Daily in the Word

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

John 17:1-4

In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.-Howard Hendricks

If we are to establish godly families, we must be bold in our witness for Christ. Preacher J. Wilbur Chapman makes the point that if we truly have a burden for the lost, we will do all we can to tell others of Christ's love for them.

"If today is the day of salvation, if tomorrow may never come and if life is equally uncertain, how can we eat, drink and be merry when those who live with us, work with us, walk with us and love us are unprepared for eternity because they are unprepared for time?

If Jesus called His disciples to be fishers of men, who gave us the right to be satisfied with making fishing tackle or pointing the way to the fishing banks instead of going ourselves to cast out the net until it be filled?

If Jesus Himself went seeking the lost, if Paul the Apostle was in agony because his kinsmen, according to the flesh, knew not Christ, why should we not consider it worthwhile to go out after the lost until they are found?

If I am to stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ to render an account for the deeds done in the Body, what shall I say to him if my children are missing, if my friends are not saved or if my employer or employee should miss the way because I have been faithless?

If I wish to be approved at the last, then let me remember that no intellectual superiority, no eloquence in preaching, no absorption in business, no shrinking temperament or no spirit of timidity can take the place of or be an excuse for my not making an honest, sincere, prayerful effort to win others to Christ."-J. Wilbur Chapman

How bold is your witness? Many Christians will go to church, serve God, and obey His commands as long as they don't have to tell others of Jesus. Speaking to strangers of Christ and His death on Calvary is too "extreme" for some people.

But notice Jesus' words in John 17:6, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." At the end of His earthly life, Jesus was able to stand before His Father and say that He had completed the work God had for Him and had proclaimed the name of the Lord to the world.

One day you'll stand before God and give account for the opportunities you had to tell others of Him. What will you be able to say? While that day is coming, if you are a parent, the time is here that you must stand before your children and answer for your boldness in witnessing. Your children are watching you, picking up your habits, learning your priorities, and following your lead. Are you showing them boldness by telling others of God's free gift of salvation?

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 137-139 | 1 Corinthians 13