CAN I GET A WITNESS?

As the series “Between Two Mountains” transitions to the New Testament, Pastor Mark asked us to look at Acts and consider “the Church” as God’s chosen people. He had seven points of comparison between Israel of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament. He discussed how membership, covenants, leadership, sacred spaces, laws, mission, and inheritance all changed. The point that stuck with me was the difference between the implicit witness of Israel and the explicit mission of the Church, from covenantal faithfulness to a commissioned proclamation of the Gospel. Which brought his lesson to (Acts 1:8) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Mark spoke on the seven reasons for our reluctance to witness. They are fear of rejection, being unqualified, concerns about hypocrisy, lack of conversation starters, distractions, doubts of effectiveness, and faith being a private matter. Which he followed with (II Corinthians 5:20) “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf- Be reconciled to God.” As I often do, I talked through the sermon with my wife, Patty. As we discussed how to witness and our own experiences with all seven reluctances to various degrees, it left me with the question, “Who were the witnesses that most changed my life and how were they effective?”

The phrase that was put on my heart was “Show and Tell.” When I work with young people, it’s a common activity. There’s a reason it’s not solely called “Tell” and “Show” comes first. The showing is the proof, the clear demonstration, the evidence that supports and validates. Our actions speak louder than our words. How we overcome the seven reluctances is with the two greatest commandments of the New Testament. Love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. With the Holy Spirit in us, we are called. When we don’t see the light, be the light. It’s with Christ’s love that rejection loses its sting; qualifications are found in His word, we accept our imperfections, conversations are started, distractions fade, doubts diminish, and we’re welcomed into someone’s private faith life because we’ve shown them genuine care. Let’s not talk about it, let’s be about it! The next time God metaphorically says, “Can I get a witness?” Let’s provide a resounding, “Yes, you can!” with our actions.