Why Witness?

The Battle of the Two Natures Part 8

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe.” John 1:6-7

 

What Is a Witness?

          Here in John chapter one, God is talking about John the Baptist and the fact that John the Baptist was called to be a witness. We also are called to be witnesses according to Acts1:8. There God says:

 

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and shall be witnesses unto me…”

 

What Does It Mean to Witness?

          When I was growing up, I was taught that we witness with our life. As we enter this section of this Bible study, it is necessary that we understand what I mean when I refer to “witnessing.” My idea is not taken from what I was taught as I was growing up, but from what I understand from the Bible. What I mean when I talk about witnessing is SHARING THE PLAN OF SALVATION. I mean sharing the gospel. Actually, “giving” may be a better word than “sharing” in view of the fact that God “gives” salvation to us based upon our faith in His work on the cross. He does not give salvation based upon any “shared” work with us, such as; He does part, but we must do our part, too. No, God does it all, and we trust what He has done. In that sense it is not a shared work. It is a case where God does the work, and then He gives all the full benefit to us. However, when I talk about witnessing, what I am talking about is “verbalizing” the plan of salvation. If it were true, as I was taught when I was growing up, that you witness by your life, then here would be the results; you would have stolen God’s glory. If you have the life without the lip, then you glorify yourself. On the other hand, if you have  the lip  (witness)  without  the   life,   then, some may trust the Lord, but others will be hopelessly driven away from the gospel. That is what will happen if your life does not back up what you are saying. When I hear people talk about the Lord with alcohol on their breath, I have to wonder. A number of times I have seen people talk about Lord, but knock you over with their breath, I see that they are not winning people to the Lord, yet they wonder why they are fruitless in their witness. The reason is obvious. So you have to have the life to back up your witness, or you may be driving more people away from the Lord than you are winning. The two work together, but the witness is what you do with your lips, not with your life. The life is to back up your witness. Therefore, you needboth.

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John, the same came for a witness…” for what purpose? “To bear witness of the light that…”  There is your purpose Word. Possibly the most important word in understanding Scripture is the word “that” because the word “that” shows purpose. There are other words that show purpose, also, but the one that seems to show the strongest purposes in the Bible is the word “that.” If you want to understand the “why’s” and purposes in scripture always take note of the word “that.” You could almost circle it every time that it appears in your Bible, because it shows God’s purpose in things.

 

The Purpose of a Witness

          What is the purpose of a witness? “…that all men through him might believe.” The purpose of a witness is to cause lost people to believe. The purpose of a witness is to cause people to trust Christ as their Savior. Proverbs 14:25 puts it this way:

 

“A true witness delivereth souls.”

 

What does a witness do? He delivers souls. The purpose of a witness is to “deliver” souls. Another word for deliver is “Save.” One who is saved is one who has been “delivered” from the lake of fire. So, to say that a true witness “saves” souls is another way  of putting  it. Of  course,  we  do  not save the souls. Jesus saves us, but I am sure that you understand what I am talking about. It is because of your witness that souls are being saved.

 

The Gospel Means “Go.”

          The great commission is usually used by missionaries referring to missions, but this command is not really referring to sending missionaries, Mark 16:15 says:

 

“And He said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

 

That means that we need to send missionaries throughout all the world, right? Is that right? NO!! What is He saying? Go YE!! He did not say “send”. He did not say “support.” He said “Go ye.” There is no implication of anybody else, but you. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” That is YOUR responsibility! (It is mine, also.) We must give the gospel, because of God’s command! He has commissioned us just as a soldier is commissioned to accomplish a certain duty. We have a responsibility, because of the command of our commanding officer to go and preach the gospel.

Witnessing Is Preaching.

          Another way of saying this is: “Wherever you go in all the world, preach the gospel.” As God leads you from one place to another in this world, you are to present the gospel. The word “preach” in the New Testament means to “proclaim”. The Greek word which is translated “preach” which is pronounced “kerruso” (κηρύσσω[1]) in the Greek[2], can refer to private proclamation as well as public proclamation as is  demonstrated  in  Galatians 2:2[3].

You can proclaim to one person at a time, and still be preaching the gospel, Biblically. That is proclaiming the gospel. If you witness to somebody standing on the street corner or standing in your yard, or at the store, that is what the Bible means by “preaching” the gospel. It does not mean that you have got to stand on the corner and preach at the top of your lungs having a street meeting. What “preaching” refers to in the New Testament is to simply present the gospel, verbally. That is our responsibility. It is not everybody’s responsibility to stand behind a pulpit, or even in front of a class, but it is every believer’s responsibility to present the gospel.

You Do Not Have to Feel Lead to Obey a Command.

          Mark 16 is telling us to present the gospel how often? Preach the gospel to those that you feel lead to? What does He say there? We are to present the gospel to EVERY creature. We cannot glory in having completed our responsibility as a Christian.

Jesus told about a servant that had been out in the field all day working[4]. When he came in at supper time, would the master say, “Come in. Sit down. You’ve been working so hard. Let me serve you supper.”? No! “I trow not!” I think not. After working all day, the servant was still expected to serve the master at supper time. Then would the master thank the servant for being such a good servant? No. The servant’s attitude is expected to be, “I’m nothing but an unprofitable servant. I’ve only done that which was required of me.” I am not saying that I have ever preached to every creature. However, if I ever reached everyone in my world, can I glory in that, and say, “Well, my job’s done.”? No. We have only done what was required. That is what He requires of us. Incidentally, if everyone in your world has trusted Christ as their Savior, then I can tell you with assurance that God wants you to go somewhere else. You need to find someplace where there are lost still to be reached. You need to look for the place where you can reach the most people for Jesus Christ.

The Job of the Church

          What is church for? Is it for a group of Christians to get together, and have good Christian fellowship? No. It is for Christians to come together and encourage each other to reach the lost. Whether it is at church, at home, or wherever, we need to be reaching the lost for Jesus Christ.

There Is a Need

            We see that there is a need, and we have the responsibility to meet that need. There is also a necessity. If we are supposed to witness to every creature as it says in the book of Mark, then do we have to be led to witness to people? We do not have to be led to obey a command! God has commanded us to witness, and we do not have to be led to obey a command! In II Timothy 4:1 it says, “I charge thee.” What does that mean? Does that mean that he ran at them with a spear? No. It means that he is putting Timothy in charge of something. It has been placed in our charge:

 

“I charge thee therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall Judge the quick and the dead at His appearing in His kingdom; preach the Word.”

There is that proclamation again:

“Preach the Word! Be instant in season and out of season.”

Who’s in Charge?

          The charge is to be instant in season and out of season. What does that mean? We are to present the gospel when we feel like it, and when we do not feel like it; when we are being fruitful, and when we do not seem to be fruitful;   “In season and out of season.”

I always think of poor old Noah. He preached for one hundred twenty years, and the only ones that entered the ark at the end of this preaching ministry were those that were probably saved before the one hundred twenty years had begun. The only fruit that he had to show for one hundred twenty years of faithful preaching was his own family. One hundred twenty years he preached and, apparently, did not lead anybody to the Lord. That would be discouraging. I guess that you could say that “fruit-bearing” was not in season. However, he was still responsible to preach the gospel. Sometimes we feel like people are not interested in the gospel, but what greater need is there? EVERYONE is going to die, and everybody knows it. Most do not want to face that fact, but everybody knows it, anyway.

           A Penny for Your Thoughts

            I saw a survey some years ago that was true at that time, and probably is still true today. The subject of the survey was what was on the mind of teenagers. Was it sex? Was it drugs? Was it alcohol? What was the number one thing on their minds? It was death. The number one thing on a teenager’s mind was death. At that same time there was a push in religious circles to quit talking about the life “hereafter” and to focus on the “abundant life” that a Christian could experience right now. The assumption was that teenagers were not concerned about life after death but just an exciting life here. Thus, organized religion abandoned the very thing that the young people were most concerned about. This kind of confused things, because the nationwide youth organizations were saying, “Let’s not talk about heaven. Let’s not talk about eternal life. Let’s talk about the abundant life here and now.” However, the abundant life is only available to the believer through service to the Lord. Salvation is through faith, so they began to mix in works with faith for salvation. They began by talking about abundant life to the lost, and then would “slip in” eternal life, thinking that teenagers were not interested in that. Yet the fact was that the number one thing on the teenager’s  mind  was death. We think that people are not interested in salvation. However, many times they are so concerned about it that they do not want to talk about it. Often, we do not like to talk about the very thing about which we are most concerned. Many people testify to the fact that before they were saved they used to lie awake at night worrying, “If I should die before I wake… where would I go?” I have heard many people give that testimony, especially teens.

I Corinthians 9:16 says:

“For though I preach the gospel…” (There is that word “preach” again which refers to proclaiming the good news of salvation). “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of.”

Is It Necessary for aa Believer to Witness?

            Remember the servant Jesus told about who worked all day in the field, and then came in the evening and served his master dinner? In all of that he could not glory, because he had only done that which was commanded for him to do. That is what Paul is saying here:

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:” Why not? “For necessity is laid upon me.”

Let me point something out to you. Paul was not unique in this situation. Remember, we were given the great commission, also. This necessity is not necessary for us to get to heaven. We understand that, of course. However, it is necessary in the Christian life. Why? It is because that is the purpose of the Christian life. God tells us that necessity is laid upon us, and then He gives us a warning:

“Yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

What Happens If We Do Not Preach the Gospel?

There is chastening if we do not present the gospel.

Jesus gave the example of the fig tree planted in the vineyard[5]. The owner of the vineyard said to the  dresser:

“I  have come to this tree for three years wanting fruit, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why cumbereth it the ground?” Then the dresser said, “Let’s wait another year, and I’ll fertilize it, cultivate it, and prune it. Then if it bears fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

A Waste of Skin

I wonder why He used years there. Was it just to tell a story, or was there some significance there? For three years there was this fruitless fig tree. During the fourth year God would fertilize it, and prune it. If it does not bear fruit by then, then He says that it will be cut down.

In our Christian life, where are we in this illustration? Are we in the bearing fruit stage? Are we in the first three years of our Christian life, or are we in the fourth year? At any rate, we are expected to bear fruit. “If not, cut it down! Why cumbereth it the ground?” You are just a waste of skin. You are just taking up space in the pews.

The direct application of that passage is to the nation of Israel. What did God do concerning Israel? He cut them off! The responsibility of giving out the gospel was taken away from the Jews and given to somebody else, and their nation was cut off. This passage was fulfilled in its application to Israel.

However, Romans chapter eleven[6] shows us that the same thing applies to the church, and the church will be cut off, because it will also become unfaithful in getting out the plan of salvation. It will be taken off of the earth at the rapture of the church just before the tribulation. At that point the responsibility of winning the lost to Jesus Christ will be taken away from the church and given back to the Jews. The same thing can also be true of us, individually.

I Corinthians 9:17 says:

“For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward:”

 

Witnessing-The Means to Earn Rewards

The third reason why we should be giving out the gospel is that God will reward us for our labor! On the other band, if we do not give out the gospel, we lose rewards. Listen to the last part of the verse! “But if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” There is a dispensation (responsibility, or stewardship; a “manager ship”) of the gospel committed unto each one of us. What is He saying? There are those that you can reach with the gospel that I will never see. I will never have an opportunity to witness to them. If you do not reach them with the plan of salvation, they will never be reached. EVERY BELIEVER HAS A DISPENSATION OF THE GOSPEL! If Christians are unfaithful to that stewardship, then people will die without ever having heard the gospel.

Two Conditions for People to Get Saved

There are two conditions that must be met before a person can be saved. The lost person must choose to trust Christ as His Savior. The other condition is that we must choose to give him the gospel. It is a fact that, if you do not give the lost the gospel, then some will die without having heard the gospel. They will die in their own sin. They will be responsible for their own actions, and they will spend eternity in the lake of fire, just as they deserve; but, according to Scripture, their  blood will  be required at our hands[7]. There is a stewardship for which we are responsible, and if we are unfaithful, then some will spend an eternity in the lake of fire indirectly because of our disobedience.

Witnessing Is a Great Privilege

I Thessalonians 2:4 tells of the fourth reason why we should witness. It is a great PRIVILEDGE!

“But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel…”

God has allowed us to be put in trust with the gospel. The most precious commodity in the universe; the ONLY thing that can save a soul from the lake of fire has been put in OUR trust!

The Millionaire

When I was growing up there was a show on television called “The Millionaire”. The one regular on the show worked for this millionaire, (which you never saw) and each week he would have the job of giving a million dollars to somebody. That was a great privilege, and he got paid for it besides. I would not mind having that job. I would not mind getting paid to give someone a million dollars.

Cure for Cancer

Suppose I knew the cure for cancer. We could go to every one of these cancer patients and give them the cure. That would be a great privilege, especially if you got paid for it. It would be great to deliver them that good news. We have something better than that! We have the gospel that can give a person eternal life. On top of that, we get paid for it! We get rewarded for it! That is a great privilege.

Lucrative Pay

Suppose I promised you a thousand dollars for every person that you led to the Lord. (And you knew that I was good for it.) What would you do? Would you live life the way that you are now? It is my guess that many of you would suddenly be called into full time Christian work. God promises MORE than that!! Then why don’t we feel called into full time Christian work? Is it because we do not know  about the  rewards? Is  it because  we  do not really believe it? Could it be that we do not want the rewards? We have a great privilege, and God promises one hundred fold rewards[8].

 An Hundredfold

What is one hundred fold? As related to money, zero fold would be like putting a dollar in the offering plate, and you getting a dollar back. One fold would be as if you fold it one time. You put one dollar in the offering plate, and you get two back. You fold it one more time, and you have got two fold. That would be four thicknesses of the dollar, or four dollars. Fold it the third time, and you have eight thicknesses, or eight dollars. Fold it the fourth time, and you have got sixteen dollars. Five fold is thirty-two dollars. Six fold is sixty-four dollars. Seven fold is one hundred twenty-eight dollars. Eight fold is two hundred fifty-six. Nine fold is five hundred twelve. Ten fold is one thousand twenty-four. Eleven fold is two thousand forty-eight. I do not even know what one hundred fold works out to be, but I figured it to the thirty folds, and it was already up to the hundreds of millions, all from one dollar invested in the Lord’s work. The Lord promises to reward us that way! Think about investing an hour in the Lord’s work. How much do you get paid an hour? God promises to reward you one hundred fold. What would that amount be? That would be pretty good pay would it not? However, we do not have time to obtain one hundred fold, because we are too busy working for far less. Does that make sense? (It sure does not make cents.) We have the great privilege to work for the Lord. He is going to reward us for it, and He pays us really well!

“But as we are allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel…” I Thessalonians 2:4

God Trusts Us

He has actually entrusted us with the gospel. He really trusts you to give out the gospel. What do I mean by that? Suppose I sent my daughter, Spring Angel, to vacuum the floor before church. So Angel disappears for a while, then comes to me and says that she vacuumed the floor. If I trust her, it is unlikely that I will check up on her, but if I always come behind her and make sure the job is done and redo anything that is not done up to my expectations, then I have not really trusted her, have I? If God is always going to cover your tracks when you do not reach someone with the gospel, then He did not really trust you, did He? I Corinthians thirteen tells us that love “believes all things”. That word for “believe” can also be translated “trust.” God truly loves us, so He truly trusts us. He does not go through the motions of giving us a job and then covering our tracks. He places the gospel in our trust and then allows us to either stand or fall. We are either going to be faithful or be unfaithful. He loves us enough to allow the destiny of the lost to depend on our faithfulness, because He trusts us. That is what it says here.

“But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel.”

So what should we do?

“Even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts.”

God is testing our heart by giving us the opportunity and responsibility to speak to men about the plan of salvation, which is called the gospel. In I Peter 3:15 God tells us to set God up on a pedestal being single minded as we give hope to the lost in answer to their greatest need, which is salvation. God puts it this way in I Peter 3:15 where He said:

“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”

 

QUESTIONS

1-What two things are required before a person can be saved?

_________________________________________________

2-What is the characteristic of a “Disciple”?

____________________________________________________

3-How does man glorify God? ___________________________

4-What two elements are essential in order to be a successful witness? ______________________________________________

5-What is the job of a witness? ___________________________

6-Can a person witness without speaking? ___________

7-Is it necessary for a Christian to witness? ___________

8-Is it necessary for a person to witness to get themselves to heaven? ___________

9-Will God punish you if you do not witness? ________

10-Will God pay you if you witness for Him? ________

            [1] Jay P. Green, Sr., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament  Third edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), p. 579.

            [2]  James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Iowa Falls: Riverside Book and Bible House), p. 42.

            [3]  Galatians  2:2 “I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”

            [4]  Luke 17:7-10 “Which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

            [5]  Luke 13:6-9 “He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

            [6]  Romans 11:20-23  “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”

            [7]  Ezekiel 3:18-19 “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

            [8]  Mark 10:29-30 “Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”