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Can I get a witness?
by darlene hight
I wonder if Jesus hadn't appeared to the disciples after the crucifixion, would
there be Christians today? Would Peter boldly proclaim Jesus' story if he hadn't
seen him with his own eyes? I can almost hear him, " I know this is true because
I saw him!" Few things carry as much weight as the words of someone who
witnessed an event first hand.
I remember with clarity an experience that I had as a new Christian. This
experience happened one night as I sat alone crying in my living room and doing
what I now recognize as praying. I said weakly, " God, I can't do this anymore."
Then in an effort to escape, I turned on the TV. A headache commercial came on.
The announcer said, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" The words
hit like a blast from a horn. I knew then, what I still believe today. This was
a direct answer from God.
The next day, I tried to relay the story to a friend. She was unimpressed. After
all it was a commercial. It could easily be discounted as coincidence. I had to
learn to be discriminating about which stories I share but that incident was a
seed of assurance, an anchor of hope for me. I became keenly aware that God is
an active presence in my life. I wanted to shout that news from the rooftops!
How can we keep silent when so many need what we have? Isa 62:1 'For Zion's
sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's I will not remain quiet till her
righteousness shines out like the dawn.' People celebrate in the streets
when wars are over. When Sadaam was caught people wanted to spread the news. The
message didn't end until it became old news.
Has Jesus' victory over death become old news? Is that why Christians have
become silent? How many hopeless funerals can we as Christian's endure in
silence? Paul reminded Timothy (2 Tim. 1:8) not to be ashamed to testify
about our Lord. Mat.10:32 Jesus warned us that whoever disowns him before
men he will disown before the father.
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Is God doing anything in your life? The smallest thing that you share may be
a lifeline to someone else. Once something that a man shared in my bible study
was lifeline of hope for me. His words motivated me to talk one more time to my
husband about our struggling marriage. This became a first step and what may
have been the determining course correction that saved our marriage from
shipwreck.
Proverbs 25:11 ' A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of
silver.' The church needs to be a place filled to the brim with golden
apples! We might even want to spread a few bushels of those apples around
outside of the church.
It's interesting that God didn't say that a word aptly spoken is like a bowl
full of warm spinach or Brussels sprouts. He didn't say share the good news
because it like spinach is good for you to eat and make everybody eat.
We will always have skeptics, even when we are offering golden apples but it is
still good news! Hasn't God done something that can be shared with enthusiasm?
It's not an 'eat your spinach' message. It's a golden apple message.
One Saturday my husband, son and son in law spent the day playing paint ball.
When they got home my daughter and I heard an enthusiastic accounting of every
shot that hit its intended mark. They laughed and talked for over an hour. They
couldn't wait to point out every bruise! I can't help wondering what would
happen if Christians gave testimony to God's work with the same bravado. Would
we experience a taste of the early church? Can you imagine what it would be like
to say," and about three thousand were added to their number that day "?
Darlene Hight
Darlene is a writer who travels with her husband across rural United States as
he builds ethanol plants. She is editor of Riders & Reapers online magazine.
www.ridersnreapers.com Be sure to
check out her Rural Adventures page and drop her a note.
Article Source:
http://www.faithwriters.com
