The city put a wooden sawhorse-like barricade over an indentation in our street with a yellow light that flashes at night. The problem for the past three weeks is that the sawhorse-like barricade is lying on its side in the grass by the side of the street. The light flashes but you have to be almost standing over it to see it. It’s almost the light Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount. That one you could stand over and not see.
The application here is overly obvious. We have heard it all our lives. “We have to get out there and witness.” The problem is “What do we mean by witnessing?” When I was small that meant standing on a street corner handling out pamphlets and then watching people toss them as they continued on their way. It meant being different by not eating certain foods when invited to someone’s home. That one always missed me as to how that made other people want to know our Jesus.
Some have told us witnessing is being the nicest, kindest, most honest person in our workplace, neighborhood or school. The fruit of that is people thinking you are the nicest, kindest, most honest person they have ever known. But does it make them want to know our Jesus? At some point it seems that we have to steer a conversation to a religious theme. But that is as dangerous as being a liberal in a group of conservatives. So how do we let our light shine? How do we witness? I have been to seminars trying to tell me how to do it but I have never been overly satisfied with the presentation. We all can’t be Billy Graham. So how?
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 29, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org