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Love Your Friend to Faith Becoming a Commissioned Christian. Church Renewal Resource Evangelism Ministries USA/Canada Region Church of the Nazarene. Becoming a Commissioned Christian. The Purpose of this Module is to: Encourage Christians to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit
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Love Your Friend to FaithBecoming a Commissioned Christian Church Renewal Resource Evangelism Ministries USA/Canada Region Church of the Nazarene
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • The Purpose of this Module is to: • Encourage Christians to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit • The objectives for this module are: • To remind ourselves that witnessing is a divinely authorized activity. • To draw upon God’s power to become effective.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian A. Introduction • Jesus saw in His first followers what we experience now as His disciples. • Jesus knew their and our own fears, uncertainties, and hesitancies. • Jesus prepared His disciples in the same way He wants to prepare us. • Jesus empowers us to witness. • Learn with me about how Jesus commissions personal witnesses.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • We are commissioned through the power of Jesus’ PRESENCE. • “Jesus himself stood among them.” • Witnessing disciples CARRY with them the personal presence of Jesus. • Jesus is in fact “God WITHus” and he promises to be with us to the end of the age. • Jesus’ presence ACTIVELY goes with us.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Witnessing disciples hear Jesus speak PEACE to them. • The peace Jesus speaks GUARDS our hearts and minds. • The peace Jesus speaks transcends our HUMANunderstanding.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus SPOKE to them. • Jesus still REASSURES. • The disciples were reassured by Jesus’ SENSITIVITY. • We are reassured because the Jesus who became flesh and blood for us still speaks to us TODAY.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus continues to help us with our FEARS. • Jesus helps us even when we cannot put our fears into WORDS. • Jesus tells us how to HANDLEour fears. • Jesus addresses our DOUBTS. • Jesus does not SHAMEus for doubting. • Jesus quells our doubts with EVIDENCE. • Jesus deals with both our fears and our doubts by REVEALINGHimself to us.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • We are commissioned when Jesus PREPARES us. • “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the SCRIPTURE.” • Before the crucifixion Jesus had TAUGHTHis disciples. • Jesus taught from Old Testament PROPHECY. • Jesus taught using New Testament PARABLES.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • But Jesus’ disciples did not COMPREHENDHis teaching. • The disciples could not understand Jesus’ teaching on their OWN. • The disciples still had doubts and fears and QUESTIONS.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian c. Learning requires RECEPTIVITY. • Receptivity requires a READINESSto listen. • Receptivity requires a DESIREto understand. d. God opens our MINDS • God opens the SCRIPTURES. • God opens our HEARTS.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus told them, “This is what is WRITTEN:” • Jesus wanted His followers to UNDERSTAND the scriptures. • Jesus’ LIFE mirrored the Scriptures. • Jesus’ TEACHING opened the Scriptures.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus TAUGHT from the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and Psalms. • Scriptures POINT to Jesus. • Reading the Scriptures PREPARES our hearts to accept Jesus. • Jesus’ prepares us to direct OTHERS to Jesus.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus fulfilled the FORECASTS of the Old Testament. • Through His DEATH. • Through His RESURRECTION. • Through His SALVATION. • Through His HOLY SPIRIT.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • We are commissioned through the power of Jesus’ FORGIVENESS. • Jesus suffered, died, and ROSE from the dead. • This truth is to be proclaimed EVERYWHERE. • Jesus commissioned the disciples to be witnesses to all nations, beginning at JERUSALEM. • Jesus commissions us to be His witnesses everywhere, beginning with our own NEIGHBORHOOD.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • EVERYONEis to know about Jesus and what He did for us. • Jesus preached the Gospel to BOTH the Jews and the Gentiles. • We are to preach the Gospel without showing FAVORITISM.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus wants us to repent in order to find FORGIVENESS of sins. • This message requires SPOKESPERSONS. • Jesus has CHOSENus to be His spokespersons. • Jesus’ FINALwords before His ascension commission us to be His witnesses.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • “You are WITNESSESof these things.” • The disciples were physically present to be SPIRITUALLYchanged. • We are witnesses of the ONGOINGspiritual change. • What Jesus did then He does NOWin us. • Let’s TELL!
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • We are commissioned through the power of Jesus’ PROMISE. • Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His followers. • The HOLY SPIRIT comes because God promised and Jesus prayed.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Even in the Old Testament, God foretold the COMING of the Holy Spirit. • God WILL NOT change the promise of His Word. • Jesus PRAYED that all future believers would carry on a new ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. b. We WAIT and welcome the Holy Spirit.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Jesus’ Spirit provides POWER to witness. • We do not WITNESS on our own. • Jesus’ Spirit GOES before us. • Jesus’ Spirit SPEAKS for us. • Jesus’ Spirit makes us BOLD. • Jesus’ Spirit never LEAVESus.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • We are not POWERLESS. • Jesus promised, “You will be CLOTHED with power.” • The Holy Spirit is an UNENDING source of power for witnessing disciples. c. We are to go everywhere to EVERYONE.
Becoming a Commissioned Christian • Read Ephesians 2:10 • How has God prepared us in advance to do the good work of a witnessing disciple? • Read Romans 8:26 • How does the Holy Spirit help us to overcome any of our weaknesses in witnessing? • Read Acts 4:29-30 • How does the Holy Spirit embolden us a witnessing disciples?