Are You Speaking Out?

Psalm 107:1-2

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

This seems pretty timely for me. I have been giving thanks to the Lord because He is so good to me. I know that His faithful love endures forever. His shed blood has redeemed me from my sins. Have I been speaking out? It depends. I have been posting faithfully on facebook, but I have not been sharing with others face to face. I need to tell others that Jesus has redeemed me and He can redeem them as well. I will be going out on the streets on Friday to share with the Hispanic community in St. Paul at the Cinco de Mayo festival. This is such a great time and I love going.

I know this verse is from the Old Testament, but are there any more verses that talk about sharing our faith with others in the New Testament? Let's see.

Mark 16:15-18

15 And then he [Jesus] told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

Jesus then made these statements to them:

Acts 1:4-5, 8

4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Notice here that they were not supposed to tell others about Jesus until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. That must pretty important if Jesus told them to do it that way. What happened when they listened? After they were all filled with the Holy Spirit Peter preached the first sermon of the new church and about 3,000 people believed in Jesus and were baptized. Could Peter have accomplished this task without the Holy Spirit? I don't think he could. He was so wishy-washy that he would not have been bold enough nor would he have had the right words to say to be that effective. He couldn't even convice three people that he didn't know who Jesus was so how could he have been able to lead 3,000 to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior? Bottom line, he couldn't. There's evidence of this in the following:

Acts 4:13-14

13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.

Peter and John had been called in front of the council because a man was healed through the power of the Holy Spirit and then Peter boldly proclaimed to the council in whose authority they had done what they did for the man. You can see that there is a change because of the Holy Spirit. They were not that bold before they had Him in their lives.

Does having the Holy Spirit and proclaiming the saving grace of Jesus mean that everyone will love you? No. Here is an example of what they early apostles went through and were able to go through because of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:12-42

12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, 20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.

When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. 22 But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23 “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”

24 When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”

26 The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. 27 Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 28 “Didn’t we tell you never again to teach in this man’s name?” he demanded. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”

29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. 31 Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. 32 We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. 34 But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. 35 Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! 36 Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. 37 After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.

38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”

40 The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.

41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

Here is one of the most empowering statements in the whole bible, " 38 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” When you do what God instructs you to do in the way He instructs you to do it you will not be able to be overthrown by the devil or any human being used by the devil. The main reason is that Jesus has already defeated him and when we as born again, spirit filled believers know that and walk in that with confidence there is nothing the devil can do to us to disuade us from God's plan for us. The devil knows this to be true. Praise God forever!

My admonition to you today is to follow God's plan for your life. Share Jesus with those you come into contact with each day in the way God shows you to do it. It won't always be the same, but if you ask Him to show you who to share with He will give you the words to say. Praise God for His faithfulness and for His plan for each of you and for me. I leave you with the benediction:

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved