How to be a Shining Star for the Lord Jesus?

Pastor Ernest L. Williams, Sr • January 20, 2023

How to be a Shining Star for the Lord Jesus?

Be a soul winner for Christ!

Luke 8:26 – 40

August 14, 2022


After the Lord finished preaching in several cities, he and his disciples entered a boat to cross to

the other side of the lake (8:22). A storm comes and Jesus rebukes the wind and the raging of the

water. After they crossed over to the other side, they encountered a man in the tombs cutting

himself. For fear, the people had tied his hands so that perhaps he wouldn’t hurt himself.


The man was demon possessed. Jesus cast the demons out of the man. After this, the man desires

to follow Jesus. But Jesus tells him something altogether different. The Lord tells him to return

home and show how great things God done unto thee (8:39). Why tell the man that he could not

follow him? This is not a pattern. In Luke 18:35, after the Lord healed a blind man off the

Jericho Road, this man immediately followed Jesus (18:43). Thus, we are in no position to make

a declarative statement as to who should follow Jesus and who should stay at home. Each

situation bears its own conclusion.


In Matthew 8, in the parallel story, after the Lord cast the demons into the swine. The swine

drowned themselves in the lake. The people who owned the swine were not to thrilled to have

Jesus stay. But Luke tells us Jesus returned some time later. And when he did, there was a great

reception awaiting him (8:40) all because of the witness of this man who used to live among the

dead. This man was a soul winner.


You and I are called to be soul winners for Christ. Proverbs 11:30b says, “and he that winneth

souls is wise.” Daniel 12:3 states, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the

firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”


Jesus, who is the greatest evangelist said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to

repentance.” And again, he said in Luke 19:10, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that

which was lost.”


D. L. Moody said the problem with many of Christians is that they have a lot of light but very

little lip. In other words, many Christians know Jesus, but not too many of us tell others about

him.


How to be a shining star for Jesus? This man in Luke 8 was a shining star. Here is how his life

can help us win others to Jesus.

1. He testified to what Jesus did for him.

2. People heard him because his testimony matched his experience.

3. He was more effective at home because people knew his past and could themselves bear

witness to the change in his life.

4. The people were so excited about the man’s testimony and witness of Jesus, that they

wanted to hear Jesus for themselves. Is our testimony leading people to want Jesus?




Closing illustrations


1. At a homeless shelter in a large city worked a man named Joe. The people loved Joe

because he was relational. Many times, the homeless would ask for Joe. Joe would serve,

feed, and pray for anyone who came to the shelter. One day Joe was not at work. One of

the homeless persons who was a regular begin to inquire about Joe. The substitute worker

began to tell the group about Jesus. The regular attendee said, responding to the substitute

talking about Jesus said, “Is anything like Joe?”


2. A car was stolen in Birmingham Alabama with a three-year-old child in it. Search teams

were immediately dispatched as soon as they received word to be on the lookout for the

vehicle in question. One of the search team members was a Vietnam veteran who decided

not to look for the vehicle but the child. He assumed if the child got out of the car, the

child shouldn't be too far from where the car was stolen. A few hundred yards from the

place where the vehicle was stolen was an abandoned building. The veteran searched the

location. It was night. Hearing movement only, the veteran called for the boy. Silence.

The boy finally responded, "Are you my daddy?"  The veteran responded, "No, but I am

here to take you to him."

As Christians, we serve in that same role, to win souls for Christ.

Proverbs 11:30 KJV

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.



Daniel 12:3 KJV

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn

many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Our Sermons

How do I project Jesus through me in my community?

By Pastor Ernest L. Williams, Sr. • January 20, 2023
How do I project Jesus through me in my community? How to take Jesus to the street? Tuesday, September 6, 2022 A. Be Intentional (Ephesians 4) 1. Start by telling the truth (stop lying), vs. 15. 2. Put off the old man and put on the new man, vv. 22, 24, 25. 3. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, v. 23. 4. Learn how to get angry without sinning, v. 26. 5. Stop being lazy, stealing and get a job, v. 28. 6. If you don’t have anything encouraging to say, shut up! V. 29. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” B. Be Available (Mark 5:18, 19) 1. How to take Jesus to the street? First, we must get him in the home. 2. Booker T. Washington said, “Cast down your bucket where you are!” No need to do anything extra, in the areas where you reside and work or go to school or serve, live for Christ. In Mark 5, the Lord healed a lunatic man who lived among the tombs. This man wanted to be with Jesus. “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mk 5:19). 3. The woman at the well was available. 4. When the Lord got ready to enter into Jerusalem, Jesus told two of his disciples that they would find a colt and its ass tied. Jesus told his disciples to loose him and let him go. The colt was available. A Roman centurion, who had great faith was available. Even the rooster that crowed when Peter denied the Lord, was available. Jesus calmed the waves and the wind one day: even the winds and the sea were availability. 5. Jesus told Peter and John to go into Jerusalem and they would see a man bearing a pitcher of water. The man was available. C. Be Relevant 1. Jesus, the apostles, and the NT writers addressed issues that people were facing and could relate to. Many in our Christian circles are not reaching people because our methods, not message, are out of date. It took a pandemic to force many of our churches to use technology. 2. Why is it that many of our churches are one man shows with just one pastor that is hired by the church. We need to have an elder board with various “paid” pastors on staff to meet the growing needs of our community. Our business model in the church does not work. Here is one reason why it doesn’t work: It's not biblical! 3. Jesus came to die for sinners because that was and still is the current pandemic: sin. However, the church focuses more on the cross and little emphasis is placed on the fact that Jesus will return to receive his church. Our message, if it is to be relevant, must be balanced. Conclusion  Let us learn to pray this prayer before we leave the home: Lord provide the platform for me to let you shine through me. Lord I give my mind, my abilities, my words, and my deeds as service to you in this day. Lord, help me to be available for my spouse, family, pastor, church family, to people in my community, those on my job, school, or to a stranger that I may meet today. Father, I know that no encounter is an accident. So, Lord, help me to be intentional with my words, thoughts, and actions, that I may minister grace to the hearers and so someone will come to know the love of your Son Jesus Christ through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Three Signs of a Joyful Spirit: Live, Give, and Forgive

By Pastor Ernest L. Williams, Sr. • January 20, 2023
The Three Signs of a Joyful Spirit: Live, Give, and Forgive Luke 6:20 – 38 September 4, 2022 Ernest L. Williams, Sr. In some translations, the word in Greek for “blessed” is translated as “happy.” Could Jesus be saying to the crowd in his sermon on the plains to be happy? (See v. 17 compared to Matthew’s sermon on the Mount, Matt 5). True joy contains living, giving, and forgiving. Illustration Proverbs on laughter. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones (Prov 17:22). A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Prov 15:13). All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast (Prov 15:15).  Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad (Prov 12:25). Dea. Jacque’s funnies!  Three surprises in heaven! 1. LIVE a. In verses 21 to 26, Jesus speaks to true blessings, but he also balances a happy life with warnings. 2. GIVE a. In verses 28 – 35, Jesus speaks to the nature of giving. b. A true sign of a person’s joy is seen in their giving. c. Paul speaks of allowing yourself to be defrauded in order to win souls for Christ: Luke 6:28, 29; compare with 1 Cor 6:7. i. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? d. The Golden Rule, v. 31. e. Give, looking for nothing in return, vv. 32 – 35. 3. FORGIVE a. Verses 36 – 36. b. One attribute of forgiveness is giving. Conclusion Vv. 22 – 23. We rejoice because our reward is in heaven. Job said, “my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high” (Job 16:19). Jesus told the disciples after they had returned from preaching and healing, that they should rejoice not because of what they could do, but rejoice because their names have been written in heaven. I sing because I am happy, I sing because I am free. His eyes are on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me!
More Posts