Janet and I went to a birthday party on Saturday and during one point of the party a group of us stood around telling hunting & fishing stories.  Man that was right down my alley.  It’s amazing how some of those details are still crystal clear even when the stories were over 10 years old.  We talked about what we’d seen, heard and done; and the experiences & emotions that went along with it – especially when it involved taking one of our kids who got a big buck or caught a nice fish.    Bottom line – we were being WITNESSES.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus revealed to His first followers His purpose for them & for us.  Jesus said: “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.”

Being a WITNESS is being like those guys at the birthday party telling what they had seen, heard & experienced.   The only difference is that the Holy Spirit  (God’s Spirit that lives in every person who is a true follower of Christ) gives us power to tell others about what we’ve experienced with Jesus Christ.   Yes, we’re to encourage other followers of Christ by sharing what God has done and is doing in our lives.  More importantly, we’re to share this with people who do not yet have a relationship with Christ (they’ve never put their faith & trust in Him). 

From the very beginning of this movement Jesus calls His church – He wanted us to be outward focused, not inward focused.  So as you go about your week, would you begin to think about the people around you who need to know what Christ as done in your life. 

One way to know what to say when you share with others is to think through a couple of things that you can share in a simple way and short period of time:  a)  what was my life like before I had a relationship with Christ?  b) how did I realize I needed a relationship with Christ?, c) what did I do to enter into my relationship with Christ?, and d) what has my life been like since I entered into a relationship with Christ?

By the way – if you don’t have clear answers to those questions, I suggest you talk with one of our Pastors who can help you understand what it means to have a genuine relationship with Christ.   The worst thing that can happen in anyone’s life is to think that they are a Christian (a real believer/follower of Christ) when they’re  not.   Maybe you’re wondering why I would put something like this at the end of this blog…..the reason is because that is a part of my story!

I’d love for you to join the conversation and share what you’re learning as we read through the Book of Acts together!