Give It Out
J. Allen Blair
The Scriptures are clear as to the believer's obligation to share the Gospel with others. No believer has the right to enjoy life in Christ without telling others about Him.
Maybe you are one who will agree that you should be witnessing to others about Christ, but you are asking, "Where?" I will tell you where-right where you are! God has placed you in your present environment that you might be a shining light for Christ. You don't have to get on a boat or a plane, or go to a far away mission field to be a witness for the Savior. Let your light shine right where you are now.
Soon after Frances Ridley Havergal became a Christian, she went away to school. Her heart was warm with love for her Savior, and she was eager to speak for Him. However, she became discouraged when she discovered that among the hundreds of girls in her school she was the only Christian as far as she knew.
Her first reaction was that she could not confess Christ in that great company of non-Christians. Her gentle, sensitive heart shrank as she faced that difficult duty. However, her second thought was that she could not refrain from confessing Him. "I am the only believer God has here." This thought became a source of strength and inspiration. She realized that as Christ's only witness in that school, she dare not fail her Savior.
You may be God's only witness in your workplace or in your school. Do not be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Tell your friends and associates about Him. God promises in Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Your words will never be wasted, for God promises to bless and honor them. If we are to claim the blessing, we must perform the task.
I am intrigued as I hear of faithful servants and the variety of methods they use in getting out the Gospel.
There is a plumber who carries a New Testament along with his tools. Whenever he goes into a home to work, he never fails to open his New Testament and leave a word for his Lord Jesus. Clergymen credit him with having won more than one hundred persons to Christ and sending dozens of backsliders back to their churches over the past ten years. This man says his work as a plumber gives him a unique opportunity to talk with scores of people who never go inside a church.
Another faithful Christian collects old whiskey bottles, sterilizes them, puts Gospel tracts in them along with a return card, and sends them out with the tide. The bottles have been picked up on faraway shores after traveling thousands of miles on the crest of the waves. This man reports that hundreds of postcards have been returned to him from fourteen different countries as a result of this witness for Christ.
There are many other ways to spread the Word. Ask God to give you wisdom and direction that you might follow His leading.
Follow these three rules to be an effectual witness for Christ:
- Learn the lesson.
- Live the life.
- Love the lost.
We should Learn the lesson of soul-winning, the primary work of the Holy Spirit. If we depend upon ourselves, we shall fail. As we commit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit, God will witness through us. In Acts 1:8 we read, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. Before we witness, God says we are to receive the power to witness. This means that we must have a real heart experience with God, whereby we are wholly yielded to His control. One reason why some people don't talk much about the Lord is that they don't have much of an experience to talk about. If we yield to Christ, follow His leading, and receive His power, we can speak boldly for Him. The power will come in and the witness will go out.
It is like a light bulb with its two wires-one coming in and the other going out. We must have a connection with God, but there must be a double connection. As we receive blessing and power from the hand of the Lord, we must bear witness to other people. God says in Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine. The only way you can let your life shine is to empty your heart of self and let Christ fill it with Himself. When others see that you know and love Jesus, they will want Him too.
Secondly, if we are to be successful in soul winning, we must Live the life. The quality of our talk for God depends on our walk with God. It is one thing to talk Christ, but another thing to walk Christ. If there is no walk, the talk will be wholly ineffective.
A great preacher closed his sermon with an eloquent appeal. Among the number who responded to the Gospel was a wealthy woman of social prominence. She asked permission to speak a few words to the audience. "I want you to know," she said, "just why I came forward tonight. It was not because of any words spoken by the preacher. I stand here because of the influence of a little woman who sits before me. She is just a poor, obscure maid who has served in my home for many years. I have never known her to become impatient, speak an unkind word, or do a dishonorable deed. Shamefacedly, let me say that I have openly sneered in her face and laughed at her fidelity to God. Yet, when my little girl was taken away, this woman caused me to look beyond the grave and shed my first tear of hope. The sweet magnetism of her life has led me to Christ. I covet the thing that has made her life so beautiful."
At the request of the minister, the little woman was led forward, her eyes streaming with glad tears. "Let me introduce you," said the preacher, "to the real preacher of the evening." The audience stood in silent, though not tearless, respect. A holy consecrated life will produce fruit for God.
The third rule for effective witnessing is Love the lost. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14 The love of Christ constraineth us. Too few Christians are really effective for God because their hearts are so cold. We need a burden and a concern for the lost that only God can give.
Let the Holy Spirit lead and direct in your life and become an ambassador for Jesus Christ. Someone told you the way-now, you go and tell others the way.
And if you are without the Savior in your life, I urge you to turn to Him right now. God will receive you if you will trust in Jesus Christ, His beloved Son.
THE RIGHT CHOICES
The spider builds a web that we might admire, but the little creature that is trapped in it does not share in our admiration. In the printed message for this month, The Right Choices, Dr. Blair uses the spider and the web to teach a lesson directed at young people to underline the importance of making wise decisions.
"It was a terrible day for Sampson when he met Delilah. It has been tragic for some of us because somewhere at some time we met someone in whom the Spirit of God was not." J. Allen Blair
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The 23rd Psalm, Living Reliantly
(Psalm 23 was written 3000 years ago!)
Is your life filled with chaos? Perhaps you could use some peacefulness. Learn how to live at peace in the valley or on the mountain by reading this book by Dr. Blair. Here's an offer that you'll find difficult to refuse. Request a free copy of Living Reliantly, this month February 2010, and we'll send it to your USA postal address. The postage is not free, but we'll even pay that for you.
January 2010
Dear Gary,
I trust that all are doing well. I am not well and have lots of health problems. But, through it all, my trust is in the Lord and His joy is my strength.
I do listen to the broadcast every day and I always realize a blessing. Enclosed is my check.
Keep up the good work and God bless.
In His Bond,
F. M.
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