Proverbs 24: 11-12 Rescue - Part 1

¹¹ Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
¹² If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? 

It's very true that our lives should be witnesses for Christ. There are so many ways that we can show our faith and our trust in our Father -- in many cases that is all we can do, because of time or circumstances.  But in others, we have an opportunity to speak, and in those situations, our witness is not complete until we open our mouths and speak a word for Him.

There have been times when this has come up in our studies, and I have heard from ladies who say that (like me) they struggle with this sometimes. Let me first say: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

A group of Christians in training for an evangelistic crusade were asked: "What is the biggest thing that stops you from witnessing?"  Here are their answers:

                        9% said they were too busy to remember to do it
                      28% said they lacked real information to share
                      12% said that their own lives were not the witness they should be
                      51% said they were afraid of how the other person would react

I do not mean to shout, but I'm going to use all capital letters again: THIS IS NORMAL!! Absolutely perfectly normal. But we are not going to stop there . . . because this is not what we should strive for!!

I've been right there with you -- you may be afraid that someone will think you are a fanatic, or a "Bible-thumper" or you may be concerned that it will change your relationship. You might be afraid that you'll be rejected, or not liked anymore.

The bottom line is, you'll have to open your mouth and just spill it out. There. I said it. Now, how can we become braver, so that we can actually do this?  That's what we will work on, for the next couple of days.

I'd first like to look at two Scriptures about the same man --- Peter.  Simon Peter is one of the most lovable characters in the New Testament, because he gives us hope for our own faults! Peter was at various times overeager, immature, and cowardly, but he also became brave, bold, and influential. Something must have happened to change him, no?

Let's look at Peter, when Christ was on trial for His life. He followed the procession at a distance, and warmed himself at the fire (Luke 22:55).  When questioned and pointed out as one of Christ's companions, he denied even knowing Christ three times, and the last time with cursing for emphasis!

Fast forward to Acts 4:13, and people were astonished at his "boldness" ---- what happened in between these two events?  How is it that in Acts 2 and 3 Peter preached with great passion, and thousands were converted?

Please study this and if you'd like to leave a comment, please do. We'll continue this tomorrow.