Empowered Witnessing Until the Kingdom Comes
How many of you are looking forward to Jesus coming back to earth?
Have you ever asked yourself when Jesus is coming back?
Do you think Jesus will come back soon (say, in your lifetime) or a long time from now (after you die, perhaps)?
If Jesus was coming back soon how would that effect your witnessing of Him?
If Jesus was coming back a long time from now how would that effect your witnessing of Him?
Acts 1:6-8 (NASB) "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'"
“When the kingdom comes is not our concern. What we do until it comes is: we are to be His witnesses.” (Dockery).
What else do you see in Acts 1:6-8 that has something to do with being a witness?
-     We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses and
-     We know that witnesses are needed everywhere.

Confessing Jesus before Men Because He Provides For Us
Read: Matthew 10:24-33.
What do you think it means to “confess” (NASB) the Son of Man?
“Confess” (NASB; Greek: ὁμολογέω “homologeō”) literally means “(of one mind); to speak the same, to agree” (NASB Dictionaries).
Will all Christians witness? How do you know this? See verses 32-33.
Does this passage offer any comfort to people who witness of Christ? What is it?
 “Disciples were to remember their great value to God the Father, and do His will without fear of men” (Richards and Richards).
Have you ever been afraid to “confess” (NASB) the Son of Man to your peers? When was that?
Next time you have an opportunity to confess Christ what comfort can you rely on (based on Acts 1:6-8 and Matthew 10:24-33)?
-     We have been given the power we need in order to be witnesses and
-     Jesus is providing for us even when men reject us.

Reporting What the Lord Has Done
What does it mean to “share your testimony”?
Read: Mark 5:1-20.
What was this man’s testimony?
Based on this passage what does it mean to share your testimony?
Sharing your testimony is as simple as telling someone what great things Jesus has done for you.
How hard would it be to do THAT with a friend?
Sometimes we get so caught up worrying about whether we are sharing the right verses or using the right illustration when it can be much simpler than that. We have been given the Holy Spirit to help us and God is providing for and protecting us. Often all we need to start with is sharing what God has done for us and then letting the Holy Spirit carry the conversation for us. Try sharing your testimony with a non-believer.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

John 8:1-11 (NASB)

“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.’” [1]

                There is definitely something different about Jesus- when we expose our sins and our insecurities to Him, He offers acceptance and love- though he is not going to be soft on sin either.  

               Jesus Christ is the one person we can trust to always offer us this kind of open accepting relationship.  He asks us to come clean with Him, to admit our condition and our inadequacies rather than trying to impress Him with our goodness.

               When we come clean with Him and come empty handed, not holding anything back, He responds with acceptance, which is a gift he gave us because He paid for our sins on the cross and gave us his purity in its place so that we can stand before God.

               We can accept each other without guilt and shame because we know we are not perfect and that Christ died for us.  As His followers we are called to hold each other accountable, not by selfishly judging, but by encouraging one another, bearing with one another, and guiding each other toward a greater love and a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is our prayer that this is what our group is about.

[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995). Jn 8:1–11.