To Be a Witness, a Lifestyle…Exemplo

To be a witness is to transmit our passion

REFLECTIONS:

Read Romans 1:16 and 2 Timothy 1:6-12 and take a moment to answer the following questions:

➤Why is witnessing so important?

➤Paul talks about suffering for the Gospel. What motivates Him to continue to witness, and what does this inspire in your own life?

When we talk about witnessing, it is important to underline that it is simple. It is not something we have to force ourselves to do. On the contrary, it is something that should become natural. First of all, we are not talking about religion, but a relationship we maintain with the living God. We don’t talk about rules or laws, but a relationship of love with a God who has loved us so much that He chose to take our punishment so we would be reconciled with the Father by His death and resurrection. We do not talk about a boring life, but an extraordinary life full of fun, challenges, and victories. To witness is simple; it is about living a disciple’s life and sharing God’s love and the power of the Gospel in our lives. There is nothing theoretical. It is what we live, and it comes from a passionate relationship with God.

I have a friend who is passionate about hunting, which always leads him to talk about things associated with hunting when we spend time together. Even though it is a subject that doesn’t interest me particularly, I have sometimes noticed he is so passionate that I want to accompany him to experience it with him. It’s normal because passion is communicative, and this is how our testimony should be, an overflow of our passionate relationship for Christ.

Witnessing resembles a lit match that is approaching other matches. You know what will happen: these other matches will, in turn, become ablaze! In the same way, without the fire of the Holy Spirit and a divine passion for seeing lives meet Christ, without this compassion for those who will spend eternity in hell if they don’t hear and respond positively to the Gospel, without all of that, witnessing is just a constraint for us. We inflict this on everyone to whom we witness. So it is our responsibility to cultivate a passionate life for Christ and never allow our Christian life to become routine.

Paul declares he is not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. To really understand the power of these words, we need to go back to a foundation we have laid. Salvation doesn’t only just concern eternity, but it begins at our conversion, and the spirit, soul, and body of each person who chooses to believe are implicated. Understanding this gives a sense to our witnessing. We are passionate not only by God’s love but also by what God wants to do in the lives of the people we meet. What God has done for us and in us, He can and wants to do for others.

Our testimony is personal so that no one can question it. Even if we can discuss theology, debate questions on faith, or contest the existence of God, nobody can doubt what God has done for us and in us. The power of testimony is that it doesn’t depend on principles or theories but on experience lived. When we talk about our story and what we live with God, the Holy Spirit is at work to touch the hearts of our listeners. The Holy Spirit’s flame in us touches others because the Holy Spirit is always at work when we share the Gospel of God’s kingdom. Elsewhere, God’s wish is all would be saved (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4).

To conclude, we are to be witnesses everywhere and in all circumstances because our testimony is simply the result of our passion for Christ and our love for our neighbor. To love like this, we need to stop focussing on ourselves and focus solely on Christ. Passion is something nurtured and developed. Take up lifestyle choices allowing you to develop this passion. Think about one or two things you can do every day to do this, then write them down in your Bible and make them a habit.

MY DECISION:

➤What I have understood for my personal life:

➤ What I am deciding for my life based on what I have just learned:

➤ What you decide today will determine who and what you will be tomorrow!

Adapted from “un disciple en Marche” copyright 2018 by Luc Favre, published by Vie Victorieuse. All rights reserved.