People are not convinced by talk. They need to see that people actually believe what they are saying and that their beliefs are central to their lives.
With so much of New England and the Northeast under 3% evangelical, it can be disheartening to think that Christianity is on the decline and has lost its influential power. This has caused many Christians to lose heart and give up on sharing their faith.
It has gotten to the point that whenever Christianity is mentioned in public it is only to criticize it as an outdated religion hard bent on subverting the culture. The world doesn’t have anything nice to say about Christians, and with all of the hate it can be easy for believers to become defensive and angry.
How do we as Christians overcome the challenges we face to stay motivated to witness?
If we know the Gospel and we are motivated by the love of Christ, we simply need to live according to the Gospel and we will find plenty of witnessing opportunities, even under the worst conditions.
Being Salt
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet” Matthew 5:13.
Salt, as it was used in biblical times, is a preservative. This gives us a unique function to play within culture. When Matthew penned his Gospel account, he was writing to a Church that was facing persecution. We would think that the best way to preserve Christianity in the face of abuse would be to retreat from the oppressors, but Jesus tells us to press into culture.
Throughout history, Christianity has always flourished in the margins and floundered in the mainstream. Jesus taught His disciples what they should expect if they were to be His followers. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).
The world around us today is turning on Christianity and it can be easy to get defensive, but we have to remember that we were all once enemies of God. When we examine the worst offenders in this world, we have to remember that we were once counted among them. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11). Our story reveals the power of the Gospel to transform the most vile of individuals into the Children of God. We should never lose sight of the power of the Gospel.
The secret to being salt in society is simply living by faith; trusting God and being led by His Spirit. There’s nothing particularly supernatural about being a faithful Christian, but it has tremendous power in society. We are to be in the world, but the world is not to be in us. We have to get out of the salt shaker and into the world, as Rebecca Manley Pippert would say. When salt is not actively doing what it has been designed to do, it is essentially just like any other rock or mineral. Salt that has compromised its preserving properties is no better than gravel.
It’s easy to sit around and complain about how bad our culture has fallen. Especially when we are feeling attacked. But if we are called to be the salt of the world, we cannot remain in our holy huddles complaining about the rotten smell of an evil society when we were called to be the cure and preservative.
Being Light
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:14-16.
The world is watching Christians. They may be looking for reasons to discredit us, but Christianity under public scrutiny means that the Gospel is in their view. The Apostle Paul never saw criticism as an impediment but an opportunity to advance the Kingdom. In fact, some of Paul’s most eloquent Gospel presentations were while he was standing before governors and magistrates as a prisoner in court. Even the Apostle Peter picks up on this point. “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (I Peter 2:12).
We certainly are living in dark times. Sin is not only commonplace but it is being heralded as the ideal way of life. But as my dad has always said, “The darker the night, the brighter the light.” This doesn’t suggest that our testimony gains strength from evil, but living the Christian life during difficult times certainly amplifies its impact.
We make a difference when we live out our faith in front of the world. People are not convinced by talk. They need to see that people actually believe what they are saying and that their beliefs are central to their lives. The world needs to see that we hold to our values even when it is not popular to do so.
This is not only crucial for our witness to unbelievers, but it is essential for our own encouragement. When we live out our faith and test the principles that God has given us, we will see the beauty of following Christ and be motivated to persevere in difficult times.
Being Ready
“13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.” I Peter 3:13-17
As we begin to live out our faith, we will find that we have plenty of opportunities to be witnesses. That is why it is important for us to love God and know the Gospel so that we will be ready when people ask us about our hope.
The Great Commission tells us to go into all of the world and make disciples. Often we think this is a call for an aggressive approach to evangelism. While it is important for us as Christians to proclaim our faith with words, the more common approach throughout the Bible is by living out our faith. Some evangelists are so impressive that, in contrast, they make it seem impossible to be effective witnesses, but more converts are won at a dinner table than on the street.
To make ourselves ready, we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day and prepare our hearts with the message of hope so that it is fresh on our lips. We need to go to God in prayer and ask that He burden our hearts for the lost and open our eyes to see all of the opportunities that He brings across our path. We need to apply the principles of the Gospel to our lives so that others might see our good works. Then, we had better be ready. Because the fields are white unto harvest, and those who see our witness will ask us about our hope.
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Rev. Adam Miller is the President and Host of Songtime and can be heard daily on the Songtime Radio Broadcast
This article was adapted from a series of seminars entitled, “Motivation to Witness.” If you would like to have Adam come and speak on this, or another subject at your Church or ministry, please contact the Songtime office.