Bible Questions Answered:
“I've tried to witnessing to my
friend, and nothing. I have said John 3:16 and Revelation 3:20, and
she does not respond. There is no victory in this so what then?...”
Lee Ann/ Taipei City, Taiwan
Bible Answer:
Our Savior gave three reasons, why
many remain spiritually lifeless.
Matthew 13:3-9 ,18-23KJV
3 And He spake many things unto them
in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell
by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where
they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they
had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were
scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and
the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty fold, some
thirty fold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him
hear.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of
the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of
the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one,
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which
received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed
into stony places, the same is he that heareth The Word, and anon
with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself,
but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of The Word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among
the thorns is he that heareth The Word; and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh
unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into
the good ground is he that heareth The Word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty.
(First-The Way Side.)
Matthew 13:4,19 KJV
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell
by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
19 When any one heareth the
word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his
heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mark 4:15 KJV
And these are they by the way side,
where The Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh
immediately, and taketh away The Word that was sown in their hearts.
Luke 8:12 KJV
Those by the way side are they
that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away The Word out of
their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
(Second-Stony Places.)
Matthew 13:5,6,20,21 KJV
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were
scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
20 But he that received the seed
into stony places, the same is he that heareth The Word, and
anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in
himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of The Word, by and by he is offended.
Mark 4:16,17 KJV
16 And these are they likewise which
are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard The Word,
immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in
themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction
or persecution ariseth for The Word's sake, immediately they are
offended.
Luke 8:13 KJV
They on the rock are they, which,
when they hear, receive The Word with joy; and these have no
root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
(Third-The Thorns.)
Matthew 13:7,22 KJV
7 And some fell among thorns; and
the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
22 He also that received seed among
the thorns is he that heareth The Word; and the care of this
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he
becometh unfruitful.
Mark 4:18,19 KJV
18 And these are they which are sown
among thorns; such as hear The Word,
19 And the cares of this
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things
entering in, choke The Word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Luke 8:14 KJV
And that which
fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go
forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this
life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
OK, to recap what our Lord has said in the gospels we see...
Many Are
Spiritually Lifeless Because They:
1) Lack understanding of The Word.
2) Receive The Word, with joy, but when Problems, afflictions
or persecution comes because of God's Word, they fall away.
3) They hear The Word, but the cares of this world, such as
the decitfulness of riches, or the pleasures of life, choke out The
Word.
Often, individuals introduced to The Lord, fall away because of these
3 reasons.
1) It is our responsibility as Christians, not only to
give The Word, but to carefully, lovingly “explain,” The Word,
otherwise, of what use is it to them?
Luke 24:45 KJV
Then opened He
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
2) It is our responsibility as Christians, to again,
explain that being a Christian is like being in the army, for we are
in the army of righteousness for our Lord! In the army, one learns
one must be prepared to expect and endure afflictions and ,
persecution.
II Timothy 2:3 KJV (See also Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV)
Thou therefore
endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
3) It is our responsibility as Christians, to explain
that the Christian life is one of self-sacrifice, and Cross bearing.
Matthew 16:24
KJV
Then said Jesus
unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Now concerning “victory,” in witnessing to the lost:
First of all:
Witnessing is the charge of God's people:
The Lord warned the Prophet Ezekiel...
Ezekiel 3:16-21 NLT (Instruction For God's Watchmen.)
16 After seven
days The Lord gave me a message. He said,
17 “Son of
man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you
receive a message from Me, warn people immediately.
18 If I warn
the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you
fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will
hold you responsible for their deaths.
19 If you warn
them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in
their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed Me.
20 “If
righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore
the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not
warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts
will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.
21 But if you
warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not
sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”
Secondly:
Witnessing leads to life:
Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV (Solomon)
Cast thy bread
upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
This verse not only speaks of benevolence, but the timely art of
planting rice, wherein the seed is literally thrown upon the water,
and after many days the plant grows and rice is harvested.
True in Christian witnessing, we give forth The Word, but the
miraculous spiritual act of germination and growth, are God's work.
The Apostle
Paul.
I Corinthians
3:6-9 KJV
6 I have
planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but
God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that
planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive
his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are
laborers together with God..."
One witness may plant the seed, but another may water it, and still a
different one may harvest the planting.
We may give forth The Word of salvation, but not always will we see
results. Yet another may come and water that seed, (speaking
figuratively), and not till then will the plant take root, grow and
one day be harvested for the kingdom of God.
And before we give that seed (God's Word) and after having given it,
we must be a people of faith and prayer!
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
But without
faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him.
Thankfully, if faithful, we will see much seed fall into the good
ground, and bring honor and glory to God.
(The Good Ground)
Matthew 13;8,21 KJV
8 But other
fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold,
some sixty fold, some thirty fold.
23 But he that
received seed into the good ground is he that heareth The Word,
and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Mark 4:8, KJV
8 And other
fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and
increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some
an hundred.
20 And
these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear The Word,
and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty,
and some an hundred.
Luke 8:8,15 KJV
8 And other
fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.
And when He had said these things, He cried, He that hath ears to
hear, let him hear.
15 But
that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart,
having heard The Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
