Giving
Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
Today we our series titled The Spiritual Struggle for the Renewal of the Church.
We need to cooperate with the Father God, who would prune out those branches, attitudes, ambitions, and actions that are counter productive, so that the church might bear much fruit.
Today we are talking about Renew My Witness.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the good feeling it gives us to know that You need us and desire us to cooperate with You in sharing the news of Your love with a needy peace.
Accept the love of our hearts.
Except the praise of our lips.
Accept these tithes and offerings from our hands and hearts as we bring them for holy use in extending Your kingdom to the ends of the earth.
Bless both these gifts and the givers in the name of Him who taught us that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Text
Romans 12:2 AMP
Dedicated Service
2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
1 John 1:3 AMP
3 what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Scripture Reading
Romans 12:1-2 AMP
Dedicated Service
12 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
1 John 1:1-4 AMP
Introduction, The Incarnate Word
1 [I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what [a]we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]
2 and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]
3 what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].
Introduction
What were the first and last words of instruction Jesus gave His disciples?
In Matthew 4:19 and Acts 1:8 Jesus, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” and “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.”
His first and last words were related to witnessing.
Since there is no question that we are called to a life of witnessing, may our prayer be, “Lord, renew my witness!”
Jesus used many figures of speech to describe the nature of His mission.
He called His followers “the salt of the earth” and the “light of the world”.
He gave them “the keys of the kingdom.”
He looked on Himself and His work as “bread” and “water.”
His kingdom was like “leaven,” and He came to cast “fire” on the earth.
What common idea do all these represent?
Each represents some kind of penetration.
Salt penetrates meat to preserve it.
Light penetrates darkness to dispel it.
Keys penetrate a lock to provide an opening.
Bread penetrates the body for nourishment and life.
Water penetrates the earth for moisture.
Leaven penetrates the dough to make it rise.
Fire has penetrating power and continues only as it is given new fuel.
Fire is extinguished when it is contained.
This is what we are to be, Christ’s penetrating power in the world!
The church exists for this purpose.
Apart from it we have no reason to exist.
“Renew my witness” is a prayer we can pray that God will surely answer.
If we are to renew our witness, we must do two things.
- We must refine our definition of witnessing.
Witnessing is not just ringing doorbells in the community or handing out pieces of literature.
Neither is it just asking an individual if they are born again or quoting the customary soul winning passages.
Witnessing is what 1 John 1:3 talks about, “what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us.”
Witnessing is telling something that comes from our own experience, something we know.
Witnessing is sharing what Christ has done in our lives.
It is pointing to the one who has performed the miracle of new life in us.
Witnessing is knowing Jesus Christ personally and telling the lost about Him and His power.
Witnessing has two basic elements.
- A way of life.
We demonstrate that there is a change within us, that we have a new way of life.
Life with Christ provides both inner and outer evidence of His life in us.
This illustrates that it is not enough just to do good works, the primary thing is that we be a new person in Christ.
B. A word of mouth.
Witnessing must go beyond our life to a verbal explanation if we are to truly witness.
The Word must become flesh!
We are to verbalise our witness, supported by the Word of God.
2. We must recover the New Testament way, there must be a reformation.
Someone has suggested that there has been a shift in methods from the first century to the twenty first century.
- A shift from personal to impersonal evangelism.
Most evangelism today is the mass type that is to a large extent impersonal.
We shouldn’t discard mass evangelism, rather, we are to make sure that we do not make it a substitute for the basic New Testament way, personal evangelism.
B. A shift from people centred to church centred evangelism.
The church has been charged by its own leaders of changing the Great Commission from “going to tell” to “coming to hear.”
Jesus told us to make disciples as we go, to go into all the world and preach the gospel, to search until we find lost sheep.
When we fail to do this, we miss the masses of people because the masses will not come to church.
I have heard it said, “the problem is not that the churches are filled with empty pews but that the pews are filled with empty people.”
Conclusion.
We must Strat to become living witnesses for Christ!
Now is not the time to take the backseat.
Walking with Christ is not a spectator sport, you are either in or your out!
Let’s as a body of believers start witnessing ], as we are called to in the great commission, Matthew 28:16-20 AMP, The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He].
18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
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