Taking Steps to Witness: Building Intimacy with God

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Incremental Spiritual Growth

The "take a step" initiative is a reminder that spiritual growth is a journey, not a destination. Each week, believers are encouraged to focus on one step towards being a witness for God. This initiative is not just about Sunday discussions, but about equipping believers to live out their faith throughout the week. [1:15]

Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Reflection: What is one step you can take this week to be a better witness for God in your daily life?

Day 2: Cultivating Intimacy with God

Developing intimacy with God is the foundation for everything that follows in our spiritual journey. This intimacy is crucial when it comes to evangelism and sharing the gospel, as it provides the strength and courage to overcome pressures and expectations. [5:30]

Psalm 63:1 - "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper intimacy with God this week? What practices or habits can you implement to draw closer to Him?

Day 3: Journeying Together in Faith

The Christian journey is not meant to be walked alone. Sharing stories of successes and failures is encouraged, as they are all part of the journey of obedience to God. [10:45]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."

Reflection: Who are the people in your life with whom you can share your spiritual journey? How can you encourage each other in your walk with God?

Day 4: Embracing Our Role as Disciples

As believers, we are called to be disciples who bring the good news of Jesus to the world. Engaging in evangelism activities can help develop stronger disciples and overcome the fear of man. [15:20]

Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Reflection: What opportunities do you have this week to share the gospel? How can you overcome any fears or hesitations you might have about evangelism?

Day 5: Prioritizing Relationship Over Action

Our relationship with God is more important than our actions for God. God initiates and desires intimacy with us, and we are called to draw close to Him. This relationship is not based on what we can do for Him, but on His love for us. [20:50]

Jeremiah 9:23-24 - "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."

Reflection: How can you prioritize your relationship with God over your actions for Him this week? What does it look like to draw close to Him in your daily life?
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Sermon Summary

The sermon begins with the introduction of a new approach to small group notes for the term, the "take a step" initiative. This initiative is inspired by the idea of training to run a 5K race, where there are specific steps to take in order to achieve the goal. Similarly, each week, the small groups will focus on one step towards being a witness for God. The pastor emphasizes that the goal of this initiative is not just to have an interesting discussion on Sundays, but to be encouraged and equipped to live out their faith throughout the week.

The pastor then introduces himself as one of the elders of the church and announces the launch of a new preaching series called "Everyone a Witness." He provides a quick recap of last week's sermon, emphasizing the importance of developing intimacy with God as the foundation for everything that follows. The pastor acknowledges that when it comes to evangelism and sharing the gospel, there can be pressure and expectations, but he assures the congregation that they will address those concerns in the upcoming sermons.

The pastor emphasizes the importance of journeying together as a community of believers. He encourages the congregation to share their stories, both their successes and failures, as they are all part of the journey of obedience to God. He also emphasizes the importance of believers continuing the work of Christ by sharing the message of Jesus with others. The pastor highlights that this is not just the responsibility of the 11 disciples, but also of the 72 followers of Jesus. The message is clear: go and be witnesses, just as Jesus modeled throughout his ministry.

The pastor emphasizes the importance of being a witness and a worker in the kingdom of God. He encourages the congregation to see themselves as disciples who are called to bring the good news of Jesus to the world. The pastor acknowledges that evangelism can be intimidating, recalling their own fear of street evangelism. However, they highlight that engaging in such activities can help develop stronger disciples and overcome the fear of man. The pastor urges the congregation to be open to opportunities for sharing the gospel, whether in unconventional or everyday settings like workplaces and universities.

The pastor concludes by emphasizing the importance of our relationship with God over our actions for God. He highlights the misconception that many of us have, thinking that God is interested in us solely because of what we can do for Him. The pastor explains that this mindset creates an unhealthy relationship, similar to a friendship based solely on what one person can do for the other. Eventually, we will let God down or fail to meet His expectations, and our friendship with Him will be built on a shaky foundation. The pastor reminds the congregation that God does not view us in this way. He initiates and desires intimacy with us, and we are called to draw close to Him.

Key Takeaways

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Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV) — > Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2. Acts 1:8 (ESV)
> But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

3. Luke 10:1-3 (ESV)
> After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

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Observation Questions

What specific command does Jesus give to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20?
According to Acts 1:8, what will the disciples receive, and what will they become as a result?
In Luke 10:2, what does Jesus say about the harvest and the laborers? What does He instruct His followers to do in response?
How does the pastor describe the relationship between intimacy with God and evangelism? [01:26]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus emphasize His authority before giving the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20? How does this authority impact the disciples' mission?
How does the promise of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8 empower believers to be witnesses? What does this suggest about the source of their strength and courage?
In Luke 10:1-3, Jesus sends out the seventy-two with specific instructions. What might be the significance of sending them out "as lambs in the midst of wolves"? How does this shape our understanding of the challenges of evangelism?
The pastor mentions that evangelism can be intimidating and recalls his own fear of street evangelism. How does he suggest overcoming this fear? [23:32]

Application Questions

Reflect on your current relationship with God. How can you deepen your intimacy with Him this week to better prepare yourself for evangelism? [01:26]
The pastor encourages sharing stories of both successes and failures in evangelism. Can you think of a recent experience where you shared your faith? What did you learn from it, and how can you apply that lesson moving forward? [10:45]
Identify one person in your life who does not know Jesus. What is one specific step you can take this week to share the gospel with them, whether through words or actions? [15:20]
The pastor emphasizes the importance of being a peacebringer. How can you bring peace into your workplace, school, or community this week? What specific actions can you take? [32:28]
Consider the idea that God desires intimacy with us over our actions for Him. How does this change your perspective on your daily walk with God? What practical steps can you take to prioritize your relationship with Him? [02:01]
The pastor mentions the "take a step" initiative. What is one small, practical step you can take this week to be a witness for God? How will you hold yourself accountable to this step? [26:23]
Reflect on the pastor's story about overcoming the fear of man through street evangelism. What fears do you have about sharing your faith, and how can you confront and overcome them? [23:32]

Sermon Clips

1. "Friends, this is the normal Christian Life intimacy and Mission intimacy and witness intimacy and evangelism friends this is the normal Christian life." [17:42]

2. "Rather than being like I want to run I'm going to be Forest Gump and leave my house and just run now for the next however many years there's kind of steps you have to take to be able to run 5k you need to train yourself they're basically the same with witness." [26:28]

3. "Who we are is more important than what we do and so our being with God is more important than our doing for God... if you've got a friendship with anyone and that friendship is purely based on what you can do for that person, that's going to become an unhealthy relationship at some point." [02:09]

4. "We are loved... God initiated this intimacy... Jesus says in Matthew 28 as we'll look at in the moment listen I will be with you or I Am With You Always to the end of the age... he's initiated this but also he's invited us to know him to draw close to him." [02:38]

5. "We are those that bring peace...one of the ways that we're called to be witness is by being a peacebringer. I think Christians on the internet have done one of the worst demonstrations of what it means to be a witness and a Christian." [32:27]

6. "The idea of witnessing should be relational. We shouldn't be seeing those that don't know Christ as a project that we can solve and fix. We should be seeing them as precious image bearers of God that we have a responsibility to love and love in the biblical sense." [36:26]

7. "We're not inviting people to church, we're inviting people to encounter Jesus." [24:57]

8. "Jesus is saying the need is massive what do you do get to work now stop sitting down get out of here go go go like jumping out of an airplane... he says pray to the Lord of the Harvest that he would send workers... the Harvest is plentiful... but listen he says pray to the Lord of the Harvest... there is nothing that happens in this world that will shake him that will result in him feeling powerless or unable to change our God is greater than everything we see in this world." [21:05]

9. "To know Christ, to be in Christ, to enjoy intimacy with Christ means you will be empowered to go. And part of your going, a core part of our going, is to tell others about Him. You can't escape it." ([15:18])

10. "Our very core, we Are Witnesses... God knows how he's made you and so he's not going to expect you to be something that you're not." [07:36]

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