“You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.” (Acts 1:8 NLT)

What does a witness for Jesus do?

A witness for Jesus tells other people what He has done in their life. It’s not complicated. A witness just says, “Here’s what I’ve seen. Here’s what I heard. Here’s what He did for me.”

An example of a witness for Jesus

Jesus healed a blind man and the religious leaders tried to ask him religious questions he didn’t know how to answer. So he simply told what Jesus had done for him.

“One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (John 8:25)

Therefore

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Col. 4:6)

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the ho that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15) 

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 ESV)

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isa. 26:3 NLT)

What is perfect peace?

It is a condition of freedom from disturbance within the soul. It is perfect harmony reigning within. The Hebrew word for peace, “Shalom,” has the idea of soundness of health. Being filled with spiritual peace is to be spiritually healthy and free from all discord in the soul 

Perfect peace comes from Jesus

“For he himself is our peace”. (Eph. 2:14)

 “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Eph. 2:17-18)

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:26-27)

Therefore

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9)

As I was driving along listening to the news on the radio, the announcer suddenly gasped, and then there was silence. When his voice returned, he said, “My apologies for the moment of silence. I was startled because a sparrow hit the window near where I’m sitting and fell to the ground. What startled me was that I remembered a Bible verse that said, ‘God sees when a sparrow falls’, and I was startled to think that I was so close to where God was looking.”

The announcer didn’t understand that the reason God sees when a sparrow falls is because he sees everything all the time, even when a sparrow falls (see Matt. 10:29).

He is ever present!

Because God is spirit and we can’t physically see Him, it’s easy to forget He is everywhere all the time and sees all things, and He even sees us constantly.  

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Gen. 28:16)

Therefore

“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.” (Psalm 73:28)

“Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; Let Your eyes look with equity.” (Psalm. 17:2)

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10)

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” (Malachi 3:10)

This promise sounds too good to be true

This promise says some amazing things. First it tells you to bring “the whole tithe” into the storehouse, and then challenges you to “test God” regarding it. That’s pretty bold!

What does it mean?  

Definitions  

·      Test - A procedure for critical evaluation.

·      The whole tithe - Not merely a portion of it. God is not served with partial service (See the story of Ananias and Sophia, Acts 1:5-11, who held back some).

So, you can say it this way: Bring all the tithe, not just part of it, to God’s storehouse. And when you do, God will bless you so much that He will open Heaven’s floodgates with such an abundance of blessings that you won’t have room enough to store it! Test God and prove that it’s true! Wow! That’s huge!

Therefore

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6.38 ESV)

Because God loves a cheerful giver!

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7 ESV)

“And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:2) 

Sacrificial love

The dictionary says: Sacrificial is used to describe things that involve a sacrifice —something important or precious that is given up for the sake of gaining something or allowing something to happen that is considered more important.

This is what Christ did for us

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Heb. 9:25)

Therefore

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)

According to Dr. George Barna, CRC Director of Research, “Americans have been aggressively redefining the nation’s morality for the past several decades. That shift is still in progress. Our research provides a compelling context for such a moral recalibration,” He said. “The percentage of adults with a biblical worldview has been sliced in half since 1995. The historic foundation of biblical truth and its impacts on family, faith, education, arts and entertainment, and public policy is mostly a distant memory.”

The Bible warned us what would happen if we turned away from God!

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Rom. 1:28-32)

The answer to this moral decline according to George Barna 

 “Unless Christian churches return to the basics to restore the foundations of the Christian faith, and parents train their children to embrace those foundations, there is little reason to believe that the coming quarter-century in America will include our historical levels of freedom.”

I believe George Barna is correct, that churches do need to return to their basic Christian foundations and parents do need to train their children to embrace those foundations. But, none of that will happen unless God’s people first do what God says they must do.

God promises He will do something if His people do something 

The promise verse at the top starts with the tiny conjunction word “if”, which means something will happen only if something else happens first. Let’s look at the passage, a small part at a time, to discover what must be done and what you get “if” you do it. 

“if my people, who are called by my name,”

Notice that this is directed only to God’s people who are called by His Name. It’s not directed at anyone else, no matter how worldly important or politically powerful they may be. It’s directed to God’s people, the ones who are called by His Name, period.

“will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

Notice that God is telling his people to do four things, 1) Humble themselves, 2) Pray, 3) Seek His Face, and 4) Turn from their wicked ways.

That’s it! It really doesn’t seem like a big thing to do in order to get the HUGE results God promises they will get “if” they do it! 

The results

“then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Everyone falls short and sins

The Bible makes it clear that no matter how hard we may try, we fall short of God’s righteous standard of perfection. “Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” (Eccles. 7:20)

There’s good news — God’s grace freely makes us right

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23-26 NLT) 

Therefore

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:2)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

What is wisdom?

Someone said, “Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.” I believe that’s true. It’s possible to have knowledge—book smarts or awareness of something—without the judgment that goes along with how to use

The wisdom from above is pure

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 ESV)

Those who find wisdom  are blessed

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Prov. 3:13-18 ESV)

Therefore

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Prov. 19:20 ESV)

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:15-17 ESV)

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” (Isa. 54:10)

We live in a world where everything degrades and fails because of the curse of the earth (Gen. 4:11-16). It is also recognized with the second law of thermodynamics, which states, “As energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted.” Another way of saying it is, “Everything left to itself degrades.”

This is true and evident everywhere

Everything has to be maintained and constantly tended to in order to keep going. Things around the home and community have to be cleaned, painted, and repaired to keep them from failing. A garden left to itself turns to weeds. A body that’s not taken care of gets out of shape. It’s just a simple fact of life. It sounds very negative and hopeless until you read what God says you can count on, which never weakens or fails, no matter what.

God says to you

“‘my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” (Isa. 54:10) 

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39 NLT)

Therefore

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5)

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,” (Psalm 33:18)