11/07/2019
We are to be witnesses for the Lord, and to do so at home, and abroad... to the end of the earth. Jesus tells His disciples this at the moment before His ascension, and this commandment is meant also for us. So we should think back and ask ourselves “When was the last time I witnessed for Jesus?”, and hopefully the answer doesn’t disappoint us.
“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 ESV
So often we find ourselves afraid to open our mouths, and to speak the gospel of Jesus to strangers, or even to close acquaintances, and family members. Why is this so? Is it because we are afraid of rejection, or persecution. Perhaps we feel that we aren’t qualified, or able to answer every question that might be posed to us, but Jesus tells us that we will be given power by the Holy Spirit... so we shouldn’t fear.
“And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people."”
Acts 18:9-10 ESV
We are told to go into the world as witnesses, but we aren’t told that we are responsible to bring souls to salvation. It is God who has called us, and it is God who calls others to us, and God teaches us all.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—”
John 6:44-45 ESV
I remember picking up persimmons underneath the tall trees as a boy. I knew that if they weren’t ripe they would be bitter, and purse my mouth, so as I prepared to taste one of these fruit, I would be tentative, and if not for the love I had for this sweet ripe fruit, I would never have taken a bite. I would examine each one, and wonder if the frost had ripened it sufficiently. We are like this with our witnessing... we wonder if this person to whom we wish to witness is ripe, and if the frost of God has sweetened them, and brought them to us fully prepared, or if it is only our own desire that we are answering when we witness to them. The answer is that everyone who comes to us is ready for us to witness to, and we should speak to them the gospel message. We might be fearful of their bitterness, but God ripens all His fruit, and although the skin of a persimmon is tart, the inner flesh is sweet, and the Lord will squeeze that bitter skin until the wonderful meat within it is eased out... a delicacy in His mouth.
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
John 6:37 ESV
In this way, we are instructed to place each soul that God calls to our attention into a bowl, and bring them to Him, and He will ripen them to perfection as He sees fit.
So what did we determine our answer to be when we asked ourselves “When was the last time I witnessed for Jesus?“Are we prepared to trust in God’s Word, and free ourselves of fear, so that we can pick up the fruit by our witness, and bring it to the Lord, or are we still afraid of the bitterness of unripened persimmons?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for having called us to our faith in you, and thank you for those who witnessed to us in that moment. Help us now as you lead others to us, and likewise give us the courage to trust in your having delivered them. Remove all fear so that we might speak the gospel of Jesus to them. Holy Father, take these who now hold within them the seed of faith, and prepare them for your table. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who sends us to gather beneath your trees, and then ripens His fruit to perfection within your larder. Wonderful is the bounty of your orchard, and gracious are you to share your table with us. Praised be your name for your mercy, grace, and provision! Great is your Word, and powerful your arm that strengthens us. Send us out Father with your Word on our tongue, and our prayers in our hearts; call to us all those you have chosen.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:1-6 ESV
Rich Forbes