The power to witness

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/ministry/theology/the_power_to_witness/

[sydneyanglicans.net] 22 Aug 2009--Have you ever felt powerless? Have you ever felt weak in the presence of others? Do you feel overwhelmed by the non-Christian world around you? Do you feel that your testimony to Christ is too weak and feeble to mention and that the criticisms of Christianity are too loud, vocal and confident to withstand? Are you afraid that by speaking up for Christ you will lose your job or your friends or the respect of your neighbours or family?

Witnessing is a distressing activity. Most Christians find it difficult. We prefer to keep our light hidden under the bushel.

We don’t feel like a city on the hill. Even when we are with Christians we can feel spiritually inferior. When we consider mentioning the name of Jesus to unbelievers we can feel tongue tied and afraid.

Witnessing is not always eye-witnessing. It is the activity of testifying to the truth. It can be the truth that we have seen with our eyes or it can be to the truth that we know. Jesus told Pilate that he came “to bear witness to the truth”.

Witnessing is always difficult because it is “testifying to the truth in the face of opposition”. The only times we are called as witnesses is when there is some doubt or disagreement about the evidence. It is only over things that are contested that there is any need for a witness to testify. So witnessing happens in the context of conflict and “trial”. Christian testimony always confronts the world.