Left as Witnesses

Acts 1:6-8

One of the biggest problems in the church today is that many Christians don’t see themselves as servants of the Lord. However, it’s not His will that we just come to church and listen to sermons. He wants us to go out and be Christ’s witnesses wherever we are or wherever He sends us.

The roles and methods by which we carry out our witness will be different, but each believer has a vital role to play. Individually, you may feel as if your efforts have little impact, but the Lord can work wonders through a willing servant. No one is too messed up to be used by Him: He specializes in taking broken people and making them whole. Nor does anyone reach an age when he or she is no longer useful—if you’re still alive, God isn’t done with you yet.

The question is not whether we are adequate to be His witnesses, but whether we are willing. God has promised the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish His purposes through us, but if we won’t use His divine strength, we waste opportunities for impact. Earthly responsibilities have a way of stealing our attention and limiting our obedience to the Lord. However, nothing in life is more important than doing the will of the Father.

Have duties and pleasures of this world lured you away from your responsibility to tell others about the Savior? Salvation is not just an experience to be enjoyed; it’s a gift to be shared. You don’t need a theology degree. Just tell what Jesus has done for you, and the Spirit will do the rest.

Lessons in Sonship

John 8:25-59

Jesus’ assertion that He was the Son of God incited fury in the religious leaders. Yet His explanation of all that His Sonship entailed helps us understand how we are to behave as God’s children.

He spoke His Father’s words to the world (v. 26). Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us the same assignment. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

Christ did nothing on His own initiative (John 8:28). Sonship never implies weakness, but it does require surrender to the Father’s authority.

He spoke as the Father taught Him(v. 28). Christians aren’t to depend on personal instinct but, rather, are to learn and rely on the truth of God’s Word.

Jesus always did what pleased the Father (v. 29). God’s children no longer live for their own pleasures; rather, they seek the joy and blessings of living in obedience to their Father.

Christ did not pursue His own glory but honored the Father (vv. 49-50, 54). In the same way, we’re to humble ourselves and exalt the Lord in our thoughts and behavior.

He knew His Father and kept His word (v. 55). Believers have the same privilege of intimacy with God and the same responsibility of obedience to His instructions.

The opportunity for us to be God’s childrenis possible only because of the faithful obedience of His Son. Christ opened the door for our adoption, showered us with family blessings, and demonstrated how we are to live in the household of faith. Now it is up to us to follow His example.