Some thoughts on Witness
We're approaching the end of our youth small groups' series on spiritual gifts, and this week we will be talking about the discipline of witness. We don't often think of witness, or evangelism, as a spiritual discipline, but remembering and retelling the good news of Christ to others actually does just as much good for our spiritual life and development as it does for others!
What is Witness?
Whether you realize it or not, if your faith in Christ is at all public knowledge then you are a witness for Christ. People will associate you and your behaviors with the name of Jesus. In this way, witness can be somewhat conceived of as a passive thing. But real, healthy and vibrant Christian witness comes from a life lived intentionally trying to bring glory to God and God's kingdom. In fact, the word we translate as witness in the NT is marturia, the same word we get the idea of martyrdom from. Martyrs aren't glorified because of their death alone, but because of how their sacrifice amplifies the message of their witness.
Why Witness?
So that's all well a good. But, you may ask, why should I have to do anything beyond trying to live a decent, godly life? Well, firstly, Jesus specifically commands us to tell others about the good news of life with God so that's a part of living that decent, godly life! But the real selling point for me is that intentionally witnessing to others is one of the most joyful acts in your Christian life. The problem is that we often make sharing our faith with others all about convincing the world of what we believe in debates about religion. Healthy witness is about shining a light upon the hope and love that has captured our hearts so that those who are hurting can find it as well.
Next week, I'll summarize a little from our small group times this Sunday night and give some helpful tips for evangelism. Until then, here's some food for thought: What are your thoughts on evangelism? What makes it difficult for your to share your faith with others? What makes it easy or enjoyable?
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