Message Notes

YAG 7th Retreat (Grand Hyatt, JB)
Session #1
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Afteroon Session (3.00pm)
“You Shall Be Witnesses”
INTRODUCTION:

A.Exploratin of Theme: “You Shall Be Witnesses”

(Book of Acts)

B. Exposition of Theme: “You Shall Be Witnesses”

(Pauline Epistles)

C. Encouragement to become effective witnesses for the Lord

(Practical Theology)

1. Evangelism through Witnessing

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

a) The significance of the contrastive conjunction “But”

b) Other issuesi) Restoration of the Kingdom          Acts 1:6

ii) Times and Seasons          Acts 1:7

c) Learning to Focus: The Task of Witnessing

i) “You shall Be Witnesses”

ii) “You shall receive Power”

iii) “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you”

2. Rationale for this Plan

a) All God’s plans (Cf. Ephesians)

i) Fore-ordained/Pre-destined

ii) To display God’s grace

iii) To redound to the glory of God

b) For the Good of the Believer

i) Growth

ii) Knowledge

iii) Skill

c) For the Blessing of the Church Ephesians 4

i) Growth

ii) Strength

iii) Establishment

d) Fellow-workers with God

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building

1 Corinthians 3:9

i) Awesome statement

ii) Tremendous responsibility

iii) Important accountability

3. The Problem that divert our attention to Bear Witness (Some problems highlighted)

a) Doctrinal Controversies

b) Political Interest

c) Monetary Problems

d) Social Concerns

e) Secular ideas

f) Traditionalism

g) Personal life problems

h) Lack of personal conviction concerning Bearing Witness