Being A Gospel Witness

“And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” (Mark 5:18-20)

Just previous to being received into heaven, our risen Lord left us with these words; “ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). Paul when writing to the saints at Corinth reminded them that we have been given the ministry and the message of reconciliation (see II Corinthians 5:18-19). It is apparent that the Saviour and the Scriptures emphasizes the personal responsibility of being a gospel witness. Books have been written on the subject, seminars and conferences have been dedicated to the art of witnessing; yet it appears to remain elusive and complicated. Human nature has the ability to do that to even the simplest things!

Having done an eternal work in the life of a man “Who had his dwelling among the tombs” (vs. 3), “crying, and cutting himself with stones” (vs. 5) and “that was possessed with the devil” (vs. 15); our Lord sent him forth to be a gospel witness; “go . . . and tell.” When desiring to remain in the company of Jesus, the text says; “Jesus suffered him not.” The word “suffered” means to lay aside, to send forth or let go; the Lord would not permit him to stay, but gave him leave to go forth! Jesus then declared and defined in one sentence the means and method of being a gospel witness.

Go Home to Thy Friends

Jesus began by telling him where to start, “Go home to thy friends.” Notice that Jesus emphasized the place, “home” and the people, “thy friends”; both bear the thoughts of familiarity. It is at this point that many find difficulty. Because it is familiar, it may be less than favorable! In many cases, we find it easier to witness to a total stranger in a foreign place, than to share the gospel with a parent, spouse, childhood friend or neighbor; yet it seems as if God assigns personal responsibility to those closest to us. Jesus said “go . . . to thy friends”; the emphasis of the Greek word “friends” is the idea of “thine.” Go to those that are thine; those that are yours.

If God would hold a man accountable for the physical wellbeing of family; “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (I Timothy 5:8), would he be any less accountable with respect to their spiritual wellbeing? Andrew must have felt the weight of that responsibility for after coming face to face with Jesus, his response was; “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41).

Previous to His departure, Jesus emphasized beginning with the familiar before going afar; “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). When it comes to being a gospel witness, we now know the place to start.

Go…and Tell

Depart

Secondly, Jesus told him what to do, “Go . . . and tell.” Once again Jesus’ instructions are two-fold; depart, “go” and declare, “tell.” The instructions of his Lord are clear and simple; they need not be studies or analyzed to be carried out. While the place to begin is marked by familiarity, what to do is energized by urgency and utterance! It is urgent because of the brevity of time; both for the servant and the sinner.

Our Lord personally emphasized the brevity of time when He said to Mary, “wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49) and to His disciples, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). In an effort to stress the importance of urgency, Jesus said, “I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

Declare

It is not only time to depart, but time to declare, “tell”; here there is an emphasis upon the utterance. They must hear; “So then faith cometh by hearing” (Romans 10:17). Knowledgeable of this spiritual truth, Paul wrote, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher” (Romans 10:13-14).

Heaven not only knows this truth, but so do those in Hell. Listen to the plea of the rich man in hell; “I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27-28). While they may not get saved when we tell them, they can’t get saved if you don’t “tell them!”

God’s Greatness and Grace

Lastly, Jesus told him what to say, “how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” Once again Jesus’ instructions are two-fold; tell of God’s greatness, “how great things the Lord hath done” and God’s grace, “and hath had compassion on thee.” With respect to declaring God’s greatness, notice that the emphasis is personal, “hath done for thee.” There has been a change; from the graveyard to glory, from demon possessed to divinely possessed, from tormented to tamed, and from hell to heaven; only God could do such things and He is worth talking about!

Having described the sinner’s mending, he declares the Saviour’s motivation; “hath had compassion.” The word “compassion” means to be compassionate by word or deed; especially by divine grace so as to show mercy on. All that was accomplish in the life of this man was a work of grace; “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Ye Shall Be Witnesses

Not permitting him to stay, Jesus gave this man leave to go forth and become what He has saved him to become; “ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). Then, in a single sentence, Jesus declares and defines the means and method of being that gospel witness! All that is required is to start where He tells you, “Go home to thy friends”, do what He tells you, “Go . . . and tell” and say what He tells you, “how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” Let’s not make it complicated, but rather follow this man’s example; “And he departed, and began.” The difficulty is not in the performance of the task, but in putting it into practice!

About Bob Sanders

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