Witness. n. wit-nəs. Attestation of a fact or event. One that gives evidence. One who has personal knowledge of something. Public affirmation by word or example.
You will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). Jesus said this right before He ascended into heaven. How awesome is that? We get to be His witnesses. Do you know that you have that profound and personal calling from Christ Jesus our Lord?
Three things come to mind about witnessing before we go deeper into the passage this Sunday:
1. Witnessing requires words.
2. Witnessing requires wooing.
3. Witnessing requires watching.
Words – “Faith comes from hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God.” – Romans 10:17.
It is a rather incomplete statement to believe that “actions speaker louder than words.” No. The Word of God is where the power is. This is where the dead will rise. Yes, our character, actions and lifestyle matter in our witness to the world. Yes! But to witness about the Gospel is to speak what you have seen, heard and experienced. Jesus Christ came into the world, to save sinners. He died, He rose again and He desires that all repent and come into a saving relationship with Him. The content matters. Our message matters. Words spoken to this dying world need to be words about Christ—who He is and what He has done. We witness, or attest to, the evidence about Jesus Christ found in the Word of God. We must learn to say “the Scriptures say…” and not just live as a silent example.
Wooing – in my opinion, no one “woos” people more to the Gospel than my mother does. Woo means to “seek to bring about or to encourage gain.” My mother woos people to Jesus. She exudes the love of Christ and seeks to “love everyone she meets.” The Gospel is lived out in her compelling way—the way of graciously talking to people, praying for them, being kind and generous to all. Her witness for Christ is integrally related to the way she treats people. She’s a classic example to me of where her witness catches the eye and the attention of people—she gives glory to God, she seeks to be light in a dark world and she values people where they are. Her witness is a godly example.
Watching – bottom line, we do not witness about Jesus Christ or give witness to His life, death and resurrection that changed us without watching and waiting for Him. The Spirit causes us to use words and wooing abilities to witness to all those around us about Jesus. Without Him, we are nothing and can do nothing (John 15:5). We are not going to be masterful or perfect in our witness (of words or lifestyle!) without the powerful work of the Spirit we watch at work. We cling to the Scriptures that say that “if anyone comes to the Lord, it is the Father that draws them” (John 6:44). Yes, we use words and woo people as we witness about the Lord—but we WAIT and WATCH for Him to work. He will open blind eyes and unstop deaf ears. Jesus IS the compelling evidence! May we be faithful witnesses, fully and completely. In preparation for worship this week, read Acts 1:1-8.
- . In verse 1, the name Theophilus means “one who is loved by God.” This could either be an individual person or a title for us all. How does this passage indicate that you are “one who is loved by God?”
- Luke, the author of Acts, summarizes the purpose of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances in verse 3. What does he say, and how does it accurately summarize what we have been looking at in the past weeks?
- What differences can you think are present between “John’s baptism” and the one which the disciples were to wait for (verse 5)?
- What does it show about the disciples’ mindset when they ask about Jesus restoring the kingdom to Israel (verse 6)?
- How do the two parts of verse 8 connect together? What happens when you have one and not the other?
By Henry Knapp