Date:   10/07/07

Text:   Acts 20:1-6

Title:   Portrait of A Witness (2)

Theme:

Introduction:

  In our study of the book of Acts, we learned that we, the followers of Christ, are his witnesses. We often associate witness with its verb form; an act of telling others about God and Jesus'' love for them. We witness when we pass out gospel tracts on the streets of Houston, NY or SF. We witness when we go on a short term mission. Sometimes we view witness as a responsibility to be fulfilled.

  Certainly, being a witness would include such actions and activities. But in our study of the book of Acts, especially looking at Paul's ministry and life, we see witness is far more than just presenting the gospel message. It encompasses a wide spectrum of ministry, from sharing the good news of God's kingdom, to encouraging others to being a team member . Let's take a closer look at this.

I.   A Witness as an encourager.

  In this chapter, the word encourage appeared three times (1,2, 12). The word ‘encourage' means to come alongside, to assist, and to comfort. Encouragement is certainly a major theme in chapter 20.

  In the first and second century society, it was not easy to be a followers of Christ. Very often, because of one's faith in Jesus, he/she may have been ostracized from the society, creating great financial difficulties. Depending on the Roman Emperor, following Christ could also mean death, as experienced by the apostles. There were also all kinds of teachings contrary to Jesus and his apostles' teaching. It is in this context that we read in verses 1 and 2 that Paul encouraged the believers. And then in vs. 18ff, we are also given insights regarding the content of this encouragement. I'd like to make two observations about this encouragement.

1 •  To comfort those in distress.

Whether we live in the 1 st or 21 st century, there is one thing in common: life is difficult. I think of the stress many of us experience. If you work for a company, the bottom line is: how much is our profit this year? Or, what is our projection for this quarter? Constantly we read news about a certain company's 3 rd quarter projection falling short of expectation, or that it fell by 75%, resulting in layoffs. Can you imagine the pressure of working from quarter to quarter. Many of us are in the research field. The bottom line here is: where is the data? Without data, there is no paper, without paper, no grant money. And the most frustrating part is that frequently we cannot control what the data will look like. We cannot give our supervisor the kind of data he/she wants. A wrong hypothesis can waste many months of research. Or being a doctor, you have to make those split second life and death decisions.

I think of those who are bed ridden by prolonged sickness. Or an individual's body being ravaged by those terrible cancer cells. Just when we thought we are doing well, responding to the treatments, then, another cancer appeared. Then there is grief over the loss of our loved ones or a relationship we once treasured. How discouraged and angry we can become.

There are those who are looking for jobs. We have tried, but there are just no suitable openings. Our waiting goes from one month to one year and still no end in sight. It is frustrating.

Some of us are constantly living under stressful family situations. We're at odds with our spouses or between parents and children. Certain issues just never get resolved.

These are just some situations that make life difficult. For this reason, we not only tell others about Christ, but also to comfort, to come along side of them.

How do we comfort and encourage? From vs. 2, we learn that Paul was in that area for a period of time. He encouraged them by spending time with the believers. We comfort others by learning how God comforts and encourages us. the majority of time, the Bible is rather silent on why we go through such difficult moments in life, or why such calamities come upon us. However, the scripture is loud and clear, in telling us that when we are at the bottom of the pit, when we are in the deep dark valley of life, God comes to us and is with us during those dark hours. He comes and sits beside us.

When we comfort and encourage those in distress, We don't ask how can you feel like this? how can you have such negative feelings toward God and others? Most of the time, we, the encourager, can bring comfort by just being with them. We share with them that we neither know nor understand why God allow these things to happen to his children. We learn to see the world through their eyes, feel their pain through their skin. We empathize with them. We practice the ministry of Presence.

I still remember when I first started out in my pastoral ministry, a pastor shared with me that the most fond memories he had with the congregation was when he stopped by their homes or workplaces and enjoyed a cup of coffee or tea with them. I have certainly found this true. Yet at the same time, I'm also keenly aware of how times have changed. Now, living in a very busy city, and often because of family life and privacy, the simple act of being there is quickly fading.

We bring comfort and encouragement by reading God's word with them. Pastor Ling had shared that often when he visits individuals, he would sing to them and with them. Being a witness of Jesus Christ, we not only share the gospel message, but also bring encouragement and comfort to those facing difficult moments in life.

2 •  To encourage with God's Word

There is another aspect of comforting and encouraging others. In vs. 2 we read, “many words of encouragement.” This refers to God's word. Life not only is difficult, but to believers, we are often confused by different teachings. We need to help believers, especially young Christians, to know how to discern the truth from the untruth.

In different eras and different locations, the truth can be distorted in different manners. With the election year coming up, we are seeing more and more of how on the altar of the goddess of Tolerance, we are sacrificing the uniqueness of Christian faith. As different candidates will be questioned about their faith and belief, we'll hear more about the need to identify what is common among Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Mormons. We want to emphasize that all faith have the same common goal of being and doing good to others. We must not highlight one and down play the other.

Prison Fellowship has a ‘world view' study course on some high school campuses. The responses have been very positive. However, at one school, when the students were asked about choosing Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, there was an uproar. They felt it was not right that any one of them is to be unique and the truth. The leader then sent the students to ask their parents and pastors. What was so surprising was that many of the parents and pastors, including youth pastors responded by saying that there is no one faith more true than others, they are just being different. Our society had already sacrificed truth on the altar of Tolerance. And now, the Christians are beginning to do the same.

As witnesses of Christ, we not only share the gospel message, we also encourage the believers with God's word. We show and teach them how to discern the truth from the untruth. Jesus is not created by God, but is God. Every religion does not lead a person to God. Jesus is the only way to God the creator.

II.   The witness as a team player.

  In this and other chapters in Acts, the author tends to make a special point about who is traveling with Paul in his ministries. Seldom would Paul travel and minister alone. For his 1 st missionary journey, he had Barnabas, and Mark, who later left them. For his 2 nd missionary journey, there was Silas, and later Timothy. Luke would join them during part of the journey. Now, in part of his 3 rd missionary journey, Luke mentions several names. Paul worked in a team, and not a lone ranger. Before his ascension, Jesus told his disciples that “You are my witnesses…” Yes, each person is a witness, but the entire Christian community is also His witness. It is a team. I would like to make several observations about this team.

1 •  Unity in the midst of diversity.

We're given the names of several of Paul's travel companion. First, there is Sopater from Berea. Chapter 17 tells us that the believers at Berea were diligent Bible students. Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica. Aristarchus is equivalent to Aristocrat, meaning royal, high on the list, being #1. He could be a person of royal blood or high up in the society. Well, Secundus means being second, #2. He could have been a slave. Then there were Gaius, from Derbe, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus. They were all from the young gentile churches. This is diversity. Yet they travelled and ministered together with Paul. There was diversity, but also unity. Jesus prayed for his disciples that they may be united. This diversity and unity is a theme that runs through the entire scripture..

I think of the short term mission team to Uganda. It was a very diverse group of people. Yet with one heart and mind, in unity they shared the good news of Jesus Christ to the people there. On the other hand, it is easy for us to do things on our own. We want to do things our way, our time. I was told about a short term mission team serving in a certain province. Before they went, they were given clear instruction that they cannot openly share the message of Jesus Christ with the residents there. However, there is this one person who insisted on sharing the gospel to people she came into contact. This created tension and dissension among the team members. This is not unity.

HCC is a very diverse community. In this community, each one of us is a witness of Christ. Moreover, collectively we are also the Witness of Christ. Our common mission is to tell the world, both here and beyond about the good news of Jesus Christ. This is what brings this diverse group of people together, to worship God under one roof. However, at the same time, we also recognize there are different ways and styles of worship and sharing the gospel with others. We must not insist on our own style and way of seeing things, thus our way of doing things. It will do us good to remember that our message is one, unique and distinct. Yet, there are many ways to communicating this message. We affirm our diversity and at the same time maintain unity among us.

To maintain unity in a diverse community means that we are to be considerate of others, see others better than ourselves and be humble. St. Augustine's words are still a powerful reminder of how to achieve unity in diversity: In essentials unity, In non-essentials liberty, But in all things charity. Jesus said, “if you love one another, the world will know that you are my disciples.” Francis Schaeffer said, “Love is the church's final apologetics.” How can we be effective and powerful witnesses for Christ? In the midst of diversity, we love one another.

2 •  Commitment to ministry.

We noticed that the individuals in Paul's teams were members of the gentile church. This means that most likely they were relatively young in their Christian growth. Yet they are already serving as leaders, representing their churches.

According to different studies, from the time someone came to know Christ to begin serving in a church as deacons it is generally 10 years. I don't think the individuals mentioned in this chapter had 10 years. Most likely, it is shorter than that. We can conclude that shortly after their conversion, they began serving in their churches.

This can serve as a good example for us. we don't have to wait 10 or more years then start to serve. Even today, when we see needs in different area of the church, we learn to serve. There are times we serve according to the spiritual gifts and talents we have. There are also times when we serve out of responsibility in this family of God.

Conclusion:   

  We have heard much about some well known ministers: Billy Graham, Leighton Ford and Francis Schaeffer. They effectively communicated God's word to large and small groups of people. Yet at the same time, they bring comfort and encouragement to individuals. From “Letters of Francis Schaeffer”, we see how gently and lovingly he corresponded with individuals who shared with him about their confusion over matter of faith, or the struggle with depression another person is experiencing. His letters were full of care and empathy. I personally remember meeting Francis Schaeffer in a conference. I had the opportunity of asking him some questions about ministry and seminaries. This was our first encounter. About a year later, we met again in the California Labri fellowship. You know what, he still remembered what I asked him one year ago. Yes, he was a public figure, well known minister. Yet he paid attention to everyone that came to him. To Francis Schaeffer, there was no little people, each person was important.

  In a few moments, we'll be observing the communion. Each time when we collectively take the bread and the cup, we remember how Christ loves and died for each one of us. Moreover, he also called us to be his witnesses. It is his love that causes us want to tell others about the good news of Jesus'' love and death for us. We want to tell others that through him, there is eternal life. It is his love that also causes us to bring encouragement and comfort to those in distress.