“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.” – Acts 1:8
Every Christian is called to be a witness for Christ. Jesus said the words above from Acts 1:8 as His last instruction to His disciples before he left the earth and ascended into heaven. For all those who would follow Christ as His disciple, they are never to be silent about their faith and what Jesus has done for them. Instead, every Christian is commanded to share the gospel of what Jesus has done for all people. We are also called to stand for God’s Truth in our world (Zechariah 8:16). Unfortunately, there are many Americans today who call themselves Christians but rarely utter a word about Him or witness to their faith in Him and the truth of His Word.
Here in America, Christians have recently come under attack for expressing their Biblical views in the workplace, in schools, on social media, and in the public arena. Christians have been bullied, harassed, ridiculed, suspended, sued, fired, and even killed (e.g.- Charlie Kirk) for speaking publicly about their religious beliefs. I suspect many American Christians are afraid to speak out because of the potential ramifications of doing so.
Yet Jesus proclaims in John 16:33 that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In other words, followers of Christ are not promised a life of ease but a life of suffering! The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:17 that we must share in His sufferings if we are to share in His glory (resurrection). When we put our faith and trust in Christ, we must accept all that goes with it – the suffering as well as the peace and joy that the gift of eternal life gives us.
However, I really don’t think that fear of suffering is the main reason many Christians do not speak out about their faith or witness for Christ. Instead, I think it is because they don’t really trust Him or love Him enough to be a witness for Him. Their relationship with Jesus is most likely weak and based only on the promise of salvation they’ll receive by claiming to be His follower. To them it’s like a life insurance policy that pays off when they die but doesn’t impact how they live. Consequently, they are more afraid of losing what they have in this life rather than what they will gain in the next life. As Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
I know many Christians today, both inside my church and outside of my church, who rarely share their faith in public. I know that they go to church but then rarely talk about their faith in conversation or post anything about their faith on social media. They are often able to share their secular (worldly) beliefs and activities but not their faith or their church activities. If Christians won’t share their faith or witness for Jesus, are they truly worshipping Him and obeying Him (John 14:15)? Is their faith alive or dead (James 2:17)? If Christians can talk about worldly things and not about Jesus, does that not indicate where their true treasure is (Matthew 6:21)?
I used to be a Christian who kept my faith to myself. I would only talk about Jesus or my faith inside the church or with other Christians. Although my parents took me to church from an early age, during that time I don’t recall that they ever talked about their faith explicitly at home while I was growing up. I attended a Lutheran Church where many people like my parents believed that faith was a personal and private belief. As a result, sharing one’s faith was not emphasized. Lutherans were good at Bible study, singing, and fellowship, but not necessarily in that order!
When I began my business career in the late 1970’s people in general did not talk about their faith or church activities in the workplace. It wasn’t forbidden; it just wasn’t something most people did. I also thought it might hurt my chances for advancement in the company. But as my faith grew in the 1980’s it began to bother me that I never talked about my faith in the office or with my coworkers. One day I decided to say something and see what would happen.
On a Monday morning when people returned to work after the weekend, the most common question I got was, “So, how was your weekend?” Instead of just saying it was good, I responded that it was great because I played guitar for the children’s choir at our church yesterday and also sang in our church choir. If they were Christian, they would respond with “what church do you go to?”, and we would then discuss our respective churches and talk about our faith and church involvement. I discovered that most of my coworkers were Christians, but we had never talked about it in the workplace.
If they were not Christian, it opened up a dialog about what we each believed. It was so natural and comfortable. I wasn’t trying to evangelize or convert anyone to my faith; I was simply sharing what I did and why. In other words, I witnessed my faith! After that discovery, I felt comfortable about witnessing for Jesus (sharing my faith) around the office when I had the opportunity and it was natural.
A few years later, one of my coworkers left the company for a new job elsewhere. But before he left, he pulled me aside and told me how witnessing my faith in our office conversations impacted his life. He said it caused him to reflect on his own faith. As a result, it led him to return to his church that he had stopped attending years earlier. This really helped me understand the importance of witnessing our faith to others so that we “encourage one another and build each other up” as the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
As Christians we need to be Christ’s witnesses and to share our faith so that others can hear the Good News and have the chance to respond to His invitation. We must not remain silent when we have the chance to share Jesus with others. The Apostle Peter says we should “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Our job is simply to witness our faith and share the Good News of Jesus with others. God will do the rest!
So, will we be true followers of Christ and witness our faith? Will we be prepared to give an answer to someone who asks us about our faith? I earnestly pray that we will!
Can I get a witness?