You Will Bear Witness About Jesus – John 15:26-27

John 15 is known for its teachings on abiding in Christ and bearing fruit. But toward the end of the chapter, Jesus reveals something foundational to the Great Commission. From the very beginning, the Great Commission was always in His mind, and He asks the question to all of us: “Are you bearing witness about me?”. Today, Christians are surrounded by a hostile world. Jesus warned, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Christians are mainly focused on defense, being steadfast in faith. However, the best defense is offense. Believers must not hide or be merely defensive; they must offensively deal with the world by sharing the gospel. To empower the church under this assault, Jesus provides a supernatural foundation.

Testifying about Jesus is not based on human wisdom, passion, or ability. It is the supernatural act of the Triune God preparing the path for every believer. Jesus promises, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me” (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit is the Advocate, the Paracletos, one called alongside to assist, defend, and give favorable testimony in court. He is “the other Jesus,” meaning He functionally and perfectly replaces Christ’s physical presence on earth.

Because of this divine design, the church was born to be a sharing church. This is why Peter immediately spoke to the crowds after the Holy Spirit came upon him. The Spirit is the Advocate sent by Jesus to proclaim Him to the world. If a church loses this focus, it ceases to be the church Jesus built. Just as Jesus sent out His disciples with absolute purpose, He sends the Spirit with intentionality so that the church lacks nothing in fulfilling its mission to proclaim the kingdom.

The Holy Spirit comes “from the Father,” which guarantees His witness is authentic and genuine. The Father is the source of divinity. The Father is real and nothing but true. There are no hidden flaws in what comes from the Father. We can trust the Spirit because the Spirit is of the Father.

Furthermore, the Spirit is the “Spirit of truth”. He never contradicts God’s Word but exclusively reveals and confirms the truth of Christ. This guarantees the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture, ensuring the Bible cannot fail and contains no errors. The Spirit also provides spiritual illumination—enabling believers to grasp the truth, producing stronger faith, and bringing the conviction of sin. His complete and proactive work is to continually center on revealing Jesus Christ to the world.

Because the Holy Spirit supernaturally prepares the testimony, believers can have absolute confidence in witnessing. We are merely His mouthpiece. There is no need to depend on clever arguments, because the Spirit of truth handles the conviction.

This truth removes the fear of death. History is filled with believers who stood bold, like the martyr Attalus of Pergamum in AD 177. Brought before the roaring crowds, he was bound to a metal chair over red-hot burning coals. Amidst the flames and the smell of burning flesh, he refused to deny Christ, choosing death over forsaking his Lord. He could endure this because the Holy Spirit supernaturally sustained his witness.

Therefore, bearing witness is a profound honor and privilege. Jesus reminds His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). Believers are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to accomplish these prepared works (Ephesians 2:10).

Jesus commands, “And you will bear witness also, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27). There is an inseparable connection between the Holy Spirit’s witness and the believer’s witness. While the early apostles had a first-hand physical experience with Jesus, there is no difference for believers today who have a second-hand experience. The Apostle Paul never saw the earthly Jesus, but driven by faith in the resurrection and the grace of God, he outperformed many (1 Corinthians 15:10, Galatians 2:20).

The leading factor for effective witnessing is an ongoing, current relationship with Jesus. “Because you have been with me” implies profound intimacy and abiding. Without this personal relationship, a testimony lacks spiritual power. To cultivate this knowledge of Christ, believers must:

Abide in prayer: Hudson Taylor said, “When we work, we work, but when we pray, God works”.
Devote to Scripture: Read, study, and find at least one truth to obey every single day.
Rely on the Holy Spirit: Walk by the Spirit, asking Him daily to guide your life and illuminate the Word.
Engage in Biblical Fellowship: True fellowship is more than donuts and coffee; it is sharing our daily obedient lives that are aligned with the Word, partnering together for the gospel.
Experience Christ through obedience: Apply the Word of God to real-life situations and problems.

Conclusion

Every believer is called to be a witness to Jesus Christ. This is the first and foremost work of the Christian life and requires strict self-discipline, just as the Apostle Paul felt compelled to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). The message is urgent, for the gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. Believers must not hesitate or make excuses, for the Lord is with us, fully supporting the mission He designed. The Spirit bears witness, and the true, biblical church must bear witness also.

March 15, 2026 0

BCC Vision 2026, Part 2 – Selected Scriptures

Having a clear vision as Christ’s church is essential. For Bible Community Church, this vision guides members to live out the church’s core commitments, which are rooted in Scripture and intended to bear fruit. In last week’s message, Pastor Paul addressed the first two visions: to be mighty in the Word and mighty in worship. In this week’s message, the remaining visions are covered: to be mighty in prayer and mighty in evangelism.

Mighty in Prayer

Prayer is a means of grace given by our Heavenly Father and reflects a genuine relationship with Him who lovingly calls us His children. Prayer is not primarily about gaining something from God, but about communion between God and the believer. The Father has bestowed upon us a great love and calls us His children (1 Jn. 3:1). Therefore, our first response in every circumstance must be prayer—coming before our Father in dependence, as enabled by the Spirit. To be mighty in prayer is to be a man of prayer.

E.M. Bounds and George Müller, who were praying men, have defined prayer as follows.

“Prayer is the believer’s intense, persistent, dependent, and Spirit-empowered communion with God, through Christ, seeking God’s will and power for life and ministry” (E.M. Bounds).
“Prayer is the believer’s simple, earnest, and faith-filled communication with God—asking, trusting, and depending on Him for every need, while seeking His will above all” (George Müller).

Prayer is the normal posture of a believer’s relationship with God. The Christian understands that apart from the Lord, they can do nothing. As faith increases, prayer deepens. Our intimacy with the Father grows as our reverence for Him and recognition of who He is increase. The health of our relationship with God is revealed by whether we are characterized as men of prayer.

Prayer is commanded by the Lord. It is as vital as breathing. When we cease to pray, we spiritually collapse. Prayerlessness is a rejection of God’s authority and a reliance on self or something other than Him.
“The worst sin is prayerlessness. Overt sin, or crime, or the glaring inconsistencies which often surprise us in Christian people, are the effect of this, or its punishment. We are left by God for lack of seeking Him” (P.T. Forsyth).

Prayer is the hallmark of dependence on God and a channel of His grace. The Father graciously grants His children direct access to Him. Prayer does not earn grace; it receives grace. Life on this side of glory is often difficult, yet our gracious God has provided prayer as a sustaining means of grace.

To examine whether we are men of prayer, we can ask ourselves these questions:

Do we pray daily, voluntarily, and privately?
Do we intercede for others?
Do we pray in all circumstances, according to God’s will, when the Spirit prompts us, and even when we do not feel like praying?

Mighty in Evangelism

Evangelism is the proclamation of the gospel so that sinners would repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelism is the seed, prayer is the root, and discipleship is the fruit. A sinner cannot come to Christ apart from hearing the gospel through evangelism. “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).

Evangelism is possible because of our identity in Christ Jesus. God calls us to Himself as Christians and then calls us to call others to follow Christ as His disciples. A common misconception among believers is that evangelism is reserved for pastors, missionaries, or church leaders. This could not be further from the truth. All Christians are qualified and called to evangelize and must always be ready to give an answer (1 Pet. 3:15). The distinction is not between trained and untrained, but between qualified and disqualified. The disqualified are unbelievers and believers living in deliberate sin. Since our new identity in Christ is a gift of grace, our primary purpose is to proclaim who Jesus Christ is and that He alone is the way of salvation.

God commands all Christians to evangelize. This is one of the clearest commands in Scripture. In the Great Commission, Jesus—who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth—commands us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18–19).

The Christian life is simple:

Do all things for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31)
Winning the souls of sinners to Christ (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8)

The goal of the Christian life is to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. We come to know Christ by reading the Word and living as He lived. Everything Jesus did in His earthly ministry was for the redemption of sinners.

We must examine our own hearts to determine whether we are merely theoretical Christians or men of action who live in genuine obedience to the Lord. The Apostle Paul bore on his body the marks of Christ (Gal. 6:17) and declared that he had the mind of Christ, having been shaped by the cross. Are we content to be armchair Christians or theologians only in theory? May it never be so.

The health of a local church is determined by its members’ passion for sharing the gospel of Christ. When a church lacks a heart for evangelism, it becomes ingrown. Growth without outward expression leads only to internal pain. Paul warns of this in 2 Timothy 3:7: “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Evangelism is ultimately a matter of the heart and sanctification. When we possess a heart for evangelism, God opens doors of opportunity.

Our readiness for evangelism begins with prayer. We must pray for the salvation of sinners and ask the Lord to awaken their hearts to repentance and faith.

Mighty in Discipleship

Discipleship is the fruit of evangelism. Christians plant the seed through evangelism and wait upon God to bring forth fruit through prayer and faithful labor. It is important to distinguish between a Christian and a disciple. Christians receive a new identity in Christ at conversion. Disciples enter through the narrow gate, following Jesus and living as He lived. Genuine salvation naturally bears the fruit of discipleship. Being a disciple is the expected stage of growth for every believer and involves far more than merely knowing or believing facts.

Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23).

If Bible Community Church is filled with genuine Christian disciples, then disciple-making will naturally follow. Biblical discipleship is not a program but a way of life cultivated by the Holy Spirit. To be a disciple is to live under Christ in a lifelong process of learning from Him, bearing His fruit, and making other disciples.

Below are four marks of a true disciple:

Seriously considers their identity and calling as one chosen by Christ
Abides in Jesus by abiding in the Word of God, with prayer central to that abiding
Values faithfulness over quick results
Does not fear failure

We do not make disciples by being perfect, but by walking daily with Christ and being sanctified through that walk. A church that emphasizes evangelism without discipleship is ultimately dead.

As members of Bible Community Church, we must continually remind ourselves of the church’s vision: to be mighty in the Word, worship, prayer, and evangelism (discipleship). As we grow closer to the Lord and mature in Him, we will be able to fulfill the vision and purpose God has given us as a church. Let us labor together faithfully and seek to build Christ’s church for His glory alone.

January 25, 2026 0

Back to Basics: Evangelism – Romans 10:14-16

Every Christian is called to evangelize, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples. Evangelism is not just for church leaders but for every believer, as part of God’s sovereign plan. The local church exists within its community to reach those who may come to faith. As ambassadors of Christ, evangelism should be a central priority in a believer’s life, rather than an optional practice.

Proclaiming the gospel is a privilege and an act of love toward both God and others. Since the gospel has eternal significance, sharing it glorifies God and demonstrates obedience to His will. Loving our neighbors includes telling them about the good news of Jesus Christ, as this has the most lasting impact on their lives. Evangelism is the greatest expression of love because it offers people the hope of salvation.

The Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of evangelism by posing rhetorical questions that highlight the dire consequences of its absence. The spread of the gospel through evangelists and missionaries has left an undeniable impact across the world. Paul’s message suggests that evangelism is not a part-time endeavor but an integral aspect of a Christian’s daily life. Believers are continually called to share God’s love with those around them.

However, many Christians hesitate to evangelize for various reasons. Some leave it to pastors and church leaders, assuming that only those in ministry are responsible for spreading the gospel. Others feel inadequate, believing they lack the necessary skills or gifts. Yet, evangelism is not about talent but obedience. The Holy Spirit equips all believers to share their faith, and prayerful practice strengthens their ability to evangelize effectively.

New believers may feel unqualified due to limited biblical knowledge. However, evangelism is more about one’s relationship with Christ than intellectual mastery. Spiritual growth deepens passion for God and fuels the desire to share the gospel. Without a strong relationship with the Lord, evangelistic efforts may feel forced or lack conviction. Ray Comfort, who is known for his evangelism outreach ministry, candidly admitted his reluctance toward evangelism, yet he recognizes it as a biblical obligation.

Sharing the gospel is a divine mission given exclusively to Christians. Just as God chose Israel to represent Him among the nations, He has now entrusted believers with spreading His message. Jesus sends His followers into the world with this singular purpose: to proclaim the gospel. Evangelism is not just an act of obedience but a fulfillment of God’s plan for redemption (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Paul also references the Old Testament, where God describes the feet of those who bring the gospel as beautiful. This imagery conveys that the message of salvation is the most valuable gift for those in need. Just as Peter healed the lame man at the temple gate called Beautiful, evangelism provides people with what they truly need—spiritual restoration through Christ (Acts 3:2, 6-8).

Despite the command to evangelize, it is often met with resistance. The world opposes Christ, and believers may face rejection or persecution. Many prioritize physical needs over spiritual ones, failing to recognize their need for salvation. However, the Christian’s role is to faithfully share the message and leave the results to God. Evangelism must be accompanied by prayer, as the Holy Spirit works through those who depend on Him. Ultimately, the goal being discipleship—helping new believers grow in their faith through God’s Word, worship, prayer, and evangelism.

January 26, 2025 0