Witnessing - sharing our faith. Why is it that the word can make us cringe? Why does it call up images of awkward conversations, or standing on a soapbox with a megaphone, or handing out little pieces of paper with the gospel message on them and running away? Perhaps it's because we look at it as an isolated event. As we integrate God into our entire lives, we ought to recognize that there are no isolated events. The people we witness to have a past and a future, and what we say and do, and the way we say and do it, will impact that future, and perhaps shed light on that past. We carry an incredible responsibility as God's witnesses, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming, and we don't know where to begin.
First of all, we can't share a faith that we don't have. We can't bear witness to something or attest to its truth until we have experienced it and are certain of it. That doesn't mean we have to have all the answers, it means the best way to start witnessing is to get to know God better. "Wait, hold on, don't you mean we need to start by talking to people?" Let's think about that question. What's the use of talking to someone about God if we have nothing to say? Until we have the confidence that comes from really knowing Him, we may be the ones having awkward conversations or handing out pieces of paper and running away. Until we understand His mercy, His closeness and His concern, we may be the ones yelling from a soapbox.
Now that you have a strong faith in God, what next? Start talking to people, right? Actually, the next step has very little to do with words. Next we need to live out our faith. Do we want to share a living faith, or a dead faith? James 2:17 says, "...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." As we get to know God and live out our faith, we start to reflect God's light to those around us quite naturally. By this point our lives are already a witness to others.
Does this mean that we're off the hook? That we don't need to say anything because our lives will speak for us? No, our faith and our actions are the springboard for our words. Now we pay attention, looking for the opportunities that God places in our lives to speak to others. Now we can truly live out 1 Peter 3:15, "...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have...." I can say from experience that witnessing is more difficult than just speaking, because it requires all of our lives, and yet easier than just speaking, because by the time we speak, the foundation has already been laid. Now I'm not saying that God can't, doesn't, or won't work through someone simply talking to a stranger through a megaphone, or handing out Bible verses, because stranger things have happened. I'm saying that God created each of us distinct and unique, and with a purpose. Witnessing doesn't have to be a strenuous ordeal, it can flow out of our unique, distinct purpose, and reflect God as we simply become the people He created us to be.
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