Can I Get a Witness?

"CAN I GET A WITNESS"

Main Text: Acts 2:47 (ESV)

Acts 2:47 (ESV) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The NT church is a witnessing church.

Acts 2:47b - "...And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

"The Lord adds..."

I. GOD PROVIDES THE POWER IN WITNESSING

a. Acts 1:8 - Receive Power to Witness

Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

i. Receive Power to witness.

1. Power: Dynamis – Force, strength, the ability from the Holy Ghost
2. There is a boldness that God gives you.
   • The righteous are bold as lions. Prov. 28:1

Acts 4:29-31 (ESV) And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 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.

1. Witness: Martus - bear record, testify (martyr: those that were witnesses even until death)
   • A witness is one that tells what he saw, heard, knows firsthand.
   • Generally "Hear say" can be thrown out of court. It is testimony to what someone else said out of court. But anyone got their own testimony.

John 9:25 (ESV) He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see

• Just look at your Scars. Surgery scars, burn marks (motorcycle), tattoos, knife marks, scars on my legs, track marks. Fight and get high all the time, God has changed you.
• Look at your photos (birthdays, lost that house, anniversary, kept me in that that season, cars that have been totaled but we walked away)
• Anyone know him as a healer, as a way maker, as Savior, a comforter, a burden bearer, a friend that sticks closer than a brother?
• Song writer said it like this: I was sinking deep in sin, Far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, Sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea, Heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, Now safe am I. Love Lifted Me

b. WITNESSING IS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

i. Peter was a witness to the multitudes in the temple (Acts 2) ii. Peter was a witness in Cornilus's home in Caesarea (Acts 10)

c. Witnessing is to be ever expanding.

Acts 1:8 (ESV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

1. In Jerusalem: Home this is where you live. Do the people at home know you are a Christian? Have you talked to people in your immediate circle? Sometimes Jerusalem is hostile. Remember the Sadducees and Pharisees that killed Jesus were in Jerusalem. Jerusalem may be hostile for you because they know your past, your secrets and they may try to pull you back, but you have to tell them you are born again and are a new creation, then you have to act "brand new".

2. Judea: The surrounding areas, county or the bay area. (co-workers)

3. Samaria: There was hatred and prejudice against the Samaritans for years. These groups didn't like each other. Because Samaritans weren't considered full jews. They were Jews and something else from when the land was occupied during the exile and Jews married other nations. (Jesus went through Samaria, and said his disciples should go to Samaria). Does your evangelism cross-cultural, historical, and community lines?

4. Ends of the earth: The scope of your witness should be unending. Missions? Are you the same on Vacation? When you are not in Tampa? Where have you stopped your witness?

d. Jesus has all authority in Heaven and on earth

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

i. Jesus has all authority in Heaven and on earth

1. Jesus has all power and can give you power. Authority: Power to do something, ability,
2. Jesus is saying this after he has risen from the dead. He was crucified, He had won the victory over death. So anything he says at this point is 100% believable. – "I have all authority"

Philippians. 2:9-11 (ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1. Every tongue will one day confess that Jesus is Lord. – Either willingly before the day of Judgment day or involuntarily on judgment day.

ii. Go therefore, make disciples / Teach all nations

1. "Go" is not the imperative or command voice in this statement "Make disciples" is in the imperative voice. God doesn't have to tell people to Go. We go anyway. We go to the grocery store, go to work, go on dates, go to Olympics. While you are going make disciples. Its not a special trip it should be as you are doing your daily business.
2. Make disciples: tell them about Jesus.

Story: Pray for people. I was at iHop with a friend. And he said to the waitress, we are about to bless the food is there anything we can pray for you for. I am getting older and my memory is going, pray for my memory so I can remember orders and can keep my job. People need to hear the good news from God's people.

1. Baptizing them: Helping them identify with Christ and joining them to a church body.
2. Teaching them to observe the commandments.
3. I am with you so you will have the ability and presence of God to accomplish all of these things

II. GOD ACCEPTS THE PRESSURE OF TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH YOUR WITNESSING

No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him.

1. John 6:44 (ESV) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

2. John 12:12-13 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1. Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God. Jesus said flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, but my father in heaven (Matthew 16:17-19)

4. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ESV) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Some water some plat but God makes it Grow. (God gets the increase)

1. Jesus said he came to see and save the loss. (Luke 19:10) That should be our goal and passion as well.

III. GOD USES HIS PEOPLE NOT JUST THE APOSTLES TO WITNESS

a. God used church leaders and church people.

i. Acts 7 we see the message Stephen preached

ii. Acts 8:1 (ESV) And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

We see the people and Phillip preaching.

iii. Acts 8:4,5 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

b. Phillip also witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8)

i. He was reading and Phillip asked do you understand what you are reading? Then he started there and told him the Good news about Jesus.

c. We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony

i. Rev 12:11

IV. GOD USES THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL IN WITNESSING

Gospel means "good news" the good news is that Jesus Christ has come to save you.

a. Romans 1:16 (ESV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

What are the basics and essentials of the Gospel

b. 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (ESV) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

i. You must believe and have faith in these things. The Gospel must be received and stood in.

ii. V. 3 Christ died for our sins in accordance to the scriptures.

1. Scriptures told of a Christ that would save the world, and take away the sins of the world. Thou our sins are red like scarlet Christ would wash us white as snow. (Isa. 1:18)
2. All have sinned a fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
3. My Sins deserve death. Wages of sin is death. Jesus paid the price by dying in my place.
4. He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in him. (1 Peter 2:22)

iii. He was buried. This is a confirmation that he was dead. Romans knew how to kill people so they knew when a person was dead – they stabbed him in the side to be sure, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took the body to the tomb, They wrapped the body, and buried him.

iv. V.4 He raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

1. This proves that Jesus was God, and able to take his life back up again.
2. He proves that he overcame death, and his followers will do the same.
3. Shows that God the father was satisfied with the sacrifice Jesus made to cover the sins of the world.

v. V.5 he appeared to Cephas and the twelve. His resurrection was confirmed and it changes the life of those who see him.

vi. This you received, stand in this and are being saved. How do we stand in this?

1. Romans 10:8-13 (ESV) But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

1. Your mouth confesses Jesus is Lord
2. Your heart believes Jesus raised him from the Dead
3. God looks at the heart to make sure your heart matches your words.
4. Because we will overcome by the Blood, Our words, and our actions.

Conclusion

The New Testament Church is a church that tells the world about Jesus. He gives us his power, he uses his people, and our proclamation is the Gospel.

Revelations 12:11 (ESV) And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Discussion Questions

1. Acts 1:8 promises power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Have you experienced the boldness and power of the Holy Spirit in your witnessing? If not, what's holding you back?
2. The message emphasizes that a witness tells what they saw, heard, and know firsthand. What is your personal testimony of what Jesus has done in your life?
3. Jesus commanded us to witness in Jerusalem (home), Judea (surrounding areas), Samaria (across cultural lines), and the ends of the earth. Which of these areas is most challenging for you, and why?
4. The passage notes that "Jerusalem may be hostile" because people there know your past. How do you overcome the fear of witnessing to those who knew you before Christ?
5. Matthew 28:19 emphasizes "make disciples" not just "go." How can you make disciples in your everyday routine—at work, school, or in your community?
6. The message states that God accepts the pressure of transforming lives—it's not all on us. How does knowing that "God gives the growth" (1 Cor 3:6-7) relieve pressure in evangelism?
7. Philip asked the Ethiopian eunuch, "Do you understand what you are reading?" and then explained the gospel. Who in your life might need someone to explain the gospel to them?
8. First Corinthians 15:3-5 outlines the essentials of the gospel: Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Can you clearly articulate this gospel message to someone who doesn't know Jesus?
9. Romans 10:9-10 says salvation comes through confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart. How do your words and your heart align when it comes to your faith?
10. Revelation 12:11 says we overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of [our] testimony." When was the last time you shared your testimony, and what impact did it have?

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