Piney Grove Baptist Church

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"I Will Move From I Am To I Will"

"I Will Be Joyous"

John 21 Feed My Sheep

Joh 20:31  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. This episode in the narrative, shows the importance of making disciples. With the important command, “feed my sheep,” we find there is work to be done until the Lord returns or calls us home. It is John’s intentions to show how the Risen Lord made an impact on all of them, and turned their disbelief into true faith and submission. HE confronted the disciples and they believed, they saw the Risen Lord, heard Him speak, felt His wounds. The apostles needed these encounters with the Risen Jesus to empower them for the mission ahead. They needed the empowering from the Spirit of God to set the bedrock for the early church and beyond. Thomas needed to feel the wounds before He cried out, “my Lord and My God,” as an act of worship. We saw in our message last week, how Thomas was transformed by the Risen Lord, changed from full blown skeptic to worshipper of the Risen Jesus. Thomas had he feet firmly planted in His skepticism, but then He saw and heard Jesus. Joh 20:28  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Then, as if Jesus is preparing them to have faith then seek understanding, says this, Joh 20:29  Jesus told him, "Is it because you have seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!"
Today, I will ask you to bear with me and let the Word of God speak. Whether it is a literary device used by John under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or just how the narrative flows, there is right in the middle of this narrative a very intimate time between Peter and Jesus. This is the meat of the narrative and we will stream line and focus most of our time on this area in the scriptures. It’s like a nicely packaged theological and missiological sandwich, it speaks to a Theology of vocation and much as it does missions.
*prayer*
Let us set this background:
Joh 21:1  After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Joh 21:2  Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
There at Tiberias, the capital city of Galilee, Jesus gave further revelation of Himself to seven of the disciples. Jesus life on earth was to constantly give God’s special revelation to humanity. He is God in flesh. This portion of the narrative is John’s way of showing the apostles have been collected together, and called for the mission ahead. It shows that the core group of disciples have genuinely seen and believed in the Lord, but there is much work still to be done. We find that Peter is a major player in the role of the church. Now that Peter is restored he is at least ready and willing to begin. That speaks volumes to many of us today. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, all of us entrenched in sin before the Lord changed us and begin to change us into His image, but He has even used many of us to proclaim His gospel. This is an encounter that moves the apostles into, believing without seeing, because Jesus is not always going to physically be with them. To the seven disciples, Jesus revealed Himself once again. To one that was a doubter, one was from Cana there at the miracle of Cana, one James who would be killed under Herod, the beloved apostle John, and two of the disciples that were there from the beginning, Andrew and Phillip.
Joh 21:3  Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Joh 21:4  Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Peter, the fisherman, said “I’m Going Fishing.” They have been waiting on the Lord, or they have pondered returning to their former occupation until the Lord returned with further revelation. It is evident that Peter was a leader for the others followed into the waters to fish yet again. There have been a few liberal theologians over the years that have stated the apostles turned their backs on Jesus and went back to their roles outside of ministry. There is something more going on, in fact, there is what I call a theology of vocation seen right here in the words before us. What we see is working until the Lord returns. God has called us to work for Him until He returns or calls us home. Christ has not called us to lock ourselves in our homes with our eyes on the eastern sky. He has called us to be like Peter, work until we see the Lord. What Peter teaches us is to not set idle, use your occupation, your vocation for the Lord. He also teaches us to have faith in the Lord that He will provide, but food isn’t going to fall out of the sky into your lap as if it is manna. They had to eat!! Work in this world for the glory of God. These apostles fished all night long and caught nothing. As a fisherman, I know that they best time to catch fish is either early morning, or late in the evening. Some of the best fishing can be in the late night hours as well. So they were out at a prime time to catch fish. I firmly believe, the Lord over the elements, set this up as a way to further reveal himself to them. The disciples did not know it was Him, and as we keep that in mind, it makes the miracle of the congregating of fish, that much more meaningful as a revelation of the character of God. The distance from the shore to the boat kept them from realizing it was the Risen Jesus.
These few verses teach us something about work and the value of working to the glory of God, and teaches of its necessity. We can thank the early and significant reformer Martin Luther for a resurgence in a work ethic within the body of Christ. The early reformer resurrected or initiated a Biblical doctrine of work. He wrote much on Domestic duties, civil duties, and vocations. Luther wrote, “…the works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they may be, do not differ on whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks…all works are measured before God by faith alone.” Jesus, as He summed up the commandments of God said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luther in exposition of this command states, “we respond to the call to love our neighbor by fulfilling the duties associated with our everyday work.” We get off our butts and work for the Lord and do so for His glory, and as we go, we lift up the gospel of Jesus.
Joh 21:5  Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No."
Of course Jesus knew they had no fish. Remember, they still had no idea it was the Lord.
Joh 21:6  He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
This had happened once before if you recall. (Luke 5: 4-7), Peter has seen this before. To add to the miracle, these men knew how to fish, they hardly need advice from a stranger on the shore. As you can imagine, what happens next has been reframed through the eyes of liberal theologians who say Jesus saw a school of fish on the right side. Now, if Jesus had control over life and death, could He also have control over a school of fish? Could He command that school of fish to come right under the nets that were about to be thrown? The cast it out and caught so many that the net could hardly hold them, the net was dragging down the boat. They caught so many, under the direction of the Lord, that not even the seven in the boat could haul them without a struggle. Joh 21:7  That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
Peter and John recognized the miracle from before, they recognized God’s handiwork. Peter tied up his garment for he was naked or with very little covering him. Peter could have jumped in with hardly anything on, but for him to greet the Lord in such a way would be disrespectful. Out of reverence, Peter dressed himself appropriately, even if is awkward to swim in. There is much that can be said about reverence, and how we approach the Lord. When we approach God in prayer, we don’t come flippantly, we don’t come as if God is some elderly father figure in the great blue yonder, we approach Him with reverence and Hollow His name. Peter jumps out the boat once he realizes it is Jesus.
Joh 21:8  The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
Joh 21:9  When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.
Joh 21:10  Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
The Lord had prepared a place to cook the meal. Jesus made these appearances to His apostles to show He is genuinely alive, these are not hallucinations you are having, I am not a phantom or ghost, something the Gnostics would propose in a few short years from the events surrounding Jesus’ life. Ghost don’t eat meals, phantoms don’t build fires, Jesus is alive. Jesus instructs them to add some fish to the ones He already had laid out. Simon Peter goes back and positions the nets so he can count them…
Joh 21:11  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
This was a miracle, 153 fish Peter hauled in. Where it took seven to haul to the boat would only take one person whose feet were on land, he pulls them onto the shore and before them is another work from the Lord.
Joh 21:12  Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
Joh 21:13  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
Joh 21:14  This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
They was no doubting, they knew this was Jesus. The disciples can certainly teach us to look for the work of the Lord in everyday life. In everything we do and go through in life, look for those divine Godly appointments. Even in the simplest of things, such as breakfast, the Lord is there. Many times, our lives are so complicated that we can’t even commune with the Lord over a meal, we can hardly even chew our food good enough before we are up at our next task for the day. Maybe there is a dichotomy of sorts concerning fast food, it is convenient when we are on the run but is a hindrance when we need to slow down and have a meal, and think about how the Lord has blessed. Jesus said, come and dine.
We enter into that more personal time with Simon Peter, the time when Jesus will press Peters motives. This is actually what one might consider Peter’s re-installment as apostle.
Jesus and Peter
Joh 21:15  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."
There are some slight nuances that occur in the language that need to be brought out. It appears that Peter would now follow Jesus even till death, right? If Peter is to be instrumental in the early church, Jesus must expose his motives to him. Jesus askes Peter if He loves Him (agape) and Peter says, I love (phileo) you like a brother. Peter does not even use Christ’s word agapaō for high and devoted love, but the humbler word phileō for love as a friend.
Joh 21:16  He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He askes Him a second time. Same scenario, now using the words for sheep. Feed my people in short, those in Israel and Gentiles alike, feed all my people, disciple them. It will take more than a superficial response to please the Lord. You say you love me, act like it, prove it.
Joh 21:17  He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Now Jesus flips the words and uses the term love in reference to brotherly or friendly love. As if to say, “do you love me more than a brother, do you love me as Lord?” Upon hearing this, Peter was grieved or disheartened. It is no mistake or coincidence that Jesus addressed Peter three times, as a reminder or his past denial, in order to reveal Peter’s deepest motives. We say we are a Christ follower and yet disobey the simplest commands, maybe our devotion isn’t as true as we think. We say we trust Christ and yet worshipping Him takes second place to everything else in life, maybe we are not as committed to Jesus as we think. This doesn’t speak to salvation but to our servitude and motives.
Joh 21:18  Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go."
Joh 21:19  (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
This is a foreshadowing or pointing to Peter’s denial. Jesus, speaking an emphatic truth, informs Peter there will come a time when he will be stretched out and tied to a cross. Traditionally, Peter’s died about 40 plus years after Jesus spoke to him. Traditionally, When Peter was put to death, we are told that he requested that he might be crucified with his head downward, saying that he who had denied his Lord as he had done was not worthy to die as he did. Jesus informs Peter to feed His people and follow Him.
Jesus and the Beloved Apostle
Joh 21:20  Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"
Joh 21:21  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?"
Joh 21:22  Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!"
Joh 21:23  So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"
Peter was curious about the beloved apostle following behind them and what might happen to him. Peter does what many of us do, we worry about someone else. Jesus in short says, “you let me worry about him, you follow me.” We, often times, get jealous over people in ministry, where we think we can do better. It is good to have a vibrant and healthy church or community of believers, but you must answer for yourself.
Joh 21:24  This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Joh 21:25  Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
 
Much has been discovered as we worked through this gospel together, but two words can be the applicable take away, “follow me.” Now that you know “I Am He who has come to dwell among you and to redeem you,” follow me.
 
 
 
 

John 20: 24-31 "Doubting and Delivery"

I want to share today, from God’s Word, the reality of what occurs when we truly encounter the Risen Lord. In the day in which we live, when the world has turned to pointing the finger at everyone else, we need the transformative work of the Holy Spirit badly. We live in a world that makes Adam and Eve’s blame game in the garden look like a picnic. In a world where people doubt and fear everything and everyone, we need Jesus all the more.  We are easily offended and want to march against everything and everyone, we get offended so easily. What happened to the days when we could handle tough stuff, the days when it took a lot to offend. We live in a world that is not kind, sin and the curse is evident all around us. People it is time we put on our big people pants and act like we have some sense, it is time to turn the world on its head with the transformative work of the gospel. It’s pretty easy, speak much of Jesus, live out your faith. You want to protest something, you feel it necessary to protest, protest sin, protest what sin has done to the world, speak out against the damaging effects of sin, and how Jesus is the remedy sinfulness. You want to march for something or someone, march for Jesus, lift His name up, for He is the only one that can save this lost and dying world. Maybe it is time for the church to be the church. It’s time for the church to be the church and not a social club. So, just so you get a concise statement from the pulpit, I condemn every form of racism from every side. Jesus preached to all people group and spent much time ministering among the gentiles. What happened in Charlottesville was a tragedy on all sides, it was a full display of sin on the loudest degree. So, there is an urgency for the church to dispense the gospel and do so without resolve, it is important that we open our doors to all people groups. This is a church not a country club, this is where grace should be displayed and not segregation or division. If you have a problem with all people groups coming together and worshipping together then you have a problem with Jesus, and its best you repent of your sins now. People, we don’t have time for such division.
That being said, I want to spend a few moments in the Gospel of John, we will finish out these last few verses. Last time, we saw Jesus making the first post resurrection appearance to His disciples. The disciples were in fear of losing their lives, and Jesus appeared to them out of nowhere: Joh 20:19  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."Joh 20:20  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  At the arrest of Jesus, the disciples were shattered, scared, doubtful, uncertain of the future, and Jesus appears to them and offers them peace. He spent time with them, offering them peace and enabling them to go forward with the mission set before them. Jesus gave them some marching orders, Joh 20:21  Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. Jesus was preparing them to go out into the world, but they still were not ready. They still harbored fear, and in order to begin to prepare them for the mission, Jesus breathes on them the Spirit of God. The Spirit that destroys fear, dissolves uncertainty, and gives them boldness, as apostles, to carry out the establishing of the early church of the Lord Jesus. If these men were to set the foundation and make disciples of the nations, then they were going to need a supernatural makeover and help. If the disciples were to be fruitful in making other disciples, if they were to be faith to preach, teach, lead, and plant the early church, they need empowerment from the Holy Spirit, and the need to start off with the right motives, “peace.†Joh 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Behind closed doors, Jesus invaded their fear and confusion with His peace and empowerment for the Holy Spirit. With you Bibles before you, turn to chapter 20: 24-31, I have entitled this message, “doubting and delivery.â€
Be Faithful In Your Witness: Do you have that one stubborn friend or family member that will just not budge on the things of God. They have their ideas about the Christian faith and they are not about to budge. Let me challenge you to be faithful in your witness, even when it looks futile. If God is the giver of salvation, all we can do Is point to Him and let Him do the rest. This is exactly what the disciples demonstrate for Thomas. Joh 20:24  Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. Joh 20:25  So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."
I am convinced, sometimes we need to be a little like Thomas in our thinking about God. Why? Because Christianity can hold up to the most strenuous scrutiny. Jesus Christ over the years has held up to scrutiny and has proven that He changes lives. So, be like Thomas a little, ask the hard questions and see that the Lord is faithful. Thomas in the Hebrew and Didymus in the Greek, has been marred for centuries as “doubting Thomas.†He has been forever memorialized as a person that lacks appropriate belief in Christ. Thomas was not with the disciples when they encountered Jesus in the locked room. In a way, the disciples are like many of us, and Thomas is like those in the world that had not yet been changed by the risen Lord. We take the good news to them and they say, “I need to see in order to believe.†A faithful witness will take the Lord at His Word, but in order to further their witness and knowledge of God, will desire to dig deeper in His Word. One might learn from Thomas, not to doubt, but to seek the answers of the hard questions. Thomas meant business, for he uses a double negative as to say, “I will in no wise believe.† Have you ever said something similar and the Lord changed your MIND? Very similar to Peter who said, “I will never deny you Lord,†to denying him three times. So Thomas will be shown the truth, beauty, and power of a living God who is active and alive in our lives. Remember, the Lord is preparing them to set the foundation for the early church, so these interactions with them are crucial in setting the tone throughout church history. We were all doubters at one time, inquisitors even, until the Lord showed is His salvation.
We all have that one stubborn friend who refuses to listen to anyone or take advice. The type of person who doesn’t like to be corrected and thinks themselves tough enough to handle anything without community or help. I can honestly say, some of my own family members were like this. We might be that stubborn person. Thomas was the doubter, the analytical disciple of sorts. Thomas turned out to be a vital part of the early church. Thomas was not there with the others, so he didn’t get to see Jesus first post resurrection appearance. The disciples,  who were so pumped for they saw Jesus alive, ran into the heavy wall of skeptism.  Tradition and history placing Thomas as an integral part of the early church in India, and it is also in India, December 21st around 72 ad, when Thomas was martyred and stabbed for the Lord Jesus. Thomas is much like many of us, we want to believe in all the Lord has to offer, in terms of faith, but we want a reasonable and viable faith, and serving the Lord Jesus delivers when challenged. If it were not for the other disciples, being faithful to testify of the risen Lord, Thomas may not have even stayed long enough to see Jesus. Let us be like the disciples in two ways, like Thomas, seeking truth, and like the other disciples being faithful to exclaim the Lord.
“Stop Doubting and Believe:† Joh 20:26  A week later his disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were shut, Jesus came, stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Joh 20:27  Then he told Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, but believe." Joh 20:28  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus once again appeared behind closed and locked doors. Much like Jesus immediately appeared in response to the disciples fear, so now Jesus appears in response to Thomas’ doubts. Jesus once again used the word “peace.†As if Jesus heard the conversation, he instructs Thomas to place his hands in the wounds. It shows us that we serve a risen Lord who wants to answer our concerns. What one must make note of, is the response from Thomas. This is a confession and profession towards the deity and Lordship of Jesus. Notice Jesus response, He didn’t say get up, or only worship God, He allowed Thomas to worship Him, which means, Jesus was either God or a devil because only a devil would allow worship if he wasn’t God. We can talk about the grammar in and language that Thomas uses, but it all makes sense in the response of Jesus. Joh 20:29  Jesus told him, "Is it because you have seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed!" BLESSED are those who have faith and are not discouraged when they can’t always see the end result, or who cannot see immediate evidence. In preparing all the apostles for ministry, this needed to happen in the life of Thomas,  in the same way that Saul needed a Damascus road encounter.
I read an article from the Huffington post of all places… “I grew up deeply entrenched in Evangelicalism. So much so, that I made it my career. I went to Bible College to become a pastor. And I worked in the church full-time for about ten years. I was good at drawing a crowd — I’m a performer, so “preaching†was my strong suit. (I eventually left full-time vocational ministry to become an actor and movie producer.)
My big problem with faith was that I was and continue to be a profound skeptic. I was much better at saying things in ways to help others along than I was sorting through the questions in my own head. I found myself on the verge of giving up altogether on Christianity. Then I met Jesus. It may seem a strange thing to say that a kid who grew up in the church, graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies and worked as a pastor for a decade didn’t know Jesus, but that’s the way my story unfolded.
I should clarify. I knew a version of Jesus. The Jesus who lived a perfect life, died on a cross for my sins and gave me a ticket to Heaven. I knew that one well, but the more I told that story to others, the less true it seemed to me. It rang hollow.
Then I decided to take the risk of taking seriously the early Christian accounts of Jesus and his message. What I discovered embedded in the ancient texts commonly called The Gospels shocked me. The Jesus portrayed in Matthew seemed convinced that Heaven had already come to earth. The Jesus in Luke demanded counter-cultural active alignment with the poor. The Jesus of John promised eternal (ultimate) life — but demanded that it begin now, not in the afterlife.
In all the early accounts, Jesus was a threat to the establishment. A rebel. A revolutionary. He was extreme and dangerous. He told the clergy that they were con artists headed to hell. He claimed that he himself was the unique way to God.
No matter what I want to tell myself, I would have rejected him had I been given the chance. If we could step away from what we think we know about Jesus and see what the records show... I think we’d agree that he probably came off, at best, as a well-intentioned delusional cult leader. At worst he’s a crazed maniacal egomaniac. Or, I suppose, he could have been sent to us from God with good news. That’s the third option.
I decided to gamble the rest of my life on the latter. I could be wrong, but so far submitting to this radical, unpredictable, iconoclastic Jesus has been worth it. I might have even felt a few passing moments of Heaven and eternal life through the process... and at least on those days, it all rings true to me. Serving Jesus, is worth it all. Proclaiming Jesus, is worth it all, serving Him is worth it all, being saved by Him is worth it all.
 
Joh 20:30  Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not recorded in this book. There were many other signs that Jesus performed in front of them to prepare them for disciple making.
Joh 20:31  But these have been recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that through believing you may have life in his name.
 
Be Faithful In Your Witness
“Stop Doubting and Believeâ€Â 

John 20: 19-23 "Sending Them Out"

There is a still a bit of uncertainty surrounding the resurrection of Jesus among the early disciples. It wasn’t too far back on the narrative when we read of Mary at the empty tomb, with tears in her eyes, crushed under the heavy burden of the sting of death. She was so moved by the loss of Jesus, see didn’t notice the angels were angels, nor did she recognize it was Jesus that she spoke to either. She supposed Him to be the gardener. Joh 20:15  Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." It was only after He called out to her, “Mary,†that she recognized Him as the Lord and ran off to tell the others that she had seen the Lord. The Lord was constantly teaching His disciples and training them. It becomes very evident in chapter 20. There are at least four places in this chapter, when the disciples go a tell something of Jesus to the rest of the believers. This should be an encourage, to always have something edifying to say about Jesus, no matter the turmoil. In Good times and in bad, have a witness of Jesus locked and loaded.  1. Joh 20:2  So she ran off and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus kept loving. She told them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 2. Joh 20:18  So Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" She also told them what he had told her. 3. Joh 20:21  Jesus told them again, "Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." To Thomas, the disciples said to Him, 4.  Joh 20:25  So the other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he told them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into them, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe!"  Repeatedly, the influence of the resurrected Lord has caused people to tell of Him to the rest of the world. Moreover, your life and testimony should impact others in such a way, that a generous and Christ like rendering of your disposition just becomes natural and automatic to those that know you.
I remember reading of such a man, whose life was so hide in Christ, that it even helped him fall out of being a suspect to a crime. Being a young man that loved to tinker with things, Charles worked with his uncle during the summer months in his shop.  Each morning they stopped to pick up the newspaper at a small grocery store and read it together. Shifting through the headlines was a highlight of both of their mornings together.
One morning, when they got to the shop, Donald had found, that by mistake, he had accidently grabbed two papers. At first, he wanted to just wait until the next morning when they went to the store, then pay for the extra paper, but his conscience got the best of him and he said, “Hop in Charles, I need to go to the store and pay for this paper before the man thinks that I stole it.†He got in his Ford truck, drove back to the store, and returned the paper.
A week or so went by, and someone stole money from that little country store. When the Sherriff pinpointed the time, it happened, the owner remembered only two people had been in the store that day—and one was my uncle. The owner of that store dismissed my uncle as a suspect, saying, “Donald is really honest. He came all the way back here just to return a newspaper he took by mistake.†It didn’t take much deduction to find the other man, who after confronted made a full-on confession.  Donald’s honesty made a big impression on the owner of the storeowner, and on Charles.
Does your Christian walk square with your Christian witness? When you speak of Jesus, if you speak of Him, does your witness line up with your character? Would people dismiss you automatically, like they did with Donald, because they know you would never do such a thing?
Most importantly, Jesus wants us to “go,†even if we are frightened, like these early disciples, He even wants us to be willing to go. Can you pray that today, “Lord make me willing to be a better witness for you?†We live in such a time, that puts on display the depravity of man, it calls of demands we become the boots on the ground of the Lord Jesus. For many of us, that means we have some cleaning up of our own yard. Here is the thing, don’t dwell in your yard and continue to say, “I can’t be a witness unless I get my life right first. Lean on Christ, He will help you clean up your garbage in life, and be on mission for Him. As the author of Hebrews instructs, Heb 3:1  Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, Heb 3:2  who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house.  He has called us all, who identify with the risen Lord, are to be faith to consider and share of His saving grace.
Jesus Unlocks Doors and Tears Down Fear: Joh 20:19  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."Joh 20:20  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
It is amazing, even in the event of His death and resurrection, Jesus is still the master teacher. Just moments before, the disciples were scattered, crushed from despair, and without hope, but Jesus will make them see that what He said of Himself is true and coming to pass before their eyes