I read two of Wilbur Smith’s books—both excellent. Therefore Stand, an apologetics work, the other Biblical Doctrine of Heaven. An exceptional journalistic witness of Jesus, he proved equally incapable of a verbal witness. The man who could answer nearly any question asked about Jesus, and would write it eloquently, found himself tongue-tied when face-to-face with people. But Bro. Smith had the consolation of knowing that, in the gift God gave him, he excelled.
When we don’t verbally evangelize for Jesus, what consolation can we offer as our substitute? More often than not, we offer “witnessing”. That confuses witnessing and evangelism. Christians offer many witnesses to lost loved ones. A Christian couple in our Oceanside Bible Study had a burden for an unsaved couple. He hoped his and wife Helen’s example would elicit an opportunity to evangelize. Which is the import of I Peter 3:15. Christians should be so convincingly influenced by Christ that their very attitudes, language and demeanor attracts questions from the unforgiven. And from some it does. But, in the lives of some who have no interest in a Christian’s superior attitude, behavior and language, it doesn’t. They have grown so content with life in situ, they don’t bother seeing the contrast in the Christian; they need evangelism; and evangelism needs words that teach. The apostle Paul offered a witness on Malta. He participated when all who could found wood for the fire that warmed them after their swim ashore. Grabbing a bundle of sticks, he also gathered a poisonous serpent, which revenged its disturbance by biting the first flesh it found. When the apostle didn’t fall over dead, the Islanders (and likely the passengers) stared in wonder. Yet, Paul’s experience simple reflected the safety in danger all his first-generation apostles experienced Mark 16:15-18. What followed that witness came an invitation to other witnessing by the apostle Acts 28:7-10. Which led to many favorable impressions for Paul to evangelize. Since we extrapolate from what he could have done on Malta from what we know he did in Rome, Paul verbalized his witness. He word-of-mouth evangelized, explaining what the miracle meant, what the safety of their journey meant, when the message of Christ he brought meant to the Islanders. If Paul’s verbal preaching of Jesus in Rome reached throughout Nero’s “whole palace guard,” Philippians 1:13, we can be sure it would have reached throughout Malta in the three months they remained there Acts 28:11. End Part III In the finale, how Christians can evangelize, not merely witness. Virg
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|