Ramblings from Retirement – Get Out There and Share Jesus!

Ramblings from Retirement – Get Out There and Share Jesus!
By Pastor (retired) Hemen
April 2, 2022

It is a beautiful day today and I am sitting here thinking about going for a bicycle ride. I like to get exercise by riding my bike and I’ve learned that I cannot simply think about it, I have to get up and go ride my bike. You know it is the same thing as far as witnessing to others about your faith. You can’t simply think about it, you have to get up and go out and do it. However, much of what we have been taught over the decades about witnessing is completely not found in Scripture. Let’s find out what I mean by this shall we?

Every gospel from Matthew to John talks about Jesus’ followers going into the world and telling others about Jesus and who he is. In fact, even the Book of Acts speaks to this issue as well.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV84)”

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16 NIV84)’”

“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:46-48 NIV84)’”

“Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21 NIV84)’”

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NIV84)”

Notice that Jesus’ followers are told to be witnesses but nowhere are they told to memorize a set number of Scripture passages and regurgitate them in a specific order to be his witnesses. Now do not get me wrong, if you are comfortable doing that then go ahead and do just that. However, this is not really how early believers witnessed, nor for that matter did most of Christians for the first thousand years or so of church history. What began to transpire is a reliance on a professional priesthood to regurgitate to the uneducated masses the Bible. People therefore began to put a lot of weight on the written word related to them rather than personal experience. Knowing the New Testament is very important for orthodoxy as far as Christianity is concerned. Far too many have taught and are teaching some pretty convoluted ideas about the Bible. Yet, I’m speaking about our witnessing.

When Jesus first sent out his twelve disciples onto Paul and others we see that they went out and simply declared who Jesus was and what he had done for them. This is what we should be doing as well. I like having others read passages and then tell me what they think it says about Jesus and their lives. However I’ve found that the best way to share my faith is to share what Jesus has done for me and what he can do for them, and not with preachy or churchy words. This is how the disciples shared, Paul, and others. So I encourage you to go and witness about Jesus, what he has and is doing for you, and how he can help others as well. Now get out there are share Jesus.
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This article is copyrighted © 2022 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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