Basic Truths: Witnessing #2

- we've been talking about communication and how to use our

tongues the last several weeks

- Let's think about a couple of questions just to get our

minds heading down the "communication trail" this morning

INPUT - What are some wrong uses of the tongue, lips, speech?

(lying, attacking, cutting down, name calling, gossip,

slander, foul jokes, attacking marriage, attacking

people, attacking God's name, bodily functions, tale-

bearing, not part of the solution, words that engender

strife, hinder communication, bite & devour, words that

are untimely)

INPUT - What are some right uses of the tongue, lips, speech?

(prayer, praise of God and others, truth, encourage, draw

out a matter, wise counsel, timely words, defusing words,

edifying words, loving words, thanksgiving words,

witnessing)

- we're talking about witnessing in this section of our

study--using our tongues to tell others about Jesus

Christ.

- last week we talked about some reasons why we should

witness. INPUT? (commanded, commended, reality of hell,

condition of unsaved man, our Lord deserves the glory from

the lives of people won to Him)

- because of time last week, we didn't get to develop the

point about "the condition of unsaved man."

- I've asked Brian/Kevin to take a few minutes and do that

for us this morning

- INPUT - if we're not thinking biblically about the

condition of unsaved men and women, what are some

wrong conclusions we might be tempted to draw?

- let's think about what God's Word says concerning

the condition of those who don't know Christ as

Savior and Lord.

a. lost - Luke 19:10

b. condemned - John 3:18

c. under God's wrath - John 3:36

d. blind - II Cor. 4:3-4

e. dead - Eph. 2:1

f. child of the devil - John 8:44

g. hopeless - Eph. 2:12

h. under the mastery of sin and Satan - Isa. 64:6,

Eph. 2:2

- What we want to talk about next is:

I. What Are Some Reasons Why We Do Not Witness?

A. Love of approval, respect, prestige

1. Our Lord has made it clear that those who carry

His message will receive universal approval.

Neighbor nudge

1) Ask them to divide in small groups of 4-6 people - (be

sure no one is left out)

2) Study one of the following passages and then

discuss/answer the following three questions:

a. What kind of treatment were the disciples in this

passage receiving (or told to expect to receive)?

b. How might this kind of treatment "look" today in

contemporary society?

c. What might be true of a Christian today who reports

that no one in their life treats them (or has ever

treated them) in a way similar to what is described

in this passage?

Matt. 10:24-25 - ... if they have called the

master of the house Beelzebub, how much more

shall they call them of his household?

John 15:17-20 - ... but you are not of the world,

but I have chosen you out of the world,

therefore the world hateth you.

Acts 4:18-29 - (this was true of those involved

in the founding of the church)

2. Our Lord has called believers to live for Him,

even when this involves loss of approval, etc.

Luke 9:23-26 - If any man will come after me, let

him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,

and follow me.

3. Failure in this area is often a result of fear.

Prov. 29:25

INPUT - What kinds of fear might prevent us from

witnessing? (ridicule, scorn, loss of

position)

4. This issue is fundamentally an issue of the heart.

Matt. 15:17-19

B. "Unadorning" lifestyle

Titus 2:10 - adorn the doctrine of God

- Some folks don't tell others about Christ because

they haven't been growing and living a godly

life in front of that person.

- INPUT - Is that a legitimate excuse? What should

a person in that position do? (Ask

forgiveness, witness, change)

INPUT - can you think of other passages of Scripture

that "connect" the ideas of witnessing and a godly

life? (I Peter 2:12, 3:15-17)

C. Fear of failure

- let's develop this idea of the fear of failure some

more.

- often when we have this fear, we are being

motivated by the wrong things.

- Is witnessing a failure if the person doesn't

accept Christ as Savior?

- This idea needs to "balance off" some of the things

we presented in the introduction last week

concerning "Reasons we should witness"

- We really need to divide those thoughts into

primary and secondary motivations.

- "Primary motivations" being ones that can be

satisfied even if the person doesn't make a

decision.

- INPUT - Which ones? (commanded, commended,

compassion, care for others)

- the other reasons are important, but

we ought not to translate a reason

like "condition of the unsaved in

hell" into a thought like "I must

rescue so and so from hell"

- otherwise you'll be discouraged if

that person doesn't make a

decision