· The Practices
Acts 1:1–8; Matthew 12:35–37; 1 Corinthians 9:25–27
What if the only thing you will ultimately be judged for is your witness? Closing out Elan's series on the spiritual practices, Pastor Juliet Lyons teaches from Acts 1 that a witness tells the truth about Jesus with both mouth and life, that discipline guards us from deception, and that we cannot do it without waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Key takeaways
- A witness is someone who tells the truth about Jesus with both their words and their actions, from the inside out.
- Every one of us is susceptible to deception; choosing comfort and convenience over Christ quietly turns a true witness into a false one.
- Discipline guards us from deception, because staying in the Word, fasting, praying, and seeking God's presence teaches us to recognize His voice alone.
- Jesus told His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father; we should not run ahead into God's work without the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Your witness starts at home in your Jerusalem, extends to your Judea and Samaria, and reaches people you will never meet at the ends of the earth.
Message notes
Spiritually fit, not just better than average
Pastor Juliet Lyons opens by reflecting on how, as a parent, she has come to care more about her children's spiritual needs than their physical ones. The Lyons family has rules, such as no secrets and always doing your very best rather than just being the best in the room. God wants the same for His children: to be spiritually fit according to His design. This message closes the series on spiritual practices, and she calls witness the culmination of them all. From 1 Corinthians 9, athletes discipline their bodies for a perishable wreath, while we train for an imperishable reward.
What a witness is
In her words, a witness is someone who tells the truth about Jesus with their mouth and their actions. It is easy to stand on a street corner in Chicago calling people to repent and then go home to a life no one close to you wants to be near. That is not witness. From Matthew 12 she shows that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and that by our words we will be justified or condemned. We will not be judged for our accolades, skills, or talents, but for whether we were a true witness of Jesus Christ inside and out. The world needs Jesus, in Naperville, in Aurora, and in the car next to you.
The threat of deception
A rising generation wants real truth, not a convenient one, and the greatest threat to a true witness is the temptation toward comfort and ease. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool God ever created, and the enemy twists it, whispering lies until we believe them and spread them as truth. Judas proves even the chosen can be deceived. If your calendar or a promotion has become more important than God's house and God's Word, deception may already be at work. Yet Revelation 12 promises that Satan is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
From disciples to apostles
Turning to Acts 1, Luke's second volume to Theophilus, she notes the shift in language: in the Gospels the twelve are disciples, students; in Acts they are apostles, sent ones who bring the kingdom. Every disciple is called to the same thing. Jesus spent forty days giving many infallible proofs so His followers would carry the kingdom with no doubt, and the practices do the same for us.
Wait for the promise of the Father
Jesus ordered the apostles not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Holy Spirit. Pastor Juliet observes how often Christians catch a new zeal and run before they have power. She shares that God called her and Pastor Max to start a church in 2017, but they did not begin inviting people until 2021 because they needed to wait, learn the soil, and put on their armor. When the disciples asked whether Jesus would now restore the kingdom to Israel, still stuck in their political worldview, He redirected them. Her application for today: stop asking Jesus to fix the kingdom that is here and start bringing His kingdom here. The word witness in Greek is where we get martyr, and she asks whether we are willing to die to comfort, will, and pride for God's glory.
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth
Using a map, she unpacks the concentric circles of Acts 1:8. Jerusalem is home turf: family, coworkers, your church community, and for Elan, Naperville and Aurora. Judea is helping others become good witnesses in their own homes and churches, which is why Elan quietly gives to other churches and charities. Samaria is the people you do not like or would rather not be seen with. The ends of the earth are people you will never meet, and she commends the Joshua Project app for praying daily for an unreached people group. Discipline guards us from deception, because sheep who stay close know their shepherd's voice.
Salt that stops the rot
Closing with Matthew 28:19, Pastor Juliet reminds the church that the harvest is ripe and the lost are closer than we think. Salt makes things taste good, but it also stops rot, and Christians are called to stop the rot of deception by speaking truth unapologetically with their lives. With Easter approaching, she invites everyone to take two invitation cards, one for someone in their Jerusalem and one for someone in their Judea, or to send an invitation text through the Elan app.
