“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“ ‘Go back to your home and tell all that God has done for you.’ And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him.”      (Luke 8:39)

It is clear that God intends us to witness to what we know about Jesus. But as I read these verses, I want to skip over the fact that the first place to witness is close to home. I don’t want to witness in my Jerusalem. I’d much rather witness in Judea or Samaria or even Kenya, where I did street evangelism. It’s somehow easier there. “Home,” whether that’s family or neighbors or co-workers or friends, is often messy. “Home” includes broken relationships, bad communication, old habits, fear of judgment or ridicule, and people who are hard to love. However, this is the first field He calls me to work in, and I confess I am often inclined to leave the planting and the harvesting to others. I want that to change – maybe you can relate.

1. If I am to be a witness to Jesus, I need to be in touch with my own story –what He has done for me and why someone else would want to know Him. Pray for the Lord to return to you the joy of your salvation, to remind you of when you first met Him and how He has made a difference in your life. Pray that He would help you to put that into words so you can communicate it clearly to those who don’t know him.

1. Pray about your willingness to share the gospel with people you come in contact with daily. Confess any reluctance and fear and ask God to give you courage and a willing heart. Commit to letting Him use you to reach people in your circles of influence.

1. Sometimes those closest to us are the most difficult to share with, often because of broken relationships. Pray about any relationship in your life that needs mending. If the Lord reveals one to you, pray how you can be reconciled. Ask Him to make you a channel of His love to that person.

1. Are there unsaved people in your life? If you can’t identify any, pray that God would guide you in ways to spend time and build relationships with those who do not know Christ. He already knows where He wants to use you; pray that you will be responsive to His leading.

1. Pray for someone in your life who does not know Jesus. Pray that God would cause him to hunger and thirst for more in his life and recognize the need for a savior. Ask God to prepare him to receive the Good News and reveal to you a time and a way to share a witness. Pray you can show God’s love to him.

1. As a church, we should be known as the people who love. God’s love in us should propel us to identify and meet tangible needs in our community. Pray that each of us will have our eyes opened to see beyond our own needs and to be a witness through our actions as well as our words.

1. Pray for our leadership, that God would give them a clear vision for Calvary Church in our community. Ask Him to lead us, through them, to move beyond ourselves into greater witness “in Jerusalem.”

In Christ,
Linda Robins, Guest Blogger
Calvary Community Church of Brea