Day 19: Jesus Is Depending on You
Read John 15:26-27
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
Reflect
There are two key points in these two verses. The first is that The Spirit will testify about Jesus. The second is that Jesus says, “you must testify about me.” The word testify in the Greek is marturĕō. It means to bear and give witness. This has the same root word as martyr. We are to give witness, share the hope of Jesus even if we have to suffer a bit to do so. In verse 26, Jesus reminds us that the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) will be testifying with you too.
The Greek word Advocate, paraklētŏs, is made up of the participial form of the verb "to call" and the preposition "beside" and thus means one who has been summoned or called to the side of another--literally, an "advocate" or, by extension, a helper or legal representative in a trial or other arena of judgment. You are not alone in sharing your story or testifying about Jesus, but the words “you also must testify” in verse 27, makes it pretty clear you aren’t to hide it either. Jesus is depending on you to share your faith. Thom Rainer, in his book, The Unchurched Next Door, reported 70% of unchurched people proclaim they have never been invited to church in their whole lives. The Apostle Paul writes in Philemon 1:6: “I pray you may be active in sharing yourfaith , so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” In other words, don’t keep your faith and relationship with Jesus a secret. The people in your circle of life need to hear. If it’s not you, then who?
We are to give witness, share the hope of Jesus even if we have to suffer a bit to do so.
Respond
Spend time being quiet before the Lord and ask Him, “Who is it, Lord? Who am I suppose to reach out to that is far from you or doesn’t know you at all and share my story or invite to church?” Then, write that name down, pray every day for the opportunity and then continue to “P.U.S.H.” – Pray Until Something Happens.
It’s almost Easter. This is a great time to invite someone to church. All of us at Newbreak are praying for you to be bold and for you to know the Holy Spirit, your Advocate is with you. If it is fear that is holding you back from sharing with others, remember, God says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine, (Isaiah 43:1).” “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).” God is for you. His Spirit lives in you. Be bold, be courageous and be blessed.