Sermon Notes, February 8, 2015
Rev.
Dan White
Pastor
Dan’s sermon was titled “Witnessing for Jesus.”
His text was Acts 16:16-28, the story of
Paul and Silas who were thrown in prison after commanding the evil
spirit to come out of a slave girl who was making money for her owners by
fortune-telling. While they were in
jail, Paul and Silas were praying and singing, and the prisoners were listening
to them. All of a sudden, there was an
earthquake, and the prison doors opened and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer was about to kill himself because he
thought all the prisoners had escaped, but Paul shouted, “Don’t harm
yourself! We’re all here!” Paul and Silas witnessed for Jesus, even
though they had problems.
Jesus
Christ had problems. He told His
disciples they would have problems. And
we too will have problems. We too are to
live with the Holy Spirit, in love and peace.
There are three ways to witness: the right way, the wrong way, and no
way. Unfortunately too many people
choose no way. Don’t witness in an
obnoxious way—we’re called to be salt and light, not vinegar.
Paul
and Silas witnessed, and people responded.
Many were in bondage to sin and Satan.
Paul and Silas announced that with Jesus there is freedom and the slave
girl responded. Her owners didn’t like
it when their source of money was lost. Even
today, people don’t like it when people are set free from bondage.
We need to know how to witness
in a changing world. Not by being like
the world however: we’re to be in the world, but not of the
world. God can take the bad things that happen to us and use them to bring
people to Him. We have the power Jesus
gave us. People are dying without being
prepared. We need to lead them to
Christ. Then they will lead others.
We have an assignment from
Jesus: “Go . . . make disciples.” We got
this assignment when we became His children.
Jesus came to save and sanctify, and to set us free from sin. He wants us to tell others. The little things we do can make a big
difference.
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