A WITNESSING COMMUNITY
If you have been a Christian and as long as I have
attended Churches, you may have heard Pastors and Preachers hammering a message:
you must share your faith. Go and save the world." But that's where things
get complicated. Yes, Jesus commanded us to be the salt and the light in our
communities. Yes, we must preach the gospel, make disciples of all nations,
etc. But how? Our passage in Acts 1:4-8 helps us understand how we do
that.
During a meal, Jesus commanded his disciples not to
leave Jerusalem until they received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. He
said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth." The disciples' primary calling was to be Witnesses of
Christ.
What does a witness do? A witness is someone called
upon to testify to what they have seen, heard, or experienced about a
particular crime situation. In the scriptures, the Greek word Martus,
translated into English as Witness, literally means, "One who remembers,
one who has information or knowledge or joint knowledge of anything and hence,
one who can give information, to bring to light or confirm anything."
Jesus told the disciples, "When the Holy Spirit
comes upon you, you will be empowered to be my Martures or
Witnesses." They were to announce the facts to the world about Christ's
birth, works, crucifixion, and resurrection, for which they were the
eyewitnesses. The first community of 120 disciples was a community of Christ's
witnesses. Let's see how the task of witnessing became a central pillar of how
the early Church organized itself.
When they wanted to find a replacement for Judas, they
chose Matthias. What was his job? It was to join them as a witness of Jesus'
resurrection. (Ac 2:22-26). After being empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter
boldly proclaimed who Jesus was and what He had done to save people from their
sins to a large group of Jewish people worldwide.
Peter confidently explained that God did not abandon
the Messiah to the realm of the dead but raised Jesus to life, and we were all
witnesses of it. Acts 2:32. Listening to Peter's brave testimony, 3000 people
were baptized after being convinced by the Holy Spirit. They joined the other
120 disciples, forming the first Witnessing Community of Christ. Acts 2:40-42.
Can you imagine the buzz in Jerusalem? People were
getting saved daily and joining the witnessing community. They joyfully lived
out their newfound faith in worship, fellowship, prayer, listening to the
apostles' teachings, and sharing with those in need. As a result, even more
people began to join the community, growing it to about five thousand people.
(Acts 4:4)
All that did not go unnoticed by the Pharisees,
particularly one young Zealous Pharisee named Saul. He tried hard to destroy
this community, and in the end, he had a divine encounter with Jesus, the very
one he was fighting against. That changed his life, making him an ardent member
of the Witnessing Community. Later, this was how he testified, defending his
faith in Christ in front of King Agrippa. Acts 26: 9-21, "I too
was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the
name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem.
On the authority of the
chief priests, I put
many of the Lord's people in prison, and when they were put to death, I
cast my vote against them. Many a time, I went from one synagogue to another to have them
punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with
persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.
"On one of these journeys, I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the
chief priests. About
noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter
than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and
I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?'
'I am Jesus, whom you
are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to
appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of
me." I will rescue you from your own people
and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them." True that calling,
Paul proclaimed Christ to those in Damascus, then
to those in Jerusalem and all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, and kept
testifying to the ends of the earth.
If you are a true
follower of Christ, you are part of that Witnessing Community. You and I are
called to testify about who Jesus was, what He did to save sinners, and how
remarkably he changed your life. Where do we begin our witnessing? Start at
home, among your friends and colleagues, in your neighborhood, and as God leads
the rest of the world.
When I first gave my
life to Jesus, I started sharing and showing that joy to my family members and
college friends. As a result, my family became serious followers of Christ.
Later on, I have been in YWAM for twenty years, and now, for the past sixteen years
as a pastor, I testify for the Lord. You can tell a story if I ask how God
changed your life.
Your story is unique to
others. Write a blog, make a Facebook post or a podcast, or share it with
others on how God had set you free from addiction, depression, and anxiety and
how he met you on a hospital bed when you tried to commit suicide. Whatever your
story, please don't hold back but confidently tell it. It is not about you but
about Christ, who saved you. It is not how convincing we are that changes a
person, but the power of the Holy Spirit convicts someone to repent. As a
Witnessing Community, let's boldly testify for our Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we do that
practically? Suppose four members were inspired by this sermon and decided to
go to Downton to Witness for Jesus. They took four signs with them containing
the following messages: 1. "All the LGBTQ people will go to Hell." 2.
Baby Killers will not go to heaven. 3. Jesus said, "I am the way, and truth,
and the life.
No one comes to the
Father except through me." (John 14:6). 4. "Jesus has set me free
from…? Which one of these signs will get a positive response? Which ones are
repulsive? All four of them are truthful statements. The first two contain a
harsh tone that could drive them further away from God and knowing the other
half of the truth, which is if they repent and believe in Christ, they too can
go to heaven. That is the hopeful message and the Good News.
However, our combative
approach and condemnation will prevent the hearers from hearing the most loving
and hope-giving message we are called to share. Remember, when witnessing, you represent
a loving savior, Jesus Christ, who loved all sinners, so he died on the cross
to give them eternal life. That is the Good News! Please share it with a smile
on your face.
Scaring and condemning
people would further drive people away from a loving God. "For God did not
send his Son in the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him. John 3:17. Apostle Peter shows us a better way to share the Good News of
Jesus Christ. I Peter 3:15-16, "But in your
hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But
do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a
clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good
behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
Regardless of who they are, all people need love and are to be respected, even when we disagree with their ideology and belief system. We are called to be witnesses of a loving and gentle savior, so our approach should be of love, gentleness, and respect. It is love, not hate, that brings people to Christ. So, let's go out and become compassionate witnesses for Christ.
