Partner with the Holy Spirit
We are in week 3 of a 4-week series on the practice of witness, inspired by the resources from Practicing the Way. Witness is the practice of intentionally opening up our lives to others in love and testifying to the good news of Jesus through our words, our stories, and our way of life in community.
Sermon Recap
Many famous movie directors are notorious for their exacting visions, putting actors through many repeated takes in order to achieve their goal. When we think of witness, many of us, too, desire to be in control of the conversation, setting up the perfect moment at the end. But what if the work of evangelism isn’t all on us?
It is the most liberating re-frame to realize that none of us witness alone, but always together with the Holy Spirit. Our job then becomes slowing down to see where God is already at work, asking him to show us where we should join in.
A story from Acts 8 illustrates how the Spirit goes before us, opens God’s space in front of us, and leads us into the next right step.
The Spirit goes before us. Well before the Spirit brought Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch, God was at work. He had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was already reading a scroll of Isaiah when Philip arrived. In the words of Daryl Johnson, “Evangelism is joining a conversation the Holy Spirit is already having with somebody.”
The Spirit opens God’s space in front of us. There are moments, spaces in time, where it seems like a “thin” place, a place where heaven and earth seem to overlap. Philip finds himself led to such a place when he comes along the Ethiopian’s chariot.
Some in the church may be uniquely gifted for the work of evangelism, but God’s plan has always included ordinary people in ordinary places paying attention to how the Spirit opens up spaces in front of us. We trust Him to reveal to us the next step.
The Spirit leads us into the next right step. The Spirit led Philip in small steps: Get up. Go near. Ask a question. Explain. Baptize. Even so, at some point in the conversation there is a moment of risk. We have to step out in faith. That may look like asking if we can pray for a person, or making an invitation of some kind (to coffee, a meal, to church, etc) or maybe even to explain more.
Entering Conversation
We recognize that every small group has its own conversational dynamics. Feel free to use either set of questions below – or your own – in order to structure your talking together. As you do, remember that our goal, always, is not to end up with merely better knowledge of the teaching, but to help each other respond to what was taught.
1. Reflect back on what you heard in this sermon, or on the thoughts that have come afterwards. What stood out to you, either because it was new/interesting, or because you felt like the Spirit directed your attention to it?
2. What might it look like to respond in some way to what you heard? (NB – this is where community can be helpful. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with what we heard, but others can help us identify ways of responding. Be free to help each other, graciously and gently, listening for what the Spirit may be prompting.)
3. As you close your time, pray together. Invite the Spirit to help you see where God has been at work in your life, and where you might have opportunities to share that with someone else.
OR (In no particular order)
1.Think of a time when you sensed that God had gone before you in a relationship or conversation — when you arrived somewhere and realized he had already been at work. What did that look like, and how did you respond?
2. Many of us carry mental images of what witnessing looks like — a street preacher, a practiced conversation, a high-pressure moment. How has that image made the practice feel more or less accessible to you?
3. When did someone's ordinary presence or way of life first make you curious about Jesus — not a speech, just the way they lived? What stood out to you?
4. Can you name one small, low-stakes invitation you might make to someone — to coffee, a meal, or even just more conversation —treating that as the whole goal, not a setup for something bigger?
Tonight’s Practice
This week, our practice is to take the time to be with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Listen deeply, inviting the Spirit to reveal what God is doing and trusting him to lead you. Ask God, “What are you doing here? How should I join in?”