Marks of an effective witness

We see the command to be witnesses of Christ in the Gospels. The message is continued throughout the New Testament, and there are many things that must describe a witness, but the one that I think is most important is that one be found faithful. Truly, if we run a marathon and then quit 10 yards before the finish line, we have failed to complete the task. In our Christian walk, things sometimes get hard, but we must press on toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 We must not set our eyes on anything but that which is pleasing to the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:13 reminds us that God is faithful. He cannot be unfaithful, as it is his very character to be faithful in all things. His promises, our hope of salvation, even the time table of prophecy must be fulfilled according to His Word because God is faithful. He will also be faithful in preparing us for the work, and providing the fruit of that work. Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 2:2-5 of his "qualifications" for this work. Weakness, fear, much trembling... Verses 4-5 give me what I need to be reminded of, that it is not our words or our education, but His work being accomplished through faithful servants, relying on His power for all things.

Are we faithful? Do we run a little while in the race, then run off the course, constantly having to be redirected back on the path God has shown us, or are we keeping our eyes fixed on Him? Let's explore what our responsibilities and privileges are according to the Bible.

The witnesses to the resurrected Christ certainly got the message out! Matthew 28:8 "they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report to the disciples." These were not people that kept it to themselves, or waited for someone to ask them, but went out proclaiming the risen Savior to whomever would listen. They did tell the disciples first as they knew that those who knew who that He was who He claimed to be. They certainly would be excited, but even one of the 12, Thomas, didn't believe until Jesus personally appeared to him. We have the Word of God and the experience of our own lives to bear witness of to those who don't know Jesus.

Romans 10:14-15 Tells us the things we must do
How will they call on whom they have not believed?
How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?
How shall they hear without a preacher?
How will they preach unless they be sent?

The Lord looks approvingly at those who are faithful to witness of the good news of Christ.(15)
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God(17)

SEND-We see the approach here, starting with the responsibility of the believer in this process. We must SEND preachers out into the streets, skate parks, parades, fairs, door to door. Luke 24:48 "you are witnesses." We all, as believers, have witnessed the grace of God, the transformation to a new nature, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit living within us all.

PREACH- Some would say "I am not called to be a preacher" but in this context, I think this definition shows us that preaching is not just a pastor in a pulpit. Definition "To advocate, especially to urge acceptance of or compliance with" I think we all would urge unsaved sinners who are headed to hell to accept and be compliant with God's Word. So, if we are all capable of preaching the gospel to sinners, then what shall we preach? We then must be faithful to PREACH the truth of the Word of God.

The whole truth of sin, hell, sacrifice, what it means to follow Christ, including persecution. We don't want to sell them something bright and rosy, but show them the truth of God's Word in which we are promised that if we live Godly lives, we will suffer for it. That sounds counter-intuitive, but I believe that you must show the good with the bad, and it certainly weeds out the false converts and fair weather friends. They must be coming for the right reason, for God's purposes rather than for the personal gain of salvation. If we promise peace, joy, love, and then they suffer persecution, they will turn from the faith. Jesus said that the one who puts his hand to the plow and even looks back is not worthy of following Him. We need to tell the whole truth, the work with the wonder, and make sure they are following God rather than our fancily crafted love Gospel.

HEARD- We cannot expect to sit in church buildings and wait for people to come to us begging to know how to be saved from the wrath to come. There is none that seeks after God Romans 3:10. I read a story recently about a man sitting in his position on the assembly line, not a believer, he is sitting there day in and day out next to another man, who is a Christian. The story made it out like the Christian, by not swearing and getting angry when things went poorly, was witnessing for Christ.

I see the point of the story, but don't believe that it paints an accurate picture. Sure, if someone sees us every day for years on end, and they see that there is something different about us, they may ask and we may give them the gospel. The story, written by the unbeliever says "one day I asked him what it meant to be born again" I have a feeling it did not go quite like that. Why would someone ask such a question? In fact, if you are unsaved, you would not know the terminology, the Christianese in that question.

My question for that believer is this: If you had day after day for years sitting next to a man doing mindless repetitive work, didn't you at some point have the opportunity to talk about your passion, your love, about the Savior that gave you eternal life? How would you have felt if, after 5 years sitting next to this man, if one day you came in hoping and praying like you always have, that he will ask you how to be saved, and he doesn't show up for work because he died in a car crash, or a heart attack, killed himself after struggling with depression, lost his job, name the reason?

You would have wasted hundreds of opportunities to bring up the subject. You will be like the watchman in Ezekiel 33, his blood is on your hands. Do you want to live with that? Do you want to know that you had many chances and were found unfaithful to God's call to "be witnesses of these things"  It is valid to follow the promptings of the Spirit, but much like a thief doesn't go looking for a policeman, the reluctant witness will not look for a chance to speak about Christ.

We can't sit around waiting for God to smack us in the head or push us into a situation, but earnestly pray that He will put us in situations that allow us to share with a lost person about their situation, about God's love and mercy, and about salvation. If we are too busy making excuses, we won't feel the prompting of the Spirit. Do you really think God wants to use someone that is reluctant or too self involved to follow Him?

Will we tell them that they have transgressed God's Law, or will we just tell them about God's love and hope that they will love Him back? Jesus told the woman at the well about her sin, He told the rich young ruler his real problem was that he obeyed the Law in letter but not in spirit. This young man trusted in his riches. What are others trusting in? They must be told that they have offended a Holy God that desires them to follow Him. One may ask why we need to show them their sinful ways in order to tell them about grace.

In James 4 we are told that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" and "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you" It is our place to come humbly, ready to sacrifice our own dreams and desires for His will. Certainly, His way is better than ours. A man not convinced of his sin will not be seeking forgiveness or come in repentance. Gal 3:24" Wherefore, the Law was our schoolmaster [top bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith"  Rom 7:7 "I had not known sin but by the law"

Example: If you have a child under the age of 8, weighing under 80 lbs, they must by Maine law be in a booster seat or child restraint system. If you don't know the Law, you cannot see that you have transgressed it. It would only be after a policeman, looking after the safety of your child, pulls you over and gives you a fine/punishment that you would realize your transgression. If however, a bulletin was put out, a flyer that came to every home, to let everyone know that there is a law and that there will be punishment for lawbreakers. Now the policeman pulling you over makes sense, because you are not ignorant of the law.

In the same way, we have God's Word and should spread it to every man, woman, boy and girl so that they know the penalty for failure to obey God's Laws. We cannot achieve the righteousness of God on our own, but when we take the Bible as our schoolmaster, looking into the perfect law of liberty described in James 1:25, then we will see how we appear before God, as a transgressor of the law and seek the remedy. If someone is not repentant, and seeks to avoid punishment by lying, outrunning the law, then they are not ready to hear the grace given by God through Christ. If they shake their fist at God and run away, then they certainly are not ready to believe and commit their life to Christ.

BELIEVE- It is not just a head knowledge, a mental assent, to believe. Truly the word is associated with trust, to put faith in like one would put faith in a parachute. This is not "trying Jesus on for size" but a heart change, a radical transformation that should produce genuine signs of contrition. If we realize what we are while in our sins before a holy and just God, then that belief will produce fear, a desire to please the Lord, and at the moment of true salvation we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who will testify to our hearts that it is real. Once you step out in true faith, it is no longer faith but experience. God asks us to reach out in faith, but then grants us assurance through the indwelling of His Spirit in our lives. A true convert will not need to be assured, as the Holy Spirit will do the testifying.

In the same way, someone who has seen and experienced this will be full of the joy of the Lord, a witness of the faithfulness of God to His Word. What He has promised, He will fulfill. Every time. No doubts. If God draws you by His Spirit, and you accept salvation, you should not be able to keep it to yourself. It should be like Jeremiah in Jer. 20:9 " If I say, I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name, then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire, shut up in my bones and I am weary of holding it in and I cannot endure it." Do we have the joy of the Lord burning in our hearts? Are we bursting forth with the joy that is produced by a genuine knowledge that I am a child of the King? We have this hope, this assurance that we will live for eternity, worshipping the God who created all things. What a blessed thought!

Everyone says they want to go to heaven, but do they really? What is heaven like? We will live for eternity with God, in His heavenly home, praising and glorifying the name of  Jesus, worshipping at the throne. To an unregenerate sinner, this would not sound like much fun. Indeed, to someone who is simply running away from hell rather than running towards God and His beloved Son, heaven wouldn't be heaven would it?

Jesus told the rich young ruler that even though he claimed to have kept the commandments, that his heart was wrong. He wouldn't give up his riches, because he wasn't seeking to follow Jesus sacrificially, but wanting to protect his assets, thinking of himself. This young man went away in sorrow because he would have to give something up to follow Christ. How many of us don't follow the way we should because we are holding on too tightly to our comforts, our homes, our possessions? Are we glad we got out of the punishment, or living every day with joy in our hearts as we consider God and all He means to us?

PASSION- When you talk to me you can expect a couple of things. As a husband and father, I talk about my family. I am passionate about them and you don't have to to ask me to bring them up while I talk. You will also hear about the Lord, about my passion for His work, for what He has done for me through the precious blood of Christ shed for my sins on the cross. If I don't make the opportunity to talk about Him, I feel like Jeremiah. We all should.
If we do claim the name of Jesus, that we follow God faithfully, how could we possibly get through a day or a conversation with a lost person without letting them know. How can we work day in and day out and hope that someone will bring it up, thinking that we don't want to offend them.

RESPONSIBILITY- The truth is, the Gospel is offensive. It tells a sinner how wrong they are, that they are headed for eternal death. It is offense, it cuts to the bone and even deeper to the soul. We are not trying to be better than anyone else, just saved sinners looking to share the cure for the problem of sin. What kind of doctor would I be if I saw all the signs of a disease in my friend, knew the cure was available, and kept it to myself? Do you really think that if someone sees the truth of the disease that they will be mad at us for sharing the cure? If they choose to remain blind to the truth, we can pray, ask God to open their hearts, and be faithful to continue to share. That is what we are called to do, each and every one of us, and we should do so joyfully out of love for God.

In a half hour of preaching, about 3600 people have died throughout the world. They don't get another chance. Are you willing to risk it being your family member, friend, coworker, mail man, that is next to head out into eternity without Christ? What are you willing to do about it? Will you be willing to look for and pray for the opportunity to share when you see someone? Will you be a faithful witness? For those who have been faithful before, and are out there every day looking for the chance to tell someone about Christ, what can we do to step up our efforts, to use our time more wisely, to reach even more for the Savior?