Witnessing the religious way...is it Scriptural?
What
comes to mind when you are lambasted for your lack of witnessing? Are
you laden with guilt and shame because you are not witnessing for Christ? Do you get a dry mouth, break out in a sweat, feel nervous
and speechless when you have tried to witness? Did you go to witnessing
classes to become a better witness? Were you coached by a witnessing
expert? Did you learn how to give a polished presentation of gospel
witnessing? Did you learn the language of a good witness-er?
May
I be so bold as to suggest to you that God is not looking for ROBOT WITNESSES of denominated religions, nor is He elated with a polished
presentation of sharing Jesus with others.
The
witnessing of the gospel is not a polished presentation to win converts
to a denominated religion. Their presentation is not a presentation of
the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is divinely revealed by God
to those He is calling into relationship with Him. That means it really
doesn't matter how polished a speaker you are, or whether or not you've
been "properly trained" to evangelize. To be a witness of Christ is not a
"strategic" evangelizing exercise! This is a difficult reality to
accept for many "denominated religionists" who have made it their life's
mission to strategically evangelize people to join their religious
denomination.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn't a denominated business, nor
does the Gospel need a marketing campaign to solicit members to attend
a segregated gathering in a denominated building. The Gospel isn't there
so you can "enlist" and make God pleased with you because you are
witnessing...at least not the chore that religious witnessing is. God is
pleased with you when you are simply who He made you to be and when you
share Him genuinely from your own heart and experience in life living.
By all means, share Him with people, but forget everything you've been
taught about "the proper religious way to win people." Witnessing is more about being a living witness than about being a
telling witness.
The thing about trusting the Holy Spirit is that God can take our simplicity and humility and even our nervousness about saying the right thing, and translate it into the perfect presentation of God that a person needs to hear. When all that religious pressure comes off and we realize that we are totally free in Jesus, then we can begin to just live freely and trust Him. Witnessing is not the manipulative event that religion is involved in! Witnessing by believers is not a denominated denomination that are trying to suck converts into their fold to board some train for a ride to heaven. Witnessing is about Christ in us, working through us to accomplish His eternal plan for humanity! Imperfect people with real lives and real problems, but a very real and BIG GRACEFUL|L and LOVING God that we really trust and love and who loves us dearly.
You don't have to be religious to have God effectively reveal Himself through you to others. The whole point of the Gospel is that our righteousness is as filthy rags anyway, so Jesus clothes us with His perfect righteousness. You can strive all day, every day, to try to be a more religiously devout person, but it won't make you any more effective for God. Effective witnessing is engaging in a relationship with God and with people based on His LOVE and GRACE.
The thing about trusting the Holy Spirit is that God can take our simplicity and humility and even our nervousness about saying the right thing, and translate it into the perfect presentation of God that a person needs to hear. When all that religious pressure comes off and we realize that we are totally free in Jesus, then we can begin to just live freely and trust Him. Witnessing is not the manipulative event that religion is involved in! Witnessing by believers is not a denominated denomination that are trying to suck converts into their fold to board some train for a ride to heaven. Witnessing is about Christ in us, working through us to accomplish His eternal plan for humanity! Imperfect people with real lives and real problems, but a very real and BIG GRACEFUL|L and LOVING God that we really trust and love and who loves us dearly.
You don't have to be religious to have God effectively reveal Himself through you to others. The whole point of the Gospel is that our righteousness is as filthy rags anyway, so Jesus clothes us with His perfect righteousness. You can strive all day, every day, to try to be a more religiously devout person, but it won't make you any more effective for God. Effective witnessing is engaging in a relationship with God and with people based on His LOVE and GRACE.
Dedicating your life to a religious cause amounts to idolatry because we
should only give our lives in dedication to God Himself. Some people devote their
lives to a religious denomination more than to God and so they have
trouble knowing and obeying God when for themselves He directs them to do things that don't fit
the religious paradigm.
A relationship based
on adherence to a religious routine is not conducive to good gospel
witnessing. A big complaint of non-believers have of religious people is
that they come across as fake, hypocritical and insincere. They
talk like they have all the answers to life's problems but they too
often, by their actions, prove that they are just as messed up, just as
screwed up, confused and as frustrated by life's problems as anyone
else. People are not dumb, they see through the religious facade.
To make matters worse, rather than
simply pointing people to Christ as the answer to what ails them, they
"witness" by inviting people to their segregated building they call church...the place where religion manifests all its wisdom, emotion,
beauty and charm... that never seems to be relevant in living life when the denominated Sunday-programmed-event-driven-meeting is over. Religious people
believe "sharing the Gospel" is all about; inviting people to church to hear the Gospel. In
actual fact, that has NOTHING to do with the Gospel beyond serving as a
cop out. The witness of the Gospel is when someone shows them Jesus in
their daily living of life.
On the other hand, true Gospel witnessing can only be demonstrated from a
relationship based in Spirit and Truth that can only be realized by
understanding and appropriating God's Grace and Love.
Our witness must include three important truths as Paul declared in 1 Cor.15:1-4 namely death burial and resurrection of Christ.
ReplyDelete1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
If we witness like the early church we could get in trouble. What does Acts 5 say?
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
What should we do if we don`t have the same boldness as early church where when they were told to keep silent they witnessed more?
Acts 4:15-20King James Version (KJV)
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
It is not enough to just have the Spirit of God within. We need the Holy Ghost to come upon us.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.(Acts 1:8)
If we don`t have the boldness we need to make a trip to upper room. We can read about what happened when the church came out of upper room in Book of Acts.
On one occasion they were walking up to temple and saw a lame man there begging. What did Peter and John do and say?
Acts 3:
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Most of us in this day and age with our big bank accounts, huge pensions, and RRSP`s in bank, even if we have the boldness cannot say what Peter and John said so we have to change it a little so we wouldn`t be lying.
So to sum things up the courts doesn`t want a second hand witness and neither does God. We must come from a position of knowing as apostle Paul said and have experienced first hand the results of what the Gospel can do in peoples lives.