When Jesus was instructing the disciples he told them to stay in Jerusalem until they were visited by The Holy Spirit who would empower them to be witnesses for Him. Acts 2 tells that story…. and they were witnesses.

Did you know that the Greek word for witness in the NT is the word “martyr”? Yup – you didn’t witness for Jesus in the 1st Century and live a life of ease. There was a price to be paid. It’s not the image of being a witness that we think of. We tend to think of 4 spiritual laws or carrying a large KJV Bible.

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was to be a witness to the God of Creation, the Great Jehovah. But they became a violent, unfaithful, unreliable witness. Eventually, their disobedience led to their exile. But for the most part, it was expectation that the nation would be a witness.

In the New Testament, we think of a more individual witness, but remember it was the image of the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Follower of Jesus. There is an expectation that

And what does it mean for us to share our faith. Unfortunately telling people we go to church has too often has been the limit of our witness. The opposite weakness in sharing our faith is the dominant and arrogant declaration of “turn or burn”. Yikes, can’t believe people think that’s helpful.

I turn to the story of the Good Samaritan or the Woman at the Well, or, for that matter, Paul’s summary of the ministry of Jesus, “he went about doing good”. Living authentic lives, where kindness and faithfulness are dominant, I think, is what gives our testimony life.