If this sermon is helpful to you look for my latest book, “The Greatest Commands: Learning To Love Like Jesus.” Each chapter is sermon length, alliterated, and focuses on the life and love of Jesus. You can find it here:
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Witnessing The Difference
by Scott R. Bayles, preacher
Church of Christ
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The average church-goer will, over the course of their life, hear 4,000 sermons, sing 20,000 songs, participate in 8,000 public prayers... and lead zero sinners to faith in Jesus Christ—it’s a sobering and sad statistic. How close are you to average? If you have never been a part of bringing another soul to Jesus, then you’ve missed one of the most precious experiences of life. Sharing Jesus with another person and seeing the difference he makes in their life is one of the most wonderful experiences you can have.
Sadly, many people miss out on it. According to a recent study, on average within three years of a person becoming a Christian, they will no longer have any close friendships with people who aren’t Christians—which happens because of multiple factors, but the end result is that Christians are loosing evangelistic contact with other people.
Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave his followers what is known as The Great Commission. He said, “So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. And remember that I am always with you until the end of time” (Matthew 28:19-20 GWT). The Great Commission is a personal, individual command to every child of God to go into his/her own personal world and share Jesus every person who will listen.
The apostles and other disciples took that command to heart and the church in Jerusalem grew from just 120 people to well over 20,000 in just a few short years because of it. So let me invite you to read Acts 1:3-11 with me and let’s try to discover what made the difference—what moved these 12 ordinary men to turn the world upside down?
After his death, [Jesus] showed himself to [his followers] and proved in many ways that he was alive. Once when he was eating with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father which I told you about. John baptized people with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
When the apostles were all together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, are you now going to give the kingdom back to Israel?”
Jesus said to them, “The Father is the only One who has the authority to decide dates and times. These things are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world.”
After he said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud hid him from their sight. As he was going, they were looking into the sky. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go.” (Acts 2:1-11)
In the next chapter, the apostle Peter went on to preach the first Christian sermon. He preached with such passion and urgency that three thousand people responded to the invitation of Jesus that day. What was the difference in the evangelistic endeavors of these Christians versus those of today? I don’t think it was a matter of strategy. It wasn’t that they preached a different message. It wasn’t that they gave the people what they wanted—in fact, it was just the opposite. The difference, I think, was their faith! They were truly convinced of the things they had seen and heard.
This morning, I want to point out three facts of which the early Christians were convinced—and how it affected them. To start with, they believed...
• JESUS IS RISEN:
This gave them a message! Luke said that, “After his death, he showed himself to them and proved in many ways that he was alive” (vs.3-4).
Paul later provides us with some details about who Jesus appeared to, saying, “He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today…Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all he was seen by me” (1 Cor. 15:5-8 NCV).
The fact that a man died and returned to life three days later is a message worth sharing over and over again. Think back to the last time you received some really exciting news; what did you do? Did you call everyone you know—your friends, family, neighbors, etc.—and tell them all about it!? Why can’t we do the same thing with the greatest news of all!?
Vance Havner, put it this way: “We do not have a secret to be hidden, but a story to be heralded... The Gospel is not something we come to church to hear; it is something we go from church to tell” (Nelson 777). We have this amazing message, this incredible story—God’s Story—so let’s share it with everyone we know. The first-century church grew by leaps and bounds because they could hardly hold it in. They felt compelled to tell the story of Jesus! The disciples said to each other, “It felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us...The Lord really has risen from the dead” (Luke 24:32,34 NCV).
Unfortunately, too many believers have lost that burning sensation. We’re not excited about sharing the story of Jesus. According to a nationwide surveys conducted by the Barna Research Group, only 53% of “born again” Christians feel a sense of responsibility to tell others about their faith. In other words, nearly half of American Christians don’t think that it’s their responsibility to share the good news!
If we really believe that Jesus is risen, then we ought to share that message with anyone who will listen. That’s what Wallace Hostetter did. A preacher from Rochester, Michigan, Hostetter went out for a haircut one day. His barber was a young Muslim woman. In the course of their conversation, he told her he was a preacher, that he believed in Jesus, and that later that day he was going to perform a funeral.
She told him that someone once offered her $150 to cut the hair of a dead man to prepare him for his funeral. “But I wouldn’t do it,” she said.
“Why not?” he asked.
“I don’t like to touch the dead. I’m afraid they’ll sit up.”
“I know one who did,” said the preacher.
“Ugh! You’re kidding.”
“Nope, I’m not,” he replied. Then he told her the story of Jesus. When his haircut was done, she asked him if he was going to keep coming there. He said, “Yeah, I’ll come back.”
“Good,” she said, “I’d like to know more.”
It may not always be that easy, but you won’t know until you try. There is a second belief of which the first Christians were convinced. They believed...
• JESUS IS RULING:
This gave them a mission! When his disciples asked him about reestablishing his kingdom in Israel, Jesus said, “The Father is the only One who has the authority to decide dates and times. These things are not for you to know…You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world” (vs. 7-8).
The apostles were still thinking in physical terms. They thought Jesus was going to restore the physical glory that was Israel’s back in the days of David and Solomon, when Israel was the greatest kingdom in the entire world. But when Jesus used the word “kingdom,” he had something very different in mind. Jesus was talking about a spiritual kingdom in which God would reign in the hearts and lives of his people!
One thing the apostles understood very clearly and believed whole-heartedly was that Jesus is Lord—he is ruler over all the earth—and that means that the Great Commission is not optional. As God’s people, we have a mission! And the tactical strategy, outlined by Jesus, remains the challenge to every generation: Start at home with your own family (Jerusalem), then expand to your neighbors and friends (Judea and Samaria), and finally reach out to your entire community (every part of the world).
And Jesus doesn’t send us off to carry out our mission unarmed. He has entrusted us with the “full armor of God”—the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness. The Bible describes the fight to win souls as spiritual warfare. Paul writes, “Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age” (Eph. 6:11-12 TEV).
Jesus Christ is our Commander-in-Chief and he has called us to fight the good fight, to carry our own crosses, and reach a lost world with the message of a loving God. It’s time that we respond to that call. We sang the song a moment ago, but did you listen to the words written by George Duffield?
Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss;
From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, For Christ is Lord indeed.
Jesus really is Lord indeed! If he is truly ruling in our hearts and lives, then we will do everything in our power to carry out the mission that he has given us. There is one last belief, mentioned in Acts 1, of which the early church was convinced. They believed...
• JESUS IS RETURNING:
This gave them a motive! After Jesus disappeared into the sky, an angel announced, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go.”
The disciples never doubted the words of those angels. They believed with absolute certainty that Jesus would come again. In fact, most of them thought he would return during their lifetime. That’s why it took so long for the New Testament to come together—most of the disciples never realized that these writings would need to be preserved for future generations. But their belief that Jesus was coming again motivated them to reach out to every person in every place, every chance they got.
If we believed in the Second Coming as strongly as the apostles did, what a difference it would make in the way we live our lives. The fact that Jesus is returning should motivate each Christian to reach out to every lost soul so that they could be prepared for that day.
Jesus said, “No one knows the day or hour... The angels in heaven don’t know, and the Son Himself doesn’t know... So be on your guard. You don’t know when your Lord will come” (Matt. 24:36, 42). Those words seem clear enough, but the disregarding of them led to one of the most highly anticipated—and most disappointing—days in history.
The churches of northeastern America grew rapidly in the early 1800s, fueled by one revival after another. And it was during that period that William Miller of New York concluded that Christ would return in 1843 or 1844. When he later began preaching, this idea became a keynote of his messages, and his listeners—finding him earnest, eloquent and sincere—multiplied. He finally announced that Christ would return to earth on October 22, 1844.
The financial panic of 1839 contributed to the belief that the end was coming and enthusiasm for Christ’s return became so great that prophetic charts were added alongside stock market listings and current events in newspapers. Miller’s teachings swept through New England and countless people espoused his doctrine.
As the morning of October 22, 1844 dawned, a sense of fear and foreboding fell over New England. People gathered on mountaintops and in churches. Normal activities ceased as everyone awaited the sudden rending of the skies and the end of the world. But when the day passed uneventfully, many Christians grew disillusioned. The unsaved became cynical. The period of revivals came to an abrupt end. The event became known as “The Great Disappointment” (Nelson 688).
But let me tell you, the true coming of Christ will not be disappointing—and it should be just as anticipated. We live in a sea of lost souls who will one day suddenly stand before the judgment seat of God without the testimony of Jesus Christ, unless we fulfill our mission and tell them the message of Jesus!
The institute of American Church Growth polled 4,000 people and asked them how they were influenced to first attend the church where they eventually became members:
2-3% just walked in
2-3% came through the churches programs
5-6% were attracted by the preacher
1-2% came out of a special need
1-2% were reached through visitation programs
4-5% came through a Sunday School class
½-1% came through a public evangelistic crusade/campaign
75-90% were converted through the influence of friends and relatives
You see, it’s not what I say and do in here (as important as that may be), it’s what you say and do out there that makes the difference.
Conclusion:
As I’ve already said, the Great Commission is a personal, individual command to every child of God to go into his/her own personal world and try to share Jesus with every person who will listen.
The mission and passion of Jesus was to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). To follow the example of Jesus, we can’t be satisfied with just coming to church week after week. We must believe that something effective can be done to reach out to the people in this community with the message of God’s love. Now, it’s not going to happen over night.
When Ashley and I came here, we increased the attendance by 25%. About that same time another couple placed membership. Shortly after that another family started coming. That’s how God works—just one person, one family at a time. But it will only happen if we believe what they believed…
• Jesus is Risen: this gives us a message!
• Jesus is Ruling: this gives us a mission!
• Jesus is Returning: this gives us a motive!
Invitation:
There may be someone here today who is ready to commit his/her life to Jesus. If you know that you need the saving blood of Jesus Christ, then I want to encourage you to be baptized or re-committed today and become a witness for Jesus. Whatever your need, please come forward now...
