What is one of the greatest compliments that a Christian can ever receive? Well, it’s when someone turns to you and says: “My!—what beautiful feet you have!” Has anyone said that to you lately? If not, then maybe you need to tighten up your Christian faith a bit because all of us need to be hearing that compliment come our way. “Why?”—you ask. Well, it’s a great compliment if the person is talking about your sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. You see, it’s your feet that move you from place to place, and from person to person, so that your mouth can spread the Gospel message. And if you will allow that to happen, your feet will be beautiful indeed. The Apostle Paul tells us why this is so important. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes: 14 “How can they [referring to those unfamiliar with our Savior, Jesus Christ] call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone [like you] tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?” Then Paul continued by quoting Isaiah—who happened to be a prophet quite familiar with what beautiful feet look like. Paul goes on to say: “That is why the Scriptures say, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF MESSENGERS WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!’” Romans 10:14-15 (NLT2) Your feet may not make it in a beauty contest, but they will be heavenly feet if you use them to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. This morning, let’s spend some time covering some of the finer points of witnessing to others.
Point No. 1: What’s the best form of witnessing these days? Is it to have a good church website or Facebook page or other social media outlets? Is it to use mass mailings and glossy advertising pamphlets? Or, maybe we need to pay for a radio or TV ad—Hey, I’d love to do a commercial! All those things can help with witnessing, but they are not the best thing by a long shot. I realized the best form of witnessing when I recently read a short article about the popular fiction thriller writer, John Grisham.
At last count, Grisham has authored 37 number-one fiction bestsellers in a row. But, when Grisham published his first book back in 1988, it was a total flop. The book was entitled, A Time to Kill, and was rejected by 28 publishers before little known Wynwood Press printed a mere 5,000 copies—and not even all of them sold. But, the very next day after he completed this first book, Grisham started writing his second novel. This one has a title that all his fans will recognize. It was entitled, The Firm. This book was a big hit and ended up being the bestselling novel of 1991. It stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for a whopping 47 weeks. In fact, it ended up being made into a blockbuster movie starring Tom Cruise.
So, what was the difference in the public interest in his first book that tanked and his second book that skyrocketed? Do we chalk up the second book’s great success to good marketing and great advertising? No—not really. You see, neither book was actively advertised to the public. Even when that second book came out, it received almost no attention from book reviewers. As it turned out, the few book reviews it received were less than favorable. And yet, this second book, The Firm, sold millions and catapulted Grisham to literary stardom. Why?
Well, you might say that those people who took the time to read the second book had beautiful feet! And by that, I mean that they went “running around” spreading the news as to what a wonderful fiction novel The Firm happened to be. In other words, once they read the second book, they felt compelled to share the good news about Grisham’s story with the rest of the world because they loved what they read.[1]
Do you love Jesus Christ? If so, you too must share with the rest of the world the Good News of the Word proclaimed in the Bible. Why do we do that? We share the Word because Jesus is the Word made flesh—He is the Word that came to us in human form![2] I am glad to see more ads on TV and on the radio urging people to come to Christ. I am delighted at the many social media outlets that are available to tell the world about Jesus. But, God doesn’t need a TV station, radio station, or the social media as His primary means of telling the world about His Son. God needs YOU to serve in that primary capacity! If you love Jesus, then how could you not help but tell others about Him? How could you not invite them to Bible Studies or to Church on Sunday? Evangelism is all about people who love Jesus, people who have experienced His transforming love in their lives, and who want to share His love with others. If you don’t have that desire to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others, maybe it’s time to have a good Christian gut-check when it comes to the sincerity of your faith.
How effective is a Christian’s personal commitment to sharing the Gospel with others? Well, think about it. During the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., Christianity spread rapidly throughout the Roman empire. Even though it was a period of great Christian persecution, so many beautiful feet leaped with joy throughout the Roman world sharing God’s Word that His Son is the Risen Savior! There was no mass media involved in the process—just faithful Christians who were willing to personally witness to others in their communities that Jesus is Lord. So, again—what’s the best form of Christian advertising today? The answer is very simple: IT’S YOU! You are the best tool God has to reach those in this community.
And, note this. Witnessing to others is not optional for a Christian. Jesus commands it. He says to all Christians: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15 (ESV) That’s a very clear commandment. If you are looking for any loopholes there to exempt you from witnessing, you won’t find them. You must witness to the “whole creation”—that includes witnessing: To your family members, to your friends, to your neighbors, co-workers—even to strangers when the opportunity arises. There are no spatial limitations in this commandment. The “whole creation” includes your home, your neighborhood, Walmart, Food Lion, the restaurant, the beauty parlor, the sports arena, the hunting blind and the fishing boat—wherever you may find yourself in God’s Creation. That’s what makes Christianity so very different from any of the other major world religions. I love the way Mortimer Adler, the American philosopher, educator and author of yesteryear, once put it. He said: “Christianity is the only world religion that is evangelical in the sense of sharing good news with others. Islam converts by force; Buddhism, without the benefit of a theology; Hinduism doesn't even try.”[3] So, to repeat, the No. 1 way of witnessing is by YOU personally sharing Jesus with others—one on one, and face to face. That was true in the ancient past, and remains true today.
Now, point No. 2 about witnessing: It’s easy to remember because there is a little rhyme to help you when you share the Gospel. It goes like this: “REMEMBER YOUR PRAYER, BEFORE YOU SHARE.” That’s right—if you know someone who is an unbeliever and they need to hear God’s Word, then pray about it before you share the Good News with them. The Holy Spirit will do two things. He’ll give you confidence that, when the time comes, you’ll have the right words to say—because the Holy Spirit will provide them to you, as needed. The second thing the Holy Spirit will do is to prepare that person’s heart to hear God’s message from you. I was reading a devotional last week that illustrated this well.
It was about a British preacher named Gipsy Smith who was famous in the Great Britain and the U.S. in the early 1900’s. At the age of 16, Gipsy accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. He loved Jesus so much that he wanted all his family members to come to know Jesus too. Gipsy was particularly close to his Uncle Rodney, but he knew that his uncle was not a believer. And so, Gipsy prayed for his uncle to one day accept Christ as his Savior. Each Sunday, when Gipsy returned home from church, he’d go into his room and close the door. Before even changing his Sunday suit, he’d get on his knees to pray for his uncle. Upon returning home one Sunday, Gipsy found that his uncle had come over to visit. Uncle Rodney greeted Gipsy and immediately saw that the knees of Gipsy’s pants were noticeably worn. His uncle asked him, “Gipsy, how can it be that the knees of your pants are almost worn through while the rest of your suit looks almost new?” “Do you want the truth, uncle?” Gipsy replied. “Of course, I do,” his uncle said. The explanation Gipsy gave shook Uncle Rodney to his core. Gipsy’s voice was shaking as he explained: “I have worn the knees through, praying that you’d accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior!” Yes, Gipsy had been offering that prayer for a long time. His prayers were heard—for the Holy Spirit had been at work in Rodney’s heart. In fact, Uncle Rodney had seen the difference Jesus had made in Gipsy’s life, and he’d been thinking about accepting Christ for quite a while. The answer Gipsy gave that explained the worn-out knees of his Sunday suit was the tipping point. Upon hearing that, Rodney dropped to his own knees and asked Jesus Christ into his life.[4] So, don’t forget to pray before going forth to witness. The “prayer before you share” can make all the difference.
Point No. 3—The sharing of God’s Word with others, involves our attitudes. We are to show humility (not arrogance) and give love (not condemnation) when witnessing to anyone. Billy Graham (who knew a thing or two about witnessing for Christ) put it this way: “Be to the world a sign that, while we as Christians do not have all the answers, we do know and care about the questions.”[5] Paul gave us great advice as well: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 (NIV) Now don’t get this confused: Paul wasn’t saying to use “salty” language in the sense of coarse or crude speech. We are “fishers of men” for Christ,[6] not profane sailors. What Paul was indicating is that whatever you say in presenting the Good News, let its affect be like salt. Salt adds flavor to otherwise bland foods. It also serves as a preservative that keeps things from decaying or corrupting. That’s the way our speech should be—it should act as a flavorful blessing to others with a purifying impact in our decaying society.[7]
Point No. 4—When you witness, be prepared for worldly resistance. In this regard, be aware that the world will do most anything to discourage you from sharing the Gospel with others. One of the most popular sports in the world today is soccer. Europeans and South Americans, in particular, are in love with that sport. And, soccer’s popularity in this country has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few decades. Some professional soccer stars have been noted for public displays of their Christian faith during soccer matches and in interviews. Take the Brazilian soccer star, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (known by his fans as simply, “Neymar”). Neymar happens to be one of the highest paid athletes in the world. During an interview, he once told reporters, “Life only makes sense when our highest ideal is to serve Christ.” That’s a pretty good witness. But, the thing is: The world hates that.
Recently, Neymar hasn’t shared the Gospel openly as he did in the past. Do you know why? Well, the world intervened. The soccer team that he plays for convinced him to accept a clause in his contract whereby he has agreed to refrain for making statements that might be considered as “religious propaganda that could damage the image and unity” of his soccer team. Now, why would he agree to such a contract? From his perspective, each month there are 630,000 reasons why he has agreed to stifle his witnessing for Christ. Yep—Neymar gets paid $630,000 per month not to say anything about his faith. In other words, the team is telling him, “Keep your mouth shut about Jesus Christ and at the end of a year, you’ll be over $7½ million dollars richer!”[8] Sadly, Neymar now remains silent about His Lord and Savior who blessed him with the physical skills and talents that allow him to play soccer at such a high level. I wonder if Neymar read that part in the Bible that says: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 (NASB)
No. 5 is the final point about witnessing that I will leave you with this morning. Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that it’s a point about the sad consequences if you fail to share Jesus Christ with others. I came across a short poem that expresses the perspective of someone who is facing the most tragic of realities. It is the perspective of an unbeliever who has died and is facing the judgment—the judgment that consigns them eternally to that horrible place we know as “hell.” This unbeliever is like the “rich man” who died and went to hell, but was given an opportunity to speak to Abraham and Lazarus who were up in heaven. But, in the poem, the unbeliever wasn’t addressing Abraham or Lazarus. Rather, this condemned unbeliever is addressing their best friend who happened to be a Christian. The problem is that the Christian “friend” never once shared the Good News about Jesus Christ with the unbeliever. And with that being the case, this is what the unbeliever had to say to the Christian “friend”:
My friend, I stand in judgment now / and feel you’re to blame somehow.
On earth, I walked with you day by day / and never once did you point the way.
You knew the Lord in truth and glory, / but never did you tell His story.
My knowledge was then very dim, / yet, you could have led me safe to Him.
You taught me many things, that’s true; / I called you friend, I trusted you.
But now I learn that it’s too late; / you could have saved me from this fate.
We walked and talked, by day, by night; / But you never tried to show me the Light.
You let me live and love and die; / And yet, you knew I’d never live on high.
Yes, I called you “friend” in life, / and trusted you through joy and strife.
And yet on coming to the end, / now, I cannot call you “my friend.”[9]
If you have a friend or loved one who has heard of Jesus, but still hasn’t accepted Him, maybe its because they haven’t heard how much Jesus loves them. In other words, maybe they don’t have the love for Jesus in their hearts because no one took the time to tell them about Christ’s love. But, the bad news is this: Maybe you are that someone who hasn’t told them about Christ’s love. If you haven’t told them, could it be that the love of Christ doesn’t abide in your heart either? As Christians, we know that Jesus directed us to pull the log out of our eyes before we go about removing the speck of sawdust from someone else’s eye.[10] Sometimes that applies the other way around, but in a different context. Perhaps, it’s not always pulling something out of your eye that’s the problem as it is filling your heart with something that’s missing. Could it be that your failure to witness to others is a sign that you haven’t let Jesus’ love fully into your heart? In another context, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (ESV) How rich is the treasure of Christ’s love in your own heart? Is it gold, or merely tin? And further, Jesus taught that, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34 (ESV) Is there an abundance of Christ’s love in your heart? If so, then why not speak about it to those who are in desperate need of hearing about Jesus’ love for them?
Maybe that “Christian-gut check” I mentioned needs to be a “heart-check” right now. Even though you have already accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, if you need such a “heart-check,” come forward to re-dedicate your life to Him. Don’t wait—do it today before you leave this church. Or, maybe you do love Jesus, but haven’t yet publicly acknowledged Him as your Savior. And so, you need to be baptized. If that’s the case, now is the time to meet me here at the front of the church. Whatever your situation may be, let your “beautiful feet” get up and carry you down the aisle this morning and show the love of Christ to the world!
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
June 4, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Leith Anderson, “Making More Disciples,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 165, cited in PreachingToday.com; and “John Grisham” cited in Wikipedia.
[2] John 1:14 “So the Word became human [in the Greek—“made flesh”] and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (NLT2)
[3] Mortimer Jerome Adler, quoted in Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, available on Logos Bible Software.
[4] Kennedy, Peter. From Generation to Generation. Austin, TX: WORDsearch Corp., 2010. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, available on Logos Bible Software.
[5] Billy Graham, quoted in Draper, Edythe. Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, available on Logos Bible Software.
[6] Matthew 4:19 [Jesus said:] “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (NKJV)
[7] MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, available on Logos Bible Software.
[8] “Star paid not to stir controversy over faith,” CT Magazine, Christianity Today, Vol. 65, No. 8 (November, 2021), p. 21.
[9] O. S. Hawkins & Matt Queen. The Gospel Invitation: Why Publicly Inviting People to Receive Christ Still Matters, Thomas Nelson: Nashville, (2023), p. 82—a poem attributed to D. J. Higgins.
[10] Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (ESV)
