Be Christ's Witness

If you’re going to tell people about Christ, you have to make it personal. What better way than to tell people what you’ve seen and how it’s impacted you personally. Relating what you’ve experienced is at the heart of being a witness. Why is this so important? Because you’ve just made it relatable instead of a story from the history books. It’s so important that we’re compelled to do this. For example, I found this in Acts 1:8

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We use witnesses all the time for the same reason. They give the court relatability and credibility. The Justice.Gov website reiterates this. It says:

Serving as a witness in a court proceeding is a very important civic duty. The federal judicial system cannot function without the participation of witnesses. Complete cooperation and truthful testimony of witnesses is essential to the determination of the facts of the case.1

Getting to the facts. That’s the whole reason we testify. I don’t know how many of you were ever a witness in a court of law I only ever had to be a witness once. It was a very interesting experience. It wasn’t anything like on Law & Order. No Perry Mason moments. It was very slow, matter of fact, “yes” and “no” answers with no room for long dissertation.

My case wasn’t glamorous or anything. There was a sergeant accused of being drunk on duty. This was important because he had been in 18 years and when someone is close to their military retirement, they want to ensure they doesn’t get a railroaded discharge, eliminating their military pension.

I knew he was struggling with drinking problems and he had already been sent for help. He lived just up the street from me and on two occasions, I was called by the British police to come retrieve my sergeant from their custody. But the serious charge was being drunk on duty. I was actually called as a witness for the dense. It was very blunt, yes and no answers.:

• Did I ever SEE the sergeant drink at work?

o “No” I answered

• Did I ever SMELL alcohol on his breath his breath?

o “No I had not”

That was it. No “the glove does not fit so you must acquit“ or anything like that. Just a few questions.

I was reading the criteria for a good witness in court. I went to Justice.Gov again. It said things like: Refresh Your Memory, Tell the Truth, Speak In Your Own Words, Be Positive and Confident1

All these things make you credible. We were all mesmerized by the OJ trail a few years back, and the defense strategy was to simply destroy the credibility of the prosecution witnesses. To take Mark Forman, tainting his impartiality to make all the evidence, no matter how compelling or any astronomical probabilities crumble.

When I was a witness, my credibility was established by the fact that I was the man’s Flight Chief and interacted daily. And, although others in my flight said he smelled like a brewery, I couldn’t testify that I personally smelled it.

So, let’s look at those criteria for a witness as if you were a witness for Christ.

Refresh Your Memory. You have to know your testimony.

First, know the scriptures. We have written accounts of God’s interactions with man since man’s beginning. We need to know why Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden. We need to know of Lot, Abraham, Moses, and the 10 Commandments. It’s important to know of David and Elijah. We should know John the Baptist and most importantly of Christ and the early Christians.

Know the Gospels. If you know the what was written, when questioned and cross-examined, you have accounts and teachings of centuries to draw from. You can withstand the Sadducees of our day who will try to use our own words as a weapon against us.

Mostly, you will have the tools to testify to those who do not know the word. It is crucial that if someone is searching for the truth and is questioning and cross examining your beliefs, that you answer them confidently. Who would you rather see on the witness stand, a person who says “I think” or a person who says “I know”. Who would be more encouraging to you to go out and witness yourself, if you were with a group that flounders, or a group that is determined and purposeful.

Speak In Your Own Words. Be articulate when you are on the witness stand. It you’re only just repeating or talking like an encyclopedia, people will only think that’s what you’ve read. It was important that when you are presenting the truth, you put it in such a way that it is understood. You cannot witness or encourage if you have trouble developing your message. Lots of times when I am presenting facts, I don’t always know what else to say when someone says they don’t understand. Usually we end up repeating the same thing over and over, sounding like a broken record; unable to impart the message we are trying to pass along. The more you know a subject, the more avenues you have to relay that subject to others. You can choose different examples and point out different instances.