Sharing Jesus

A man who had lost his job because he was an alcoholic, decided to go to church. That day the preacher spoke of a group of men who brought a paralysed man to be healed by Jesus. This story intrigued and challenged him. He couldn’t preach, pray, sing or speak in public, but he could bring people to Jesus. He started by bringing two.
The interest increased until soon the church bought a bus just to transport the people he invited. He would relate his own experience in finding Jesus to the people he invited, and, almost before he realised it, he was sharing what Jesus had done for him! The numbers kept increasing until 10 buses operated every Sunday. At the time of telling, he was bringing about 550 people to church and had brought about 2000 to a faith in Jesus.
What made the difference? His commitment to doing what he could for God.

1 As Jesus was about to return to heaven, what did He say His followers will be?
(Acts 1:8) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth.”
Note, Jesus doesn’t say we are to witness but that we are His witnesses—testimony of what He’s done for us.

2 What commission did Jesus give to His followers?
(Matthew 28:19, 20) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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.”

3 How will the world know that we are followers of Jesus?
(John 13:34, 35) “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (v 35 ).
One Bible writer says, “The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown. . . . By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence . . . has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favour of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian” (Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing).

4 What two commands summarise the Ten Commandments?
(Matthew 22:34-40) “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ . . . And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (vv 37, 38).
Francis Schaeffer said, “Love—and the unity it attests to—is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father” (The Mark of a Christian).

5 How strong was the apostle Paul’s motivation to share the good news about Jesus?
(1 Corinthians 9:16) “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who then begged to go with Him. Instead, Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you” (see Luke 8:26-39). This is something every Christian can do—tell people about our Friend Jesus and what He has done for them!

6 How did Paul relate to people who were lost?
(1 Corinthians 9:19-23) “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. . . . I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel” (vv 19, 22).
The apostle Peter urges us to “live such good lives among” non-believers that, “though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12).

The following extract from a tract written by an atheist presents a challenge to those who do: “Did I firmly believe, as millions [of Christians] say they do, that the knowledge of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labour in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering.

“Earthly consequences should never stay my hand, nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its griefs, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon eternity alone. . . . I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be, what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”.

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