BaptistWay Bible Series for September 2: Accept responsibility for being Jesus’ witness

 • Download a powerpoint resource for this lesson here.

“Knowledge without application is lacking.” I gave that statement the highest mark available on an assessment just a few weeks ago. It seems when it comes to applying truth, we Bible study leaders tend to hand out just a few crumbs compared to the bountiful loaf in the Bible teaching portion of our lessons. Often, I find myself, perhaps like you, running out of time because of the amazing content of God’s word, leaving an application step for the learner to figure out on her own. 

In Bob Goff’s new whimsical book titled Love Does, he writes about his “Bible-doing” group. Bible study is incredibly important. But the Bible is not about information. What do we really gain in memorizing the succession of the prophets? It informs our Bible study, but that knowledge does not advance the kingdom.

The Bible is not about information, it is about transformation. Biblical transformation is changed behavior, changed lives. Hence, the need for a pointed, specific, application step (or multiple steps) every week in Bible study. Lest we turn our relationship with Christ into a mere checklist of accomplished tasks, let us also remember that transformation is about being even more than doing. Will we be like Christ at our very essence?

During the next 26 weeks, I want to take you on a journey of application and inspiration. So, I just invented a new word combining application and inspiration: “appliration.” Let’s join Bob Goff in turning our lives and our Bible study groups into “Bible-doing” groups. Let’s be “a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). A workman—sounds like someone who does something, doesn’t it?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8).

In reading Acts 1:8, my heart is filled with joy over one simple truth: I’m a Christian because of the direct action of Jesus’ disciples. To them, I am “the ends of the earth.” I am the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophetic, evangelical call to his wonderfully human disciples: “You will be my witnesses.” If they didn’t believe and put Acts 1:8 into practice, I would not have received the gift of Jesus Christ in my life.  

And so it is for others. We carry the eternal message of Jesus Christ forward. Future generations are counting on us, too.

Tap into your God-given imagination for a moment. Look at your great, great, great granddaughter. She is so beautiful. Curly red hair and hazel green eyes. Her fair complexion is kissed by many freckles that seem to glow with the afternoon sun. God did a marvelous job in knitting her together. Pause for a moment and push her in the swing. Don’t her giggles warm your heart?

She is depending on you. If you remain silent about your faith in Christ, her future is affected. If you don’t take the time to pass how God changed your life down just one generation, perhaps that beautiful little girl never will know of a loving Savior. Perhaps her life will be empty. Perhaps she will be eternally lost.

We have made Acts 1:8 about regions, borders and territories. Rightly so. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth certainly are region specific. What if Jesus wanted us to not only visualize regions but also see specific faces?

John’s Gospel helps here. One of the unique features of John is Jesus’ one-on-one conversations and encounters. While John 3:16 declares God loves the entire world, the next stories in John put a unique face on the world. In John chapters 3-5, three unique, one-on-one encounters with Christ are found: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and the crippled man at Bethesda. Three very different people. Three unique stories. Three unique faces. One Savior.

“Appliration” point (inspiration and application): If you want Acts 1:8 to come alive in your life, give it a face. When my oldest son was 8 years old, he asked if we could adopt a child. Thinking three sons were more than enough, I told him our “quiver was full.” He was adamant that since there is great poverty in the world, we simply must adopt another child. I never will forget his wisely chosen language, “It’s the Christian thing to do, Dad. After all, God adopted you.” A wise son indeed.  

In that moment, I decided to give poverty a face. I told him about child sponsorship through World Vision. Almost being Christmas, he called his grandparents, aunts and uncles asking them to give him money to sponsor a child instead of giving him Christmas gifts. On Christmas night, we got online and selected Lotugh, our family’s “other brother” who lives in Kenya and shares the exact same birthday and birth year as my son. Now, that same son, a senior in high school, is considering a college degree that would allow him to work for World Vision. We gave poverty a face, and it changed our family.  

This week, give Acts 1:8 a face. Make it highly personal. Consider challenging yourself or your “Bible-doing” group with the following ideas:
1. Choose a family member who needs the gospel. Put their picture in a prominent place in your home with Acts 1:8 printed on it. Pray for this face daily and seek ways to share the gospel.
2. Write your testimony for your great, great, great grandchild. Seal it. Create a way to pass it down to future generations. Or simply write your testimony and send it to your children or grandchildren.
3. Consider sponsoring a child through World Vision, Compassion International or some other reputable Christian organization. Ask your Bible study group to bring loose change every week to pay for the sponsorship together. Proudly display the photos you receive in the mail and challenge other Bible study groups to do the same.

One last thing, next week, don’t begin your Bible study group by asking “what did we learn last week?” Rather, to foster a sense of accountability in being a “Bible-doing” group, ask “what did you do this week in response to what we learned last week?”