“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.” Acts 26:16
There is a story about an old grandfather who was sitting on the porch of his country home with his grandson. He had 6 dogs lying underneath the porch. About 100 yards across the field, a rabbit darted out of a bush, stared at the house for a second and then ran away. One of the dogs perked up, let out a yelp and took off across the field. Immediately, the other 5 dogs jumped to their feet, barking like crazy in hot pursuit of the first dog. The grandfather looked at his grandson and said, “Let me tell you what is about to happen. In about 10 minutes, those other 5 dogs are going to come back one-by-one with their heads hanging down and their tongues hanging out. In about 30 minutes, that first dog will come back with a rabbit in his mouth.” That is exactly what happened. The grandson said, “Pop, how did you know that was going to happen?” The grandfather answered, “Because, that first dog is the only one who actually saw the rabbit. The others were just running and barking because there was some excitement.”
Our mission as believers in Jesus Christ goes beyond an emotional response to hearing a great message. That won’t last. It goes beyond repeating Bible stories that we have heard others teach, or reciting some speech that we have been taught. We are Christ’s witnesses. A witness is someone who has seen with his own eyes. In court, a witness is not allowed to testify to what he heard from someone else. That is called hearsay. Testimony is confined to what the witness has personally experienced, seen and heard. The same is true of us as witnesses of Christ.
We testify by sharing our personal stories of how we met Jesus. We share how we have come to know Him. We share stories of His faithfulness. That is what it means to be His witness. And we do this not by our own strength or ability, but by the power of His Spirit living in us. There is a world of people around us living lives that are broken, empty, and hopeless. But we personally know a risen Lord that can radically change every life, just as He has changed ours. We just need to go beyond our borders and share His story, and our own.
Dear Lord, thank you for my story of salvation and for the work you've done in my life. Help me to not be ashamed of my story, but rather to share it so that others might come to know you. Amen.
Topics: Evangelism
