MBF Vision Statement WITNESS

02-26-2023

WITNESS

This morning you guessed it and we are continuing with our Vision Statement

If you will recall our Vision Statement

“To make Jesus KNOWN to People.”

KNOWN in an acronym

KNOWLEDGE - to have an understanding and knowledge of who Jesus is, what He did and how that affects me personally.

Proverbs 2:10 NASB95

10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

It is a heart knowledge that has seeped from your head to your heart

It is through a personal relationship with Jesus that Scripture says you are a

NEW CREATION - To know that because of Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection I can have a personal relationship with Christ. And because of that relationship I am made new in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

If anyone is in Christ

A personal relationship with Jesus is being in Christ

And it is because of that personal relationship that you are moved to action

It is to the point that you can’t help but do something

What is that something you may ask, it is being obedient to God

You are to OBEY

OBEY - To know what Jesus said and to follow through with it. To do what Jesus says.

Church to do just what Jesus says

As Pastor Gary would say GOBEY

Church there must be action to your faith in Christ

James 1:22 NASB95

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

How do you prove yourselves doers of the word it is by the action of your life

To prove you are a doer of the word there must be action

We have always been told our actions speak louder than our words

I would think that in our walk with Christ it is an equal 50/50

If we say we are a Christ follower but no fruit or action to our faith then scripture says our faith is dead

And if we do nothing but action but have no words or statements as to why we are doing it then I would think our faith is just as dead as before

This morning we move to the W

We have done the

K-Knowledge

N-New Creation

O-Obey

Today is the W

Witness - To share Jesus with those around me at the Holy Spirits leading.

Like this makes sense and we know this right

This is one of those things that you and I as believers we are supposed to be doing

First thing this is not just a thing you check off

Notice the statement To Share Jesus with those around me at the Holy Spirits leading

If we left that last part off it would totally be a thing you can check off a list somewhere

But now that we are bringing the Holy Spirit into it

Now its not something on a list that you are supposed to do but something you are called and commanded and

because of that personal relationship with Christ it is something that you can’t help be do

Acts 1:8 NASB95

8 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.”

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that leads us and guides us to witness

To share with those people around us or that we come into contact with

But church this is the GOBEY Pastor Gary talked about

We are not only to obey in Going but we are to gobey in sharing and being a witness to

Jerusalem, to Judea and even Samaria

Jerusalem for the early church would have been easier it was their home town

There wasn’t much going distance it was the easy going

Across the street, our neighbors, our family those we did life with those we worked with

Judea for the early church would have like a state to us

If Jerusalem is our home town it is Topeka

The Judea is either Kansas or the United States

But it starts in the town then it moves to those with a little farther travel but still people you know and are comfortable with

Then we moves to Samaria

Samaria would have been a capital city of the northern nation of Israel in the Old Testament

We know even in the New Testament that Jews did not associate with Samaritains

To the next state over to the next county over to the other nations

Then it is to the remotest part of the earth

Those places that are hard to get to

Those places that have so called roads but we wouldn’t call them roads

That church is who you and I as believers in Jesus Christ are called to witness to

Not just the nations abroad, but we are also called to whiteness here at home

Oswald Smith - “The light that shines the farthest will shine the brightest at home.”

This is what it is to witness and to be called to the nations

When we say Witness that is exactly what we are talking about

You are to be a witness of what you have seen and experienced of God

You are to be a witness of what you know

Not what you think or what your opinion is

“We hear a great deal these days about “soul winning,” and the emphasis is a good one. However, while some of God’s people have a calling to evangelism, all of God’s people are expected to be witnesses and tell the lost about the Saviour.” Warren Wiersbe’s Commentary

Church you maybe not be gifted in evangelism techniques but as a child of God you are gift to simple tell what you have witnessed

Proverbs 14:25 NASB95

25 A truthful witness saves lives, But he who utters lies is treacherous.

We are to bear witness to what we have seen and heard and experienced

Nothing more nothing less

Church if you and I as a church a body of believers in Topeka KS expect to see our Vision Statement than it is a must that we share with people what you have witnessed

This is how we become soul winners

So what have you witnessed as a believer in Jesus Christ

You have witnessed dead come back to life

1 you know Jesus was dead and you also know He is alive

And because of that personal relationship with Jesus you have experienced Jesus who was dead and know alive

And because of Jesus you were dead and are now alive in Christ

Because of Jesus you have experienced freedom from sin

I know that most of you have also experienced other things because of Jesus that you can and should be a witness to

And if we were to name them we would probably be here awhile

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

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 ahope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Church we are to be prepared to give an account for the hope that is in us

For a few things

People should see that you are different, that is action piece we talked about last week

And we know the action is a result of you being a new creation

Church do you understand how this all goes together

Because you have a knowledge of Jesus and that has seeped into your heart

Because you are a new creation

Because you obey the Word of God

People will begin to ask questions

It is not a script you have to remember

You don’t have to have a certain number of verses memorized

You don’t have to know everything about the Bible

You simple witness to what you have experienced

“They are 1) a witness to who Jesus Christ is, 2) a witness to who he had done; and 3) a witness to how a man or woman can come to know him personally.” - James Montgomery Boice

No better way to say it

So church we will call the band up

As they come up and ask they begin to play

May be you are here this morning and do now have a personal relationship with Jesus

I would invite you to the front and you can speak with someone who can show you through scripture how Jesus loved you so much He chose to die for your sins and how you are to repent and trust in Jesus to begin a personal relationship with Jesus

Or maybe you are here this morning and you have been obstinate and refusing to be a witness for Christ

I would call you repent this morning and run to Jesus

Or maybe you simple need to spend sometime in prayer at the altar this morning

The altar is open