Speaking and Living Jesus

"With my mouth I will give thanks to the Lord;

I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

For he stands at the right hand of the needy one."

Ps. 109: 30-31

I have probably heard at least 1000 times the following statement made by a believer in Christ,

"I do not feel comfortable telling people about what I believe.  I prefer to let my life witness for me."

Have you ever heard this excuse/reasoning?  Have you ever given it?  I am sure that all of us have!  It has been making the rounds in Christian circles since the time of Jesus.  Let's take a fresh look at this often accepted thought.

On the face of it, I completely agree.  If our life does not match our witness, then we are by definition a hypocrite.  Our life should be a witness.

Yet, to what are we witnessing?  

My life should reflect good Christian morality.  My life should reflect my relationship with Christ.

While I think these two statements should equate, I do not think they mean the same thing.  I believe that by making them the same, we have made witnessing about Jesus something to which almost no believer feels comfortable.

Why?

What about when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and I snap at my family, my co-worker, or myself?  What about the awful muttering that I do under my breath?  What about my struggles with my "hidden hangups and sins"?  How can I witness to truth when my life is not really right?

I believe almost all of us feel these tensions.  We know we do not have it all together.  We have so many struggles.  Witnessing must be for people who have their life together better than we do.  Is there any wonder why the average PCUSA member invites some to church with him once every 17 years?  (An old statistic, but I am sure it remains true!)

Furthermore, what if I do live "good Christian morality'?  (However I define it)  My guess is that my co-workers, family, and friends will think that I am a great guy.  They will think that I really have it all together.  They will think that I am dependable, solid, loving, ... you fill in the blank to what you think you should witness to.

Here's the rub.  Where is Jesus to these people in which I am witnessing?  They like me, but why would I assume they will make the connection that Jesus is the one who made me this way?  If I am honest, which I rarely am, I am witnessing more to my morality, my uprightness. my way of life.  

I also will have to labor hard to maintain my reputation.  I know my secrets.  I know my struggles with living my faith.  I think even if I think this is true, I am still in the same place as the rest of us hypocrites!  Lord have mercy!

What can be done about this?  To what should we witness?

How about cutting through the hypocrisy of witnessing to and through my great (or not so great) morality?  Instead, we undercut the charge of hypocrisy by confessing and telling how much we need Jesus and how much grace He gives us daily.  As I presented in yesterday's post, all of us need Jesus!  What would happen if I merely confessed this truth?

Something wonderful happens when I bring up the name of Jesus.  When I confess my need for Him and how He is my only hope, the Holy Spirit shows up to confirm what I am saying.  I have also found that when I confess my weakness, people listen to me because they have the same issues and problems. Somehow the Holy Spirit works through the confession of Jesus as our only hope to bring Him all the glory.

In other words, without mentioning Jesus we are not really witnessing about Jesus.  Pointing to Jesus as your only hope and your present savior brings the power of the Holy Spirit into play.  

Our life should reflect our relationship to Jesus.  Does yours illustrate your dependence upon Him?  If it does, you have all it takes to be an effective and powerful witness to the gospel!