Scripture Reading:
*Colossians 1:28-29, “28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
The passage that Stephen read to you earlier has been on my heart for a little over a month. It is so easy for us as Christians to get distracted from the importance of sharing our faith isn’t it? There have been so many studies and books that cover how to share your faith, and if you need to, say something. Have you heard that saying before?
We all know that sharing our faith is difficult. If you do share the gospel you face the possibility of losing friends, of being ridiculed, or a multitude of other possible consequences. So that saying strikes a chord within us and we get excited! Oh! I don’t have to say anything! I can just live a good moral life and hope someone asks me why I am different.
Today I am here to say this: Say something and share Christ! (Is there a difference between a good moral person that says nothing and a Christian? No! There are enough silent, nice, moral people out there who don’t know Christ! Let’s set ourselves apart by being a people that says what we believe and makes sure that our lives line up with what we say.
This idea was the main thrust in the even we hosted yesterday. There are enough service projects being done by organizations that don’t have Christ. Is that important? Yes, but our main goal as Christians should be to talk about Christ. People can’t find lasting hope in a smile or a cup of cold water. Jesus didn’t just give the woman at the well a glass of water, He said I will give you water that leads to everlasting life!
I believe God wants us to evaluate our lives this morning. As we read through scripture and see how Peter and John proclaimed Christ, think about how you are proclaiming Christ with your life and with your words. Turn to Acts 4:23-31.
Before we read this passage let me put it in context for you. Peter and John were in Jerusalem. This is a short while after Pentecost and 3,000 people came to Christ. Both Peter and John encountered a lame beggar who couldn’t walk. And this is where the line Peter says becomes famous, “But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)
Through that whole process they see another 5,000 people come to Christ! What we need to realize here is that Peter and John were thrown into prison because they were proclaiming Christ. The religious leaders threaten them so that they would never speak the name of Christ again. That is where we pick up in Acts 4 verse 23:
*Acts 4:23–31 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Did you see how they prayed in verse 24? “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them…” Their eyes were not focused on the fear of man, but on the greatness of God over all things!
The Christians in Jerusalem didn’t see this occurrence as something that halted the ministry being done. They saw it as a driving force, something that showed them the incredible importance of getting their story out.
Taking Action
Peter and John had taken action against anything that would hold them back from proclaiming Christ. They had their eyes focused on God so that even if the threat of being beaten or killed for the sake of Christ remained it would not hold them back.
So, why is it hard to talk to other people about Jesus? We get embarrassed, we don’t know what to say, maybe we don’t feel qualified to talk about Him. Maybe you haven’t been living in a way that honors Christ so it talking about Him would mean that you would have to make some life changes.
We need to take action against excuses and remember that the reason we share the gospel is because God rules over everything! Proclaiming Christ is an act of worship. We show our submission to God when we raise Him up. He not only commands it, but we should be proud to be called Christians.
Our culture has been trying, and will continue to try, to make Christianity shameful. Let me explain what I mean by this. What do public high school students think of a teenage virgin? What do your co-workers think of living a moral life? They think it is all a crock, that there is no worth to it. The new show “GCB” is a direct attack on the church! This is why Peter tells us:
*1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
We need to be vigilant to know God’s commands and carry them out. We have an adversary whose main goal is to cause the church to be as ineffective as he possibly can. If he can get us to be distracted by other things how effective will we be in proclaiming the name of Christ?
I am not saying that we are all superhero’s of the faith and that witnessing is the easiest thing in the world to do. What I am saying is that proclaiming Christ takes a major amount of commitment. Peter knew he was weak in this area and so he prayed for boldness! Have you?
What is distracting us from preaching the gospel to those around us on a daily basis? Is it fear? Is it pride? Is it simply because you don’t think about it? Is it our schedules?
Jesus calls us to give up everything for the sake of Christ. He said that you can’t even love your family more than Him. When He called His disciples He said that following Him would mean not having a place to lay you head at night. He pointed out the sacrifice required. Proclaiming Christ requires commitment.
Example: Living in Enon, God convicted us about our time. Once we gave it over to Him we were able to start ministering to the family living next door.
It takes commitment to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Eph 4:1). Let’s just think about this for a second. Peter and John were proclaiming Christ to people. Do you think you can half-heartedly proclaim something? Do you think they were distracted from their mission? No, they were committed no matter the odds against them and no matter the consequences. Why would someone go to such lengths when the possibility of personal harm was so high? Because when you have your eyes on the prize you will push through anything to see that you attain it.
We have to be vigilant to know God’s commands and carry them out! Satan knows God’s commands and is vigilant against them.
Present Everyone Mature in Christ
*Colossians 1:28, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”
You have to teach what you know to someone else so that they too may be mature in Christ. What is the implication here? That you are mature in Christ!
What I am not saying is that you have to be a Biblical scholar to tell people about your faith. I think this is a trap that a lot of Christians fall into. How does a new Christian go about telling people the gospel? “Hey how are you doing?! Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? I have! It’s amazing!” I don’t know all the answers but come to my church and meet my pastor and we can grow together.
You don’t have to know everything to share your faith, but you should have a continuing hunger to know God deeply and intimately. As Christians we need to connect ourselves to scripture so that we can be mature in Christ.
Evidence of God
Acts 4:31, “31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Peter and John didn’t shudder at the threats that had been thrown at them. They prayed for even more boldness to speak God’s truth. There was a tangible difference in their lives. There was evidence of God at work in their lives in no small way. The place they prayed in was shaken with the power of the Holy Spirit! They were given even more boldness to speak.
I keep challenging our students to tell me where they have seen God at work. Why is that important? Because we should be constantly in awe of the God we follow. It is important that we see God at work because we need to be reminded that God never leaves us or forsakes us. He commands us to speak His gospel to those around us, but just like those Christians in Jerusalem that prayed for boldness, He empowers us to do it!
*Colossians 1:29, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
When you look at the Greek Paul is saying that God has infused him with a miraculous power to do God’s work. Is that something that we can claim for ourselves?
Why are their Christians in China that risk being tortured and killed for the sake of the Gospel? Why are their churches in Nigeria that meet for worship regardless of the threat that Muslims may choose their church to bomb that morning?
How do Christians in those situations find it a joy to witness to others? They find joy in God’s work because they have a dynamic walk with Jesus Christ. They have been infused with a miraculous power to speak boldly and to live lives to the glory of the Lord.
Church, our confidence in Christ is rooted in our relationship with God. We need to have a faith that is grounded in Christ so that we can confidently and with excitement tell those around us about God and what He is doing in our lives. If you can’t tell me how God has radically changed your life, then why are you following Him? What is the point? If God does not dramatically change your life, why waste time here at church? (Oh, wasn’t that bad before I became a Christian…)
The world is longing for something real. If you can’t point to your life and say, “Look at how real God is!” then you may need to re-evaluate your life. If you can, then speak out! Tell your Sunday school class how great God is! Tell your co-workers how God provides!
We have to take action against being ineffective for God’s kingdom. We have to warn those around us with wisdom. We have to see God at work in our lives. Is the life you live in Christ real?
The Not So Hungry Games!, April 4th: Are you prepared to face the biggest challenge of your life? Are you ready to risk it all in a battle to the finish? Then join us for the "Not So Hungry Games" being held this Wednesday from 6-8pm in the youth wing! See you there!
