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Margie found Debra sitting with her cup of coffee in the break room, oblivious to everything around her. “A penny for your thoughts?” she said. “Oh hi, Margie, I didn’t see you come in,” Debra replied, almost brooding. “Okay, spill. What is it?” Margie said, as she poured her coffee. “Oh, I don’t know. We have been learning about witnessing in Sunday school and I’m just not sure I can do that. I mean praying for people is one thing but just the thought of telling someone about God and church and stuff scares me to death.” “One thing I can tell you right off hand is that God does not expect you to be a ministry leader or Bible scholar to witness. Tell me, what does a witness do when they take the stand in a court of law?” “They tell what they know or what they saw.” “Exactly. Let’s say they were witness to a car accident. The person just tells about the accident and what they saw from their vantage point. Different witnesses would describe the wreck differently but it would be the same accident. Now do you think they would ask them to describe how a car engine works or how roads are paved or what is the latest agenda in the legislative concerning state troopers?” “No. I see what you mean. So I just tell people what God did for me and what I’ve learned about Him.” “Yes, that’s all. But we can pray for boldness. Let me show you here in the Word.” Margie opened her Message Bible and turned to Acts 4. “As soon as Peter and John were let go, they went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders had said. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer: Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your servant and our father, David: Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth’s leaders push for position, potentates meet for summit talks, the God-defiers, the Messiah-defiers! For in fact they did meet—Herod and Pontius Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself!—met in this very city to plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, to carry out the plans you long ago set in motion. And now they’re at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus. While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence.” “Even though Peter and John had earlier stood up to those that didn’t want them to speak about Jesus, they still felt a need to pray for even more boldness for their witnessing,” Margie said. “So we all can look at their prayer and pray the same thing for ourselves.” “So we need to pray for boldness no matter how long we have been Christians, right.” “Yes, if you look at the prayer, you’ll see that they praised and worshiped God and told God that people were threatening them. They were honest about what was going on and went on to ask for boldness and for God to work mightily through them. They needed to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit to do what God called them to do, just like we do today.” “So I need to ask God to fill me to overflowing with His Holy Spirit?” “Yes, we all need all of God we can get to live in this world today...”
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