Double Barreled Witness

October 17

(Acts 20:20 NIV) "You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house."

(Acts 5:41-42 NIV) "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. {42} Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

(Ephesians 4:15 NIV) "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

Paul was a double-barreled witness and preacher. He never hesitated to speak what he thought would be helpful to those listening. He preached the truth in love -- a double-barreled combination that’s hard to beat. Paul also had a double-barreled method of witnessing and preaching. He took the gospel into the public square, sharing Jesus with the crowds. But Paul also took the gospel from house to house. He spent time in homes, sharing the truth about Jesus. This is a great lesson for us. It’s good to invite people to church. Every Christian should be an inviter. We should be willing to witness in public -- on street corners, at Wal-Mart, at the lake, or at the ballgame. But it is also effective to invite people to your home, or to go to their homes, and share the truth of Jesus with them. It’s the double-barreled, public and private approach of Paul, and it is still effective today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day