; John 14:14; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 1:16-19)
5. Discipleship.
This is mentoring, plain and simple. In this independent world in which we live, discipleship is too often absent in the modern-day church. Think about Paul’s discipleship practices for a moment. Barnabas mentored Paul. Paul mentored Timothy, Titus, and Onesimus. Paul also had an iron sharpening iron relationship with Luke, Barnabas, Silas, Aquilla, and Priscilla. We can make a powerful gospel impact on our communities through Spirit-led discipleship relationships and iron sharpening iron relationships. Who do you mentor or who is mentoring you?
6. Elevate Rehearsing.
Your thought life will reveal much about your spiritual life. We talk about what we rehearse in our minds! Do you rehearse the saving grace of Jesus and His enabling grace? Do you live life in a way that affirms this relationship with Him? (Prov. 23:7; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Matthew 28:19-20).
7. Develop Love for God.
Too many believers simply have a “keeping up appearances” relationship with Jesus. They have accepted His gift of salvation; however, pursuing a deeper relationship beyond that level is weak (at best). (II Corinthians 5:14; Jeremiah 31:3; John 13:34; Ephesians 4:32)
The apostle Paul witnessed so frequently and passionately because he never lost the wonder of – “Jesus. Saving. Me!”
You may not have witnessed much, or at all, in 2023. Maybe you have never shared the good news with another human being, but what will you do in 2024? A personal change of heart must come first. May we ask God to increase our witness in 2024.