Why witness for Christ!
There are 3 reasons why we should witness for Christ. First, let me point out 2 things about witnessing in itself.
Becoming a witness for Christ is God’s work.
- Jesus said these words: “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8, ESV)
- God fills us with the Holy Spirit who propels us to witness.
God’s witness has both local and global impacts.
The rest of Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 state: “… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)
Witnessing for Christ wasn’t an easy task for the 1st century disciples. Even though most of them personally knew Jesus, they still went through a lot of challenges.
Those disciples were looked at as a sect. As a result, Saul (the one to become the apostle Paul) and the Jewish leaders resolved to get rid of those early Christians.
A turning point, however, took place when Saul (later known as Paul), based on Acts 9, converted into Christianity.
Later, in his ministry, the apostle Paul was not only instrumental to taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to other nations in the 1st century. But, he embodied the reasons why we should witness for Christ.
Unlike the other apostles, Paul never personally knew Jesus when He was here on earth. Therefore, his witness was entirely grounded in 3 things: faith, obedience and a sense of urgency.
These 3 are for us the reasons why we should also witness for Christ.
1. We witness for Christ because of our faith
Faith in Jesus Christ empowers us to witness.
Therefore we say like Paul: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1: 16).
Faith calls us to confession and proclamation.
Confession with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearth that God raised Jesus from the dead are the two ingredients for our salvation (Romans 10:9).
It is out of this personal experience of salvation we witness for Christ. In other words, we witness by sharing with others what Jesus Christ has done, and which has changed our lives for ever.
What that means is that we confess in our hearts Whose we are and proclaim in our mouth Who God has been to us. That’s witnessing for Christ out of our faith!
2. We witness for Christ as a sign of obedience
Obedience comes out of faith.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means that we have heard His voice and have chosen to follow Him. That is exactly what Paul did and you can read more about in Acts 9.
About following Jesus, He, Himself, told the disciples that, in order to do it, they had to do the following:
- They should deny themselves;
- They should pick up their crosses; and then
- They should follow Him. (Matthew 16: 24)
But, the great mission Jesus would like you to live for is found in Matthew 28: 16-20: “go and make disciples of all people…”
It is the command He left to the disciples then and is leaving to us now. Just as Jesus came to make disciples of all people, so should we.
A true disciple replicates the life of the master!
A good disciple isn’t only someone who claims to be walking into the foot steps of his master. His life should primarily be an exact replication of the master’s life.
Lining up your own life to follow what the master has taught you results into obedience. This virtue is more about becoming rather than just doing.
In our case, as believers, it is more about becoming just like Jesus Christ by embracing His lifestyle as detailed in the Bible.
3. We witness because there is a sense of urgency.
A sense of urgency was a big part of Jesus’ message.
A sense of urgency should not be confused with a sense of desperation. Most Churches engage in witnessing out of fear of a rapidly increasing decline in membership and worship attendance.
For Jesus, and as it should be for us, this sense of urgency has to do with three things:
- God’s kingdom is at hand;
- The harvest is plentiful; and
- There are fewer laborers (servants) in the field. See Matthew 9:37 and Luke 10:2.
When we go back to Acts 1, specifically verse 8, Jesus is talking about witnessing with both local and global impacts.
This sense of urgency calls us into doing the following:
- The awareness that the world is in need of God more than ever;
- Pray the Lord (Master) of the harvest to send more servants into the field (Matthew 9: 37, Luke 10:2); and
- Answer the call to serve in the field for God’s harvest.
So, why should you witness for Christ?
- You witness out of your faith in God through Jesus Christ.
- You witness for Christ out of obedience to Christ’s command to be His witness everywhere you are.
- You witness for Christ because you’ve answered the call to serve God for His harvest.
Are you a witness of Christ? If so, please, share this on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37, ESV).
