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We Are Called to Witness

In this blog post, I am going to talk in detail about how to witness to someone about Jesus Christ. We are going to look at a small passage from the Book of Acts, and then investigate key principles when witnessing to people. When you look at Acts 17 you will see that Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and they are now in Thessalonica.

In Thessalonica

The first thing to know about Thessalonica is that there is a synagogue of the Jews in this area. In Acts 17:2-3, we see Paul had a custom to reason with people in Jewish Synagogues when he traveled. The word custom is defined as a long-established practice considered as unwritten law or a repeated practice (Merriam-Webster, 2019).  So, it was an unwritten law for the Apostle Paul to have reasoned with the people in Jewish Synagogues as he traveled. Let’s dissect this a little bit more, Paul reason with these people in the synagogues. The word reason means to talk with another to influence actions or opinions (Merriam-Webster, 2019).

Paul is an Example for Us

So, when the Apostle Paul traveled to Jewish Synagogues it was an unwritten law to him to talk with the people to influence their beliefs on Jesus Christ. If a custom is an unwritten law by definition, and we see it recorded in the Bible, then shouldn’t we be doing it since it is written? I would believe so! Therefore, we ourselves should find opportunities to witness to unbelievers and reason with them about the Gospel, in hopes that they accept Jesus as their Savior.

People Accept Christ

Continuing to Acts 17:4 we will see that many people were persuaded by Paul and Silas. Now this passage of Scripture does not go into detail as to how Paul witnessed to them. However, if we know our Bible in context, we will find much guidance on how to witness to people.

People Also Reject Christ

Unfortunately, when we witness to people, they may not always accept what we say. In Acts 17:5-10 we see that there was a group of Jewish people who were not persuaded by Paul and they orchestrated an attack against them. We find out that Paul and Silas were staying with someone by the name of Jason. So, this group of Jewish people goes to Jason’s house to find Paul and Silas. However, they could not find them, so they bring Jason to the city officials for questioning.  Eventually, the city officials let Jason go, and Paul and Silas do depart from the area and head to Bera. Yet another great example of the Apostle Paul not letting opposition stop him from doing what God called him to do. This is an obvious pattern we see in the Book of Acts and should apply it to our lives!

The Power of Personal Testimony

Even the best ministers will face opposition when witnessing to unbelievers. As I was studying this short passage, I was led to a few Scriptures regarding witnessing to people. One of the first things we should do when witnessing to someone who is an unbeliever is to tell them our testimony. It is often our testimony that will make unbelievers want what we have that is only through Jesus Christ. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NASB) says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.”.

Yield to the Holy Spirit

Additionally, in order to witness to people, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. As you know the Apostle Paul had great boldness. This was because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and yielded to the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 (NASB) tells us, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will tell us what to speak when we are ministering to others if we learn to yield to Him.

Sanctification

Lastly, we must be sanctified in Jesus Christ, and always be ready to witness to someone. 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB) tells us, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”. I could go on and on about sanctification, but I will leave that for another blog post. Additionally, when we witness to someone, we must be gentle and respectful to that person, while at the same time standing firm for truth. We will be able to do this if we truly yield to the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the Word of God won’t offend someone, the Word of God is a sharp two-edged sword. The Word of God will not be politically correct, it will only ever be Biblically correct!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I would encourage you to read through this passage in the Book of Acts and try to apply these keys when you are witnessing to someone. Like I said before if it was an unwritten law written in our Bibles to witness to unbelievers, then we should take it as written law and make it a habit. As you learn to yield to the Holy Spirit you will know who you are to witness to, and who you are to hold off on witnessing to. Regardless we are to always show the love of God to people.

References

Merriam-Webster. (2019, December 10). Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/


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