St James' Church

Greetings all! Happy Vesak Day!

Last Week

THANKSGIVING & PRAYER

We thank the Lord for the work that He has done through our brother Wai Kit who is currently in Thailand, teaching English. We also thank the Lord for bringing our sister Maggie safely there to join him. Pray that they will continue to be a blessing to the students there and also for Wai Kit sleep as he hasn’t been able to sleep well.

CONNECT SHARING

Last week we met as our individual cells and discussed some qualifications and hindrances to witnessing with reference to Acts 8:26-40 where Philip witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch.

We learnt that we will need to obedient in order for God to be able to use us for witnessing, as seen in the example of Philip who had been traveling on the desert road according to God’s direction and who approached the eunuch when God’s Spirit told him to. (v26-29)

We will to depend on the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit in witnessing as well, as it was the Holy Spirit who told Philip to stand near the chariot and who had prepared the eunuch’s heart for to listen to Philip. On our own, we would lack the power needed for witnessing.

We would also need to know God’s word well for witnessing as it was through God’s word that Philip had reached out to the eunuch. The eunuch was trying to understand a passage of scripture and when Philip was able to explain it to him, he came to know the good news about Jesus and got baptized. (v35-38)

Some of the more common hindrances to witnessing include a spiritual lethargy, lack of preparation and a fear of man.

We can overcome spiritual lethargy by walking closely with God and asking Him to guard the attitudes of our heart.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

- Psalm 139:24-24

We can overcome a lack of preparation by continually praying for those we intend to witness to and to always be familiar with God’s word.

To overcome a fear of man we will need to focus on eyes on God and not circumstances or the things of this world. We will need love the praise of God more than the praise of man.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

- John 12:42-43

Let us pray that we will be able to overcome the hindrances to our witnessing to be come bold and effective witnesses for Christ!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  - 2 Tim 1:7

In Christ,

Kenneth and the rest