Acts 1:8 provides us with Jesus’s last instructions to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. It reads, “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.” This verse is foundational to the mission of the church and a role that each believer is called to play in it. We are ALL to serve as witnesses for Jesus in the world.
There are two different aspects of the word witness and I think both are equally important for understanding the expectation Jesus has for our lives. The first step in serving as a witness is seeing. As we go about our lives, we all have moments when God reveals Himself to us. Whether it be through reading the Word of God and coming to a deeper understanding of who He is, what He’s done, or what He’s promised to do in the future, or actual experiences of God’s power and presence in our own lives or the world at large, we are to have our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds open to moments when God makes His presence known. We are to witness His work.
The second step in serving as a witness is sharing; we are to provide testimony of what God has done or said. Much like someone taking the stand in a courtroom, our task is to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God, as best we can based upon our own personal experience and understanding. We are to serve as witnesses by sharing what we have witnessed.
Our task as witnesses is to provide our personal testimony.
This can often feel like a daunting task. But, at its core, I think it’s easier than we make it out to be. Our task as witnesses is to provide our personal testimony. The starting point for serving as witnesses to what God has done is not deep theological truths, but the truth of the difference God has made in your own life. The word gospel actually reveals the truth of it. Gospel is a conjunction of two old English words, God and spel, which means story. Quite literally the word means God-Story. The most basic means of serving as a witness is sharing your God-Story, the story of what God has done in your life.
Several years ago when I was serving as a youth pastor, I had a young man come up to me and tell me he didn’t have a testimony. He told me that he had grown up attending church. In fact, his mother went into labor while they were in church on Wednesday night for Bible study and she was back in church the next Sunday with her 3 day old baby in tow. If the doors of the church were open, the boy was there. He had participated in every Vacation Bible School, summer camp, and mission trip the church had to offer and more. And, he really enjoyed it, felt it was important to his life, and believed it made a difference in how he saw and experienced the world. He quietly accepted Jesus in the pastors office when he was 5, was baptized a few weeks later, and had lived a rather uneventful Christian life since. He believed that since he didn’t have a dramatic story of God rescuing Him from a life of debauchery and sin that he didn’t have a testimony, but he was wrong. He had witnessed the grace and goodness of God in His life in amazing ways; he simply needed to share his experience.
You have a story and Jesus has called you to share it; You are to be His witness.
Some of us have dramatic stories of restoration, where God seemingly pulled us from the fires of Hell. Others have more gradual stories of preservation, where God seemingly guided us into Heaven over a lifetime. Whatever the case, you have a story and Jesus has called you to share it; You are to be His witness.
The good news is you don’t have to share it on your own. In His grace, God has provided you with the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower and embolden you to share your story. So, take a moment to consider what you have witnessed in your life. How have you seen the goodness and grace of God in your life? Then, step out and witness to what God has done in and for you. Share the good news with those who are willing to listen. God is still doing big things for us to witness and through our witness. Share your story.
