Being a Witness
(Acts 26:1-26)
In the passage before us we see Paul speaking before King Agrippa. In this passage we can see some valuable things in regards to being a witness. The interesting thing here is that with all the doctrine and things that God has showed him since his conversions he still goes back to the basics when it comes to being a witness before Agrippa on behalf of Jesus Christ. We can learn some important things from Paul concerning being a witness for Jesus Christ.
First of all note that when Paul is giving his testimony of how the Lord spoke to him on the road to Damascus, he says that Jesus told him he would be a witness concerning two things (verse 16).
1) The things which thou has seen.
2) The things in the which I will appear unto thee.
If we look at the definition of the word witness in the dictionary we can find a definition for the word as a noun, and a definition for the word as a verb. We will give the simplified versions of these as follows;
Witness (n) – Testimony concerning certain facts or a particular event.
Witness (v) – To see or know by something by personally experiencing it.
From the example of Paul and the definitions of being a witness we see that being a witness for Jesus Christ is easier than most people think it is. All we have to do is tell what Jesus has done for us and how it changed our life and show them what we did to receive the free gift of Salvation. It is that simple. Remember in a court of law all a witness does is tell the facts as they know them.
To be a good witness for Jesus Christ :
1) To be a good witness for Jesus Christ you must first be saved.
- Note in Paul’s appeal to Agrippa he simply told him about his conversion.
- When you have a personal experience with Jesus Christ that is one of the best things you can use along with the word of God for being a good witness.
- It is not in how much bible you know because the Holy Spirit is responsible for convicting someone of sin, not you. And it is the word of God that saves a person not you. We are simply a witness.
- Agrippa doesn’t get saved in the passage, but that is not Paul’s fault it is Agrippa’s fault.
2) To be a good witness you should have a good relationship with Jesus Christ after salvation.
- Paul was not only to be a witness of the things that he had seen but the things that Jesus would show him.
- The more we fellowship with Jesus Christ through his word and prayer the more we learn about him. The more we learn about him the more we can share with others about him.
3) To be a good witness for Jesus Christ you must be credible.
- In John 5:36 Jesus is saying that he has a better witness than that of John the Baptist. It is the works that he has done. He says that the works witness of the fact that he was sent from God.
- In a court of law one of the things that is always done by the opposing attorney is to discredit the witness that is on the stand. If you can make him a liar or discredit his testimony then that helps you case.
- As a saved person our works like Jesus’ should match the witness or testimony that we are giving about him. In other words you should follow the word of God if you want to be a effective witness for Jesus Christ.
Some simple guidelines to use in being a witness :
1) Pray and ask God for the opportunity to witness and the right thing to say when that opportunity comes along.
2) Learn some verses that show the simple truths about Salvation. Remember you do not have to be a Bible Scholar but the more Bible you can show someone will help with being a witness.
3) While you can witness to anyone about the Lord Jesus Christ, it can be helpful to stick with your own age group and sometimes even your own sex. Remember this is a guideline not a hard fast rule.
4) Don’t argue. Some witness just to show others how right they are and how much they know about the word of God. It is one thing to show someone a scripture that contradicts what they believe but when it gets to be an argument it is not accomplishing much. Note Paul does not argue with Agrippa.
Remember it is the Holy Spirit of God that convicts someone of sin not us. It is the word of God that saves them and not us. We are simply to be a good witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Being a Witness (Acts 26:1-26)
Handout
1) In Jesus’ words to Paul what are two things that Paul is going to be a witness of?
2) Give a definition for the word witness.
3) How can you be a good witness for Jesus Christ?
4) What are some simple guidelines in being a good witness for Jesus Christ?