Unfortunately this topic often degenerates into a discussion
of maintaining a set of subjective Christian ‘standards’. Those who do not share the collective
mind-set are strongly encouraged to take-in the ‘truth’ or be subject to
eternal condemnation. Witnessing is turned
into an exercise of judgment and condemnation of the unsaved rather than an
effort to spare them. This entire
outlook is based on an arrogant and therefore evil philosophy that humans have
‘anything’ to do with the saving of souls.
ONLY Christ saves the human soul.
No human is capable of accomplishing that. We are not commanded in the Bible anywhere to
‘save’ others, only Christ can do that.
Our role is defined better is just a bit.
Then consider the case of those who fear ridicule of their
peers who do not have any faith, or perhaps have been so badly damaged by
Christian zealots that negativity is the only response to any mention of
faith. Preaching to these non-believers
is not likely to have any substantial positive outcome. If your peers otherwise like you, they may
tolerate your lecture – if not, it will be quickly discarded, and you will
likely be avoided like the black plague.
The fear of this outcome keeps many Christians silent on all matters of
faith. They artfully avoid any situation
that might cause them to have to either publically declare for Christ, or deny
Him as Peter did.
The problem with looking at witnessing in either of these
contexts is that it completely misses the point. Again, you cannot share what you do not
know. Have you experienced the saving
grace of the Savior in your own life, or have you just heard about it the lives
of others. Do you know what it means to
be forgiven, or is this something for the less fortunate? When God causes you to realize your plight, seek
His assistance, recognize your weakness, and allow His transforming power to
alter the course of your life – what real affect does it have on you? Having experienced these things, witnessing
is not a chore. Witnessing is not some
random command Christ gave us before returning to Heaven to prepare it for
us. Witness is as automatic as
breathing. You cannot share what you do
not know. But you cannot contain what
God does in you, through you, and for you.
When the light burns bright within you, it WILL light the darkness all
around.
It is not your job to start the fire, that is up to
God. It is not your job, to shape the
minds of others, that is up to God. All
you can do, is share what you have seen, what you have heard, what you have
witnessed in your OWN life. This is all
that is relevant to anyone you know.
Pointing others in the direction of the source of the changes is your
role. You are NOT God. You do not save, nor judge, nor condemn. You speak out, and your language will betray
the thoughts of your soul. Once having
been seriously touched by the finger of God, you will be powerless to avoid
witnessing, and you have no desire to avoid it.
How could you not share the most wonderful experience known to man on
this planet earth?
The words you need to say, will not be your own. The words will be provided by God when the
time occurs. But you cannot share what
you do not know. God is real. Belief in Him will change you. If you profess a belief in God, be prepared
to see your life become changed. Your
patience will increase. Your love will
increase. Your less than perfect habits
will begin to change. God is real. When He makes a promise to save you, He does
not break it. If you accept God, He WILL
enter your life and heart. He will begin
to make changes, as many as you learn to allow.
He never forces Himself on you, but patiently calls you to repentance
and then to reform. If God presented you
a list of all the things that were ‘wrong’ with your life, your behavior, and
your thinking all at once – you would commit suicide quickly. The reason the evil ones cry for the rocks to
fall on them at the appearance of God in the clouds on His return, is the
all-at-once realization of how evil they are, and how perfect is the Lord. Evil is unable to stand in the presence of
such holiness.
This is why Moses was not permitted to look on God’s face
while he was up on Mount Sinai getting the Ten Commandments. God was not being shy in the mountains, He
was careful to protect Moses from the full view of perfection while Moses
suffered under the condition of sin, an otherwise terminal disease. God showed Moses only what he was capable of
seeing without a total collapse under the burdens and guilt of his condition. Even the brief glimpse of our Lord, causes
Moses’ hair to become white as snow, and left him with a visible glow of light
radiating from him. Just being in the
presence of the Lord caused Moses to become a-glow with the light of the Lord,
quite literally. God has not
changed. Being in His presence has not
changed.
When you spend time in the presence of the Lord, in private
study, in church or fellowship with like believers, in your secret prayers, in
a concert that glorifies His name – a light is ignited in you. When the Spirit of the Lord sees fit to
amplify that light, you cannot help but become wholly consumed by it. It overflows your life. It alters your speech and makes the
illiterate become the most articulate yet simple and clear in sharing the pure
truth of God. Those dulled by the
effects of sin, spend time at the feet of their Lord obtaining the forgiveness
that truly forgives and makes changed in their very soul. At this experience, no one can keep silent. We are driven to share, driven to point
others to the source of all good in our own experience. Being in the presence of our God now has the
same effect on us as it did on Moses – we carry a light into the world.
Have you ever met a genuine Christian before? You know what I’m talking about; a person who
you just KNOW is a true humble servant of God.
A real prayer warrior. A real
genuine believer. You know how you were
able to see these characteristics through the veil of sin that covers us
all? It is because that person’s
connection with God is so strong the light shines through the darkness and
reaches your perceptions. It is not
because that person is some sort of Saint.
They struggle just like you do with the evil that infects this
world. It is not their glory you see, it
is the reflection of the Light of the Lord you see shining through them. You can pay these people no real compliments
as they would be the first to decry their own righteousness. They above others know there is no good thing
within them. The goodness you see comes
from the source of all Good, and is simply reflected through them because they
allowed it to occur. You can do the
same.
What Moses accomplished for God is not some ancient history
lesson for the Jewish people. It is a
current provocative challenge to those who follow God today. Are you willing, as Moses was, to allow God
to control your life’s direction? Are
you willing to allow God to choose your destiny for you, to send you where He
will, to have you do what He chooses for you, and to work His power through
your fraility? If so, you may well be on
your way to being this generation’s Moses.
And there need not be just one.
God has room for a nation of those with faith stronger than Abraham,
dedication like that of Daniel, leadership like that of Moses, wisdom like that
told of Solomon. The Bible is full of
flawed, frail, human beings, who struggled – failed – and were forgiven. They accomplished so much not because they
were special, but because they were willing.
Are you willing? Are you ready
for the ride of your life? God waits
only to hear you simply say yes … Then
watch the witnessing begin. You will
share what He leads you to understand, it is impossible to hide the light in
darkness …
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