Of all the people that God has called us to witness to, perhaps it is our enemies that are the most difficult for us.

Why do you think it is hard for us to witness to our enemies?

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” 18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” 22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. —Acts 16:16-24 (NLT)

Why were Paul and Silas thrown into beaten and thrown into prison?
How would you feel if an injustice like this happened to you?

Paul and Silas would have had every reason to not like his jailer. He was not a friend. But instead of treating him poorly, they witnessed to the man.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” —Acts 16:25-30 (NLT)

Why do you think Paul and Silas chose to witness to this jailer?

Every one of us can come up with at least one person that we don’t really like… someone we tend to avoid… someone it would be really difficult for us to share the Good News with. Picture that person.

Why are we reluctant to share the Good News with them?

Sometimes we forget that our enemies share a common story with us… that at one point, we were all enemies of God. But God loved us so much, he sent his son to save us. And God calls us to share this wonderful news with everyone… including our enemies. But how?

1. We need to make it obvious who we belong to.
Why do you think Paul and Silas were singing praises in prison?

2. We need to make it obvious that we care for others (even our enemies).

Someone once said… “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
What do you think of that statement?

3. We need to make it obvious what the Good News is.

Define the Good News.

How will you share the Good News this week?