We are living in a time when it is a necessity for every believer to be a fearless witness for Jesus. Our world needs to hear about Jesus. This isn’t always easy in the current social and political climate of today.
What does it mean to be a fearless witness for Jesus? How can we be a fearless witness for Jesus? Read on and discover how anyone can be a fearless witness for Jesus.
End of the Year Reflection
It is December, and we are swiftly approaching the end of the year. Each December, I spend time in prayer seeking what God wants me to accomplish in the upcoming year. This is when I receive my yearly assignment for the Kingdom of God.
It is also the time when I reflect on all that has happened in the current year. Did I carry out what God ordered me to do and how effective was I? What happened throughout the year and how did I respond?
Our Nation Today
When you look around at what’s happening in our nation today, it is easy to think the world has gone crazy.
- Fear of COVID is controlling much of our society’s interaction.
- Various cities are experiencing looting, burning, and rioting.
- Inflation is on the rise.
- Now the retailers are experiencing a shortage of goods, from paper products to groceries to automobiles.
- Feelings of racism are increasing.
- The least little thing offends people.
- With the defunding of police departments in some cities and towns, crime is rising.
Because of all of this, our nation’s population is experiencing general unrest and a lack of security. Fear is invading Americans’ lives.
Opportunity to Witness for Jesus
With all that is going on in the world…what do I see? OP-Por-Tun-It-Y
That’s right. This is a time of fantastic opportunity for the Church. It is not the time for American churches to become introverted or extroverted. This is the time for outreach and revival.
We Have Been Here Before
How Should the Church respond to this Fear?
This year, as I reflect on all that is going on in our nation, I ask myself, “How should the Church respond to all of this?” Not just my church, but all the churches in the United States.
As I read and observe, I see churches respond in diverse ways.
- Many are drawing in and becoming introverted. They want nothing to do with what is going on in the world. Their primary goal is to hang on until Jesus comes.
- Others are becoming even more seeker-sensitive. Their desire to draw sinners from the world has caused them to look like the world around them.
- Or, many churches do not know how to respond.
For the second time in my life, I am seeing unrest, uncertainty, and fear in most people in the United States.
Those who regularly follow my posts know the first time I saw this was when I was a teenager in the late sixties and early seventies. There was rampant fear and uncertainty then, too.
Inflation was on the rise, racial tension was at an all-time high. Men burning their draft cards, women burning their bras, and rioters burning our cities.
Yet, out of all this fear, uncertainty, and unrest came revival. The Jesus Revolution on the west coast and the Charismatic Renewal on the east coast.
This is the Time to be a Fearless Witness for Jesus
Just as when I was a teenager, the time is ripe for the Church in America to step up and take its rightful place. Not the popular place, but the rightful place. It is time for believers to become fearless witnesses for Jesus.
You and I are to be a Fearless Witness for Jesus
This opportunity isn’t for those in the ministry. It is for you and me. For every Christian sitting in a church sanctuary.
Ephesians 4:11-12 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (CSB)
Notice verse 12: those in the ministry are to equip the saints, which are you and I, to do the work of the ministry. We, the saints, do the work of the ministry.
Too many times, we believe it is the minister’s job to do all the work. This is not how Jesus designed the church to operate. Those in the five-fold ministry are to train the saints to do the work of the ministry.
The saints are to evangelize. The saints take care of and support each other. The saints pray for each other.
What happened when you were born again?
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
This passage tells us of three things that happen when we are born again.
- We become a new creation. The Greek says, “A new species of being that has never existed before.”
- Now all things are of God
- He has given us – every believer – the ministry of reconciliation
What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation means “to bring back to a former state of harmony.”
Because of Jesus, man’s relationship with God has gone from one of enmity or hatred to one of harmony. Now we can have a loving relationship with God. Because of Jesus, God and man can once more commune together.
But why the ministry of reconciliation? Because every person needs to accept the reconciliation personally. It is the heart-felt confession of Jesus as Lord, which brings us individual reconciliation. Nobody else can accept reconciliation for you.
The ministry of reconciliation is sharing the Gospel with others. The Gospel is the Good News of reconciliation. We are the share the good news of our reconciliation with God.
Sharing Reconciliation is Evangelism
Evangelism isn’t scaring people into heaven with the threat of hell. Evangelism isn’t telling people their lifestyle will send them to hell. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us we should be ready at any time to share the hope that is in us.
We are to share this hope in love. Sharing the Gospel with love and respect works far better than threatening someone with hell.
Ambassadors for Christ
Read on in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 20 says:
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
What is an ambassador? An ambassador is a representative sent to a foreign government to represent his home country.
We are in the world, but not of the world. We are foreigners in this world. Our home country is the Kingdom of God. We represent our King – Jesus.
That is why we are ambassadors. God left us on the earth to represent him. Our lifestyle must be the lifestyle of a resident of heaven. We should show that we have peace, joy, love, patience – all the fruit of the spirit.
That is what the world should see in us as a child of God. We should show fearlessness and absolute trust in God.
We are the Pleading Witness for Jesus
What did 2 Corinthians 5:20 say? We are pleading on Christ’s behalf to the world. We implore them on Christ’s behalf.
What does implore mean? “To make an earnest request.”
We are pleading or imploring unbelievers to accept God’s gift of reconciliation and become a child of God. An earnest request isn’t threatening unbelievers with hell. It is eagerly and earnestly encouraging them to make Jesus Lord of their life.
That is why we are on earth. We are ambassadors of Christ, sharing the message of reconciliation.
Why did Jesus Fill You with the Holy Spirit?
Let me ask you a question: Why did Jesus fill you with His Holy Spirit?
Is it so you can be comforted? The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, but that isn’t why. Is it so He can teach you? The Holy Spirit is our teacher, but that isn’t why. Is it so He can lead us through our spirit? We are led by the Holy Spirit, but that isn’t why He filled us with the Holy Spirit.
We find the answer in Jesus’ own words –
Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God filled us with the Holy Spirit so that we could have the power to be witnesses.
What is a Witness for Jesus?
What does it mean to be a witness? A witness is someone who sees or has personal knowledge of an event or change.
What are we a witness to? We are witnesses of Jesus power to transform our lives. Each of us has personal knowledge of the change that happened when we were born again. We have a testimony of what happened when we made Jesus Lord of our life.
The Radical Conversion Isn’t the Only Witness for Jesus
Too often, those that were raised in the church and were the “good kids”, don’t believe they have a testimony anyone wants to hear. They believe it is only the drug addicts, gang-bangers, and the real heathens that have a testimony.
To reach a drunk, you had to be a drunk. To reach a drug addict, you had to once be a drug addict. To reach a gang-banger, you had to once be a gang-banger. Otherwise you can’t identify with them and their situation.
Nothing is further from the truth. The power to be a witness is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will give you the power to be a witness. He will give you the words each person needs to hear. The Holy Spirit can identify with them. He will know what you need to say.
Our Witness for Jesus
Where are we to be a witness for Jesus? Let’s see what the believers in the early church did.
Let me set the scene for you. Stephen was just stoned to death. Saul of Tarsus (soon to be Paul the Apostle) was dragging off men and putting them in prison. Persecution has struck the Church and all the believers scattered.
Acts 8:4 – Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
Those who were scattered preached the Word. That wasn’t the apostles because Peter and James stayed in Jerusalem. This was the congregation preaching the Word. Everywhere they went, they preached the Word.
This is what we are to do. Everywhere we go, we are to preach the Word. We are to be witnesses at our job, in our neighborhood, at Walmart, and everywhere we go.
We are ambassadors representing the interests of Jesus here on earth. We are to earnestly request the people of the world to be reconciled with God. We are to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Fear
What is the biggest emotion people around us are feeling? What is motivating the people of the world? Fear!
The uncertainty of our time is creating fear in the world. What do people fear today?
1. Fear for their safety.
2. Fear of not getting what they need to live.
3. Fear for their job.
4. Fear of the future.
5. Fear of disease
Listen to the people around you as they talk. It is all about fear. Fear and uncertainty rule their lives. They base everything they do on fear.
No Fear Here
What the world needs to see out of the believer is NO FEAR! We don’t need to fear. The worst thing that can happen is we die and go to heaven. How bad is that?
We should base everything we do on love and faith. Perfected love casts out all fear. There is no reason for a believer to fear.
The world needs to see us stand without fear. We are to be fearless.
Our life should show complete trust and reliance upon God. Because our reliance upon God is so complete, there is no fear in our life.
This is what the world is looking for in the life of a believer. They want to see the believer’s life is based upon their trust and reliance on God. When unbelievers see the Christian life works, they then want it for themselves.
Psalm 91, The Path to No Fear
Psalm 91 is called the Protection Psalm. It outlines why the Believer has no reason to fear anything. It is broken down into four parts:
Part One: This sets the condition of the believer placing themselves in a position to receive God’s protection.
Part Two: What we say to meet that condition.
Part Three: What God does for us when we meet the condition.
Part Four: What Jesus says about us.
Psalms 91 (NLT)
Verse 1: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
We must live (abide) in the shelter of the Most High God. The shadow of the Almighty God is the depiction of a mother bird sheltering her chicks under her wings to protect them from harm. If we permanently live under the shelter of the Almighty, we receive His protection.
What We Confess About God
Verse 2: This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
This is how we place ourselves in the shelter of the Most High God. It is through the confession of our words. Our faith, trust, and reliance upon God is released through the words we speak. Verse two should be your first confession of the day.
Our confession states that we place out trust only in God. Not the government, or the police, or our doctor, or our job, or our spouse, or anything else whatsoever. Our trust is in God and God alone.
God’s Part – What He Does for Us
This next section is what God does for us when we live under His shelter.
Verse 3: For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
God will rescue us from every trap the evil one (satan) sets for us. No matter what the trap is. The trap could be sexual advances to destroy our marriage, lies about us at work, or any other scheme the devil tries to do. God will rescue us from every trap.
Here is a promise that God will protect us from every deadly disease. It doesn’t matter what it is. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, whatever.
Verse 4: He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
God will act towards us as a hen with her chicks. His wings will protect us from predators and from the weather. Under His wings, we are safe, warm, and dry.
God’s faithful promises are our best armor and protection. When we believe God’s promises in faith, He is always faithful to execute those promises on our behalf. God has spoken a promise for every time and circumstance.
Verse 5: Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
The night is the time for thieves, murders, and treason. All kinds of evil take place in the darkness. We have no reason to fear what happens in the darkness. We can sleep peacefully, knowing that God is protecting us.
I believe the terrors at night also cover terrorists. We don’t have to fear what terrorists might do.
There are also attacks that happen during the day. We are protected from them too. It doesn’t matter what arrow the enemy shoots, God is protecting us.
Verse 6: Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Once again, disease is covered by God’s protection. Mankind is busy developing biological weapons. They do this in secret; under the cover of darkness. We have nothing to fear when we live in the shelter of the Almighty.
Then there are diseases the kingdom of darkness releases upon the earth. We need not fear them either. God has us protected from every disease, regardless of the source.
What about the disaster that strikes in the daytime? What about earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes? God has us covered there, too. We do not need to fear them.
Verse 7: Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
When we look around and see thousands and ten thousand being attacked and dying from terrorism, disease, plagues, natural disasters, and whatever the enemy brings, we have no reason to fear. God is protecting us through all the mayhem. Evil will not touch those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High.
Verse 8: Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
The wicked are always punished. It may seem as if they are getting away with what they are doing, but they aren’t. Sin always has its punishment. The wicked pay for their evil through fear, unhappiness, events in their lives, etc. We just need to open our eyes and see it.
God’s Promise to Us
The next five verses are God’s promise to us. God is always faithful to keep His promises. If we do our part, make Him our refuge and shelter, He will do His part.
Verse 9: If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
This is our part. We must make the Lord our refuge and the Most High our shelter. There are two parts in this step that are revealed by the use of two different names for God.
First: You must make God as Lord your refuge. God as Lord means that you willingly surrender your WHOLE life to Him. Lord means He is the BOSS. It is His way of doing things and nothing else.
Second: You must recognize your shelter is in God, the Most High. This means there is nothing higher or more powerful than Him. It is placing Him in full control because He is the most powerful force in the universe.
Verse 10: No evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
No evil can conquer us. It doesn’t mean that evil won’t come. It does mean that we will overcome every evil that comes our way. No plague will come near our home. This includes COVID and every variation.
Verse 11: For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
We are told in Hebrews 1:14 concerning angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?” (CSB) God created angels to serve the believers in the world. Everywhere we go, we have their protection available to us.
If you want the angels to serve you, you need to know what causes them to go into action. Psalm 103:20 tells us “Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word.” (CSB)
Angels respond to God’s words. It doesn’t matter if them come from the mouth of God, or His Word is spoken from our mouth. Our angels will not respond to words of doubt, fear, or unbelief, because they are from the devil’s mouth.
Verse 12: They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
This verse continues the angels’ protection for us. They are available whenever we need them. Often, they go before us and clear our way without us even knowing what the angels have done.
Verse 13: You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
Lions and cobras are symbolic of satan and his minions. We will trample and crush them under our feet because we have made Jesus Lord of our life and verbally acknowledge that God is the Most High God.
The devil and his demons may attack us, but he will always end under our feet when we place ourselves in the shelter of the Most High.
What Jesus Says About Us
Verse 14: The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
This is Jesus promise to rescue us. He says He will rescue those that love Him. What does it mean to love Jesus? Jesus gives us the answer personally in John 14 verses 15 and 21.
He says those who love Him will keep His commandments. Keeping His commandments places us under His protection of grace.
See my post: Obey Scripture to Release God’s Success in Your Life
Verse 15: When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
Another great promise from Jesus. When we call His name in prayer, He will always answer. When we are in trouble, Jesus is always with us. He promised to never leave or forsake us.
Jesus also promises to rescue us. That means 100% of the time. Not only will He rescue us, but He will also honor us.
Verse 16: I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.
Our reward is a long life. Not a long life that ends with a body full of infirmities. Jesus said He cam to give us abundant life. (John 10:10) He will give us long life and His salvation. That is salvation of body, soul, and spirit.
Psalm 91 Shows We Can Be a Fearless Witness for Jesus
Psalm 91 gives us every reason why we can be a fearless witness for Jesus. When we do our part, God will always do His part. He is always faithful towards those who love Him.
By doing what Psalm 91 tells us to do, we can depend on God’s protection for us. It is worth our time to meditate and study Psalm 91. It needs to be a part of our daily routine.
This Is the Time for Us to be a Witness for Jesus
This is our time to shine. Allow Jesus to shine as the Light of the World through you. The world needs us today. Our nation needs to learn of God’s great salvation for us through Jesus.
You can be a fearless witness for Jesus. Step out and be the person God called you to be.
See my post: What does It Mean to Live a Bold Life?
Here are my other articles on evangelism:
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