Class Notes: 8/2/2015

Mark 16:20; The doctrine of witnessing part 1

Last time we concluded our verse by verse of Mark with the second ending in Mark 16:20;

We saw that the only mission that Jesus gave to the church before He ascended into heaven was to witness to the entire world by spreading the good news or "Gospel" about Jesus Christ so we will take up a quick review of the doctrine of witnessing.

Witnessing is the communication of the Gospel to the unbeliever on a personal basis aka personal evangelism.

Witnessing is the responsibility of every believer in the church. It functions on a person-to-person basis separately from mass evangelism, church evangelism, or the preaching of a believer who has the spiritual gift of evangelism.

Witnessing is the communication of the Gospel that is God's Word that is directed specifically to the unbeliever for the purpose of salvation. God's word is empowered by God the Holy Spirit. 1Thes 1:4,5.

The Gospel is communicated not only through speech 2 Cor. 5:14-21; 2Cor 6:2; but also by how the believer conducts their life in the devil's world. 2Cor 3:3; 2Cor 6:3;

The unbeliever has no human spirit and therefore lacks the necessary frame of reference to understand the Gospel 1Cor 2:14; so God the Holy Spirit takes the believers witness in whatever way it is presented and enables the unbeliever to understand it. John 16:8-11;

The weapon of witnessing is the pertinent information that is contained in Bible Doctrine.
The Gospel is the power of God to salvation Rom 1:16; 1Cor 1:18;
The Bible is the absolute standard for truth 2Pet 1:19-21;
The Bible is the source of the Gospel Luke 16:28-31; 1Cor 15:3-4;
The Bible is the mind or thinking of Christ 1Cor 2:16;
The Bible is divine power Heb 4:12;
The Bible never returns empty. Isa 55:11;
The Bible endures forever. Luke 21:33; 1Pet 1:25;

Witnessing is the responsibility of every member of the Church. Acts 1:8; Eph 6:15, 20; 2Tim 4:5;

In order to be effective in witnessing the believer must understand how God through Jesus Christ work on the cross made it possible for mankind to be saved.

This would include knowledge of the Person and saving work of Christ including redemption or our ransom from the slave market of sin.

The principle of redemption is found in John 8:31-36; where the Jews claimed that they were free on the basis of their heritage as Abraham's descendants.

Jesus could have pointed out to them that they were slaves to the Roman Empire, or that they were slaves to their religious customs; but instead He chose to point out to them that they were born slaves because they were born with an old sin nature.

We are born into slavery because we are born with an old sin nature and as a result we are slaves to sin. We come into the world as spiritually dead sinners because of procreation. Rom 5:12;

There are three categories of people in the human race: Immoral: Rom 1:18-32; Moral: Romans 2:1-16; Isaiah 64:6; and Religious: Romans 2:17-29; Rom 4:4.

All in every category have sinned, and come short of God's standard of absolute righteousness: Rom 3:23;

All are born in the slave market of sin: John 8:34,35, " ... whosoever commits sin is the servant (slave) of sin"; Gal 3:21, The law cannot free anyone from the slave market of sin the law can only condemn the sinner to spiritual death and imprison them in the slave market of sin. Gal 3:22;

The only way to get out of this prison is for a free person, someone who is on the outside as a free person to free us by purchasing our freedom.

Jesus Christ was the only person who was born free because of He was born of a virgin. Jesus therefore is the only one who was qualified to purchase our freedom from this slavery and imprisonment.

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