When God Asks You to Do the Impossible

 “‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” ACTS 1:8

 

PONDER THIS

The mission Jesus gave to the disciples must have seemed impossible. Look at them—a little group of ragtag apostles, some of them fishermen. Most of them didn’t have any education. They had no seminaries. They had no finances. They had no prestige. They had no political pull. And yet they were commanded to go into all the world and tell the message of a Galilean peasant who died on a cross, crucified by the Roman government. This was mission impossible.

Not only did they not have the credentials, but they were also up against impossible foes. There was the imperial might of the iron legions of Rome. There was the intellectual sophistry of the Greeks. There was the religious bigotry of the Jewish religion. And here they were. This reads like a magnificent novel, but it is absolutely true. It is the story of the Church triumphant.

What feels impossible in your life right now?

How is the story of the Early Church an encouragement in this regard?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down the things you are facing that seem impossible. Pray over these things, confessing that all things are possible with God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

We Do Not Witness Alone

“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

ACTS 5:32

 

PONDER THIS

On occasion, I have been told, “You would have made a great salesman.” Maybe so, but I don’t know. I might have been a flop, but preaching is not being a salesman, and witnessing is not being a salesman. I’ve said this thousands of times: anything I can talk you into, somebody else can talk you out of. When I’m preaching, I need the Holy Spirit of God to be going up and down these aisles, saying, “Amen, you’d better listen to him. He’s telling the truth.”

The Bible says when we are filled with the Spirit, He witnesses with us. I would not think of walking out here on this platform to preach without a conscious anointing of the Holy Spirit of God. I get on my knees and pray for the anointing before I speak because, in spite of my own personal convictions and in spite of the confirmation of the Scriptures, there’s still another ingredient needed: the Holy Spirit of God needs to speak to your heart. It’s wonderful when God’s Holy Spirit sweeps across a congregation. The Church is not just an organization, we’re an organism, and God’s Holy Spirit is active here.

What is the problem with sharing about Jesus in our own strength and power?

What are some ways you seek to stay connected to God as you live out your faith?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask God to lead you to specific people with whom you can share your faith and to help you with each conversation.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Glue That Holds the Church Together

“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” ACTS 10:39-42

 

PONDER THIS

There must be the personal confidence when you start to share your faith. If you’re not sure about your own faith, you’re not going to make a soul winner. Peter said, “We are witnesses of all things which He did.” That is a powerful statement! There is no reasonable way on earth to dispute the witness of these early apostles. You think about who was witnessing. These twelve apostles gave a united witness of what they’d seen and heard, saying, “We are eyewitnesses.”

They were a very different group of people with the same conclusion. Think about the category of persons. There was the Apostle John, who was young, observant, and philosophical. There was Peter, a loudmouth fisherman. There was Simon, who was a political zealot. Nathaniel and Thomas were somewhat skeptical. Matthew was a little dishonest in his business before he got saved. Andrew was kind and compassionate.

In the Body of Christ there are so many different kinds of people. What would happen if we went into a church and asked the question, “What holds you people together? How do you have this unity? Where does this spirit come from? What is the glue that holds the Church together?” Is it preferences? Is it race? Is it culture? No, it has been and always should be Jesus. We’re so different, but we need to come together in unity around the One we know and worship.

Do you experience unity with the Body of Christ? Why or why not?

What gives you confidence in your faith? How do you share that with others?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a friend from church about what it looks like to have only Christ in common.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Do Others See in You?

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’” ACTS 2:37-39

 

PONDER THIS

On the Day of Pentecost, there was a great crowd, and the power of God came in such a way that day that the crowds were amazed. People couldn’t even explain what they saw. They asked one question, “Whatever could this mean?” (see Acts 2:12). And then they asked another question: “What must we do?”

Many of us have been trying to get nonbelievers to ask the second question before they ask the first question: What have they seen about us that they can’t explain? What do they know about us that is different from anybody else on our block? What do they see about us—in the office, in the school, at home, or wherever we are—that they can’t explain? When they start looking at our lives, see the power of God, and start asking what it means, maybe before long they’ll be asking what they must do.

As Christians we are called to be salt and light. The way we love others and treat others should point to Christ. The way we pursue our dreams should point to Christ. The way we solve our problems should point to Christ. Then, they will ask what is different about us, and before long, hopefully, they’ll be asking how they can become different too.

What are some of the ways you live that are different from the people around you because you have Christ?

Why do you think we tend to tell people what to do before we have shown them how our faith is different?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for the nonbelievers you know and ask God to help you live out your faith as a witness to them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

You are Called to Be a Living Witness

“And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” ACTS 1:7-8

 

PONDER THIS

You are called to be a witness of Christ. You have experienced the Lord Jesus. What you’ve not seen with the physical eye, you have understood with the eye of faith. You have seen the light. And a Christian with a glowing testimony is never at the mercy of a pagan with an argument.

People say, “Well, I just can’t witness.” Of course you can witness! A witness is just somebody who tells what he or she has seen and heard. Jesus didn’t say, “You’ll be My lawyer.” He said, “You’ll be My witness.” A Christian with a glowing witness is worth a library full of arguments. We are witnesses of what He has done in our lives and throughout Scripture.

Peter used the personal witness of the saints, but He backed that up with a second line of evidence—the prophetic witness of the Scriptures. Faith is rooted in evidence, but faith goes beyond evidence to be faith, and then faith becomes its own best evidence. I know because I know. I believe because I have believed. I have seen the Light. And I want you to know Him today—not simply know about Him but know Him, receive Him, and receive from Him eternal life.

How can you incorporate your witness and the witness of the Scripture when you share your faith with someone?

When have you witnessed to someone? What are the things that make it difficult to witness?

PRACTICE THIS

Witness to someone by sharing with him or her your testimony and the truth in God’s Word.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Is Jesus Real to You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16-17

 

PONDER THIS

When you believe in Jesus, God gives a witness. The Holy Spirit of God inside of you says, “Jesus is Lord, praise Him.” One reason I hold onto my faith, even in hard times, is because I've got the witness in myself. He lives in me. Faith is rooted in evidence, but faith also goes beyond evidence—it must do so to be faith. But then faith becomes its own best evidence.

Do you have that internal evidence? Is the Lord Jesus Christ to you a bright, living reality? I’m not talking about an emotional feeling. Does God know something because He feels it emotionally? No. Does God know something because somebody tells Him? Of course not. God’s not waiting on you to tell Him anything before He knows it. Does God know something because He figures it out? He doesn’t have to figure it out. He automatically knows, doesn’t He? He knows because He knows everything. So, how do I know I know God? Because I feel it? No. Because I learned it? No. Because somebody else tells me? No. God’s Spirit bears witness with my spirit. I know because there’s that witness of the Spirit in my heart.

How have you seen the internal evidence of the Spirit in your life?

How have you seen the internal evidence of the Spirit in someone else’s life?

PRACTICE THIS

Go to someone who has shown you the life of faith well and ask how that person has experienced the internal evidence of the Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Simply Sharing What You’ve Seen

PRAY OVER THIS

“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:39-42

 

PONDER THIS

Imagine a courtroom seeking the historical facts of something and countless witnesses are brought in who say, “We all saw the same thing. We all experienced the same thing.” This is what we see in this passage. “We ate with Him. We actually touched Him and handled Him.”

Some skeptics may still write this off as a widely coordinated lie. But this was not an easy lie to tell; it cost many of them their lives. Many of these eyewitnesses died. Peter was crucified upside down. Some people will live for a lie, but no man will willingly die for a lie. These people died for their faith. The only reason they were able to do so was because they knew Jesus Christ had come out of that grave. The testimony of the saints through the ages hinges on the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. A Christian with a vibrant testimony is never at the mercy of a skeptic with an argument. We simply share what we have witnessed in Christ just as the disciples did.

What have you witnessed regarding Jesus that you need to share?

What are some of the things the disciples witnessed that amaze you?

PRACTICE THIS

Share your testimony about Jesus with another person.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

What Does it Really Mean to Serve God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’ And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.” Acts 5:19-21

 

PONDER THIS

Do you know what’s wrong in the average church? Many of us are not sharing our faith. Many of us think we have really served God if we come to church faithfully, live good clean lives, have a job in the church like teaching Sunday School or singing in the choir, and give our money. If we do these things, we usually think we are pretty good Christians. Isn’t that right?

But, unless you are vitally interested in the matter of bringing souls to Jesus Christ, you’re not fulfilling the mission of God. You may say, “Well God didn’t call me to do that, God called me to be a preacher, a singer, a Sunday school teacher.” God has called you to witness, and a Christian who is not witnessing is not merely missing a blessing, he is guilty of high treason against Heaven’s King.

How have you defined serving and living for God? How is that different from Scripture’s definition?

Who are some people you want to share your faith with? How are you praying for them?

PRACTICE THIS

Share your faith, giving witness to something God has recently done in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God’s Witness to You and In You

PRAY OVER THIS

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” John 6:66-69

 

PONDER THIS

I flew on an airplane, and I had to trust the pilot. I ate in a restaurant, and I had to trust the cook. If you read a map, you trust the map maker. What am I saying? I’m saying we trust people every day. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater” (1 John 5:9). And the word “if” there may be translated “since.” Since we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.

If you want to know who Jesus Christ is, ask the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t just say, “You must believe, and if you can’t believe that’s your hard luck.” God says, “If you want to believe, I will help you understand and know these things are true.” No one can tell me you cannot believe. You may refuse to believe, but I will tell you this: If you want to believe in Jesus Christ and you seek truth, God the Holy Spirit will speak to you and confirm to you that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He witnesses to you, and then He witnesses in you.

What are some things you need to ask God to help you believe?

When have you asked God to help you believe His truth?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God to help you believe Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

We Don’t Know Everything

PRAY OVER THIS

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

 

PONDER THIS

One way to give a good witness for the Lord Jesus Christ is to tell what you know, not what you don’t. Many of us are afraid to witness because we’re afraid somebody’s going to ask us a question we can’t answer. Let me give you the perfect answer. Just say, “I don’t know.” Isn’t that a good answer? You know, if you tell people that you don’t know when you don’t know, maybe they’ll believe you when you tell them what you do know. There are a lot of things about the future that you don’t know. Don’t worry about it. These things have been kept from us on purpose. Jesus said, “I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). And in Daniel’s vision he heard, “shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4a).

A 4-year-old can ask questions nobody can answer except God. So don’t try to explain everything. We have hints and clues. The one thing we do know is that one day we’re going to be like Jesus, and that’s good enough for me.

When have you struggled with the unknowns of the Christian faith?

Why is it difficult to admit we don’t know the answer to a question? How does admitting this show greater dependence on God?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a friend about the faith questions he or she is wrestling with.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Distinguish Between Truth and Untruth

PRAY OVER THIS

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.” 1 John 1:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

There was a college professor who was an atheist, and he loved to ridicule his students. He asked his students, “Have any of you ever heard God?” Nobody answered. “Any of you ever seen God?” Nobody answered. “Have any of you ever touched God?” Nobody answered. He said, “So, there is no God.” All the students were amazed until one student lifted his hand and said, “Professor, may I ask a question to the class?” He said, “All right.” He said, “Have any of you heard the professor’s brain?” Nobody answered. “Have any of you touched the professor’s brain?” Nobody answered. “Have any of you seen the professor’s brain?” Nobody answered. He said, “Then we can conclude the professor has no brain, according to his logic.”

John said what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard, we declare to you. The Bible says if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. I don’t depend on speech or illustration or logic to convince you. Thank God the Holy Spirit of God is here to say what is true. That is the witness of God. Jesus is an eternal fact; Jesus is a physical fact; Jesus is a spiritual fact; and the Holy Spirit of God testifies to the Lord Jesus Christ.

How does God’s work in your life provide evidence of Him?

What do the Gospels teach you about what the disciples saw and learned about Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of things you can learn about Jesus from the Gospel accounts.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Power to Profess Christ

With great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

If our ministry is to witness to Christ tomorrow in some unsympathetic situation, the key will not be our brilliance; the key will be abundant future grace.

Of all people, the apostles seemed to need least help to give a compelling witness to the risen Christ. They had been with him for three years. They had seen him die. They had seen him alive after the crucifixion. In their witnessing arsenal they had “many proofs” (Acts 1:3). You might think that, of all people, their ministry of witnessing, in those early days, would sustain itself on the strength of the past glories that were still so fresh.

But that is not what the book of Acts tells us. The power to witness with faithfulness and effectiveness did not come mainly from memories of grace; it came from the new arrivals of “great grace.” “Great grace was upon them all.” That’s the way it was for the apostles, and that’s the way it will be for us in our ministry of witnessing.

Whatever added signs and wonders God may show to amplify our witness to Christ, they will come the same way they came for Stephen. “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Grace was arriving from God for all that Stephen needed — eventually all that he would need to die.

There is an extraordinary future grace and power that we may bank on in the crisis of special ministry need. It is a fresh act of power by which God “bore witness to the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3; see also Hebrews 2:4). The ever-arriving grace of power bears witness to the ever-given grace of truth.

John Piper 

We are Called to be a Faithful Witness

PRAY OVER THIS

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

 

PONDER THIS

When God says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16), by implication God is saying you shall bear faithful witness. Jesus Christ is called “the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5), and we’re to be witnesses to Him. My home and your home ought to be witnesses to the saving power of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When the Bible says the Early Church took the Gospel from house to house (Acts 5:42), that does not mean someone went door to door. It means the Gospel goes from the Jones’ house to the Smith’s house, and from the Smith’s house to the Brown’s house, and so forth. In other words, one family becomes a witness to another family. Our families are to bear witness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Has Jesus Christ saved you? Has He changed your home? Is He real to you? A witness tells what he or she has seen and heard. Jesus did not call you to be His lawyer. A lawyer argues a case. A witness simply shares what he’s seen and heard. Just tell people what Jesus Christ has done for you and how you know He has done it. Don’t give witness about things you don’t know; witness about things you do know. If you fail, that’s even a part of your witness. Tell how you failed and how God forgave you and gave you another chance. Your neighbor is waiting to hear the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Who has been a faithful witness of Christ to you?

How do you interact with your neighbors? Does your life give evidence that you are a witness for Christ? Explain.

PRACTICE THIS

Serve a neighbor today by witnessing about what Christ has done in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers