Pastor’s Pen Pulpit                                          Series:  Truth for the Heart

June 5, 2005

 

SHARING YOUR TESTIMONY: A JOINT EFFORT

John 15:26, 27

 

When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

 

The disciples are commissioned to take the gospel into a world filled with hatred for Jesus Christ and His message of salvation.  However, this is a mission that can be carried out only with the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit.  So the coming of the Helper is promised in view of the hatred of the world toward the disciples.  He would empower them to maintain their witness for Christ. 

 

Remember in earlier verses of this 15th chapter, the Lord Jesus told His disciples “without me you can do nothing.”  There is no dynamic in our witness apart from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit testifies of Christ through the Church.  Believers are His mouth-piece.   The Spirit doesn’t just float around in space zapping people with the gospel message.  The gospel must be communicated to people by people.   Dr. Merrill Tennny suggests, “Without the witness of the Spirit, the disciples’ witness would be powerless; without the disciples’ witness, the Spirit would be restricted in His means of expression.” 

 

Just what is involved in the Spirit’s testimony of Christ through believers?  First of all He is referred to as the Spirit of Truth in 14:17; 15:26 and 16:13.   This title designates the Holy Spirit as the One who represents the Lord Jesus, Who is THE TRUTH, among men.  In other words He will communicate the truth of Jesus Christ Who is the truth.  Then, the believer must be willing to be used.  Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit take your body and use it to communicate the gospel message to an unbelieving world?  Truly, our testimony is a joint effort with the Spirit of Truth.  This of course means you must realize the risks involved.  The risk of being rejected.  The risk of being ridiculed. 

 

But remember that “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world “ I John 4:4.”   The disciples were so convinced of the condition of mankind apart from Christ and of the Spirit’s conviction in the heart of man and of the capability of the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God when accurately presented, they were willing to share their faith with their fellow man. 

 

The interesting thing is that all we are asked to do is to testify as to what we know to be true in our own life.  The rest is up to God.  The disciples had a myriad of information.  Jesus said “For you have been with me from the beginning.”  The principle is obvious:  The longer we walk with Him, the better we get to know Him.  The more we get to know Him the more we grow.  Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10 “that I my know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death.” 

 

It is convicting to come to our church, especially when you walk out following the services.  We are confronted with the words “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING YOUR MISSION FIELD.” This is so accurate.  Our mission field is wherever we find ourselves.  We come to church for intake; we leave the church for output.  So, the burning question we have to ask of ourselves is “if our intake is great, and it is, then how is our output?”

 

God bless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggestions for prayer: Let us pray that we may be in tune with the Spirit of Truth so that He can use us for the purpose of sharing Christ with others

 

For further study: Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16 -  Ask yourself the question:   How is being  filled with the Spirit and walking by the Spirit related?