Like Batman, you’ll have many pop culture tools in your utility belt to witness to the world. But what are the core, solid, and basic tools you’ll need to “go the distance?” And when you’ve opened the door with a person through engaging them in a current film or piece of music, what are you going to say from there? As I said earlier in this book, I’m not here to give you the words. The Holy Spirit can do that just fine, thank you very much. But I am going to give you a few reminders (and you know I like reminders) of stuff you already know (“Duh,” again) – but lets face it, we all need reminders. The world pulls at us in so many different directions, and you know the Devil is on the prowl to pull us away, distract us, and confound us any time he can, (“Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8) that we need to be reminded and refreshed about how to maintain, keep focused, and...“go the distance.”
So here is your own utility belt of items to keep, practices to do daily, habits to get into. You know these things but ask yourself if you really KNOW them and practice them. Know and practice them so well that they become part of your identity, part of who you are so that you cannot function properly without them.
They are that important.
1) Read the Bible daily
The key word here folks is DAILY. You say, “I know, I know.” You may even have good intentions. My friends, intentions are bunk. Remember our pal Yoda who said, “There is no try. There is only do.” Remember our Nike slogan. “Just do it.” I’m pounding these things over and over because we don’t do it. And we have to. The Bible is a living, breathing, powerful tool. It is God’s word. And that word is alive. It is inerrant. It is God-breathed. It’s not a bunch of feel-good stories or nice words of wisdom to put on a mantel above your fireplace (though it’s okay if you do). Jesus is not just a teacher or prophet or composite of good attributes, or a caricature or a metaphor. The Bible is power. The Bible is truth (not subjective but objective) – the ultimate and only truth because the Bible is God. Words are powerful in and of themselves, yes. But the Word of God is the King Kong of powerful words.
Hear His Word now:
“In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
“For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” Hebrews 4:12
As Christians, we need to be constantly growing, reinforcing, remembering, and applying God’s Word in our life and in our witness. It’s so very, very easy to get distracted. I try to set aside time in the evening to read four chapters – one from the Old Testament, one Psalm, one Gospel, and one New Testament. Do I do it all the time, every day? No. But for the most part I do and I continually work toward and pray for the strength to read the Bible daily. Without it, folks, we just drain away, we atrophy, and we forget. We do. But we cannot. Make it a point to work on reading God’s Word daily no matter where you are, no matter what time of day. One chapter or ten, even one verse (but come on, at least set a minimum of one chapter, it’s shorter than your average magazine article) whatever, but do it. And don’t just read it. Study it, absorb it. And, memorize it...
2) Memorize the Bible
That is, memorize verses. You’ve seen throughout this little book all the wonderful verses of encouragement, direction, and strength that I hope you take time to memorize. Spending time not just reading but memorizing will help you in your witness. When you are nervous or seeking just the right thing to say to someone, yes, the Holy Spirit will guide you, but the Word of God will be more effective in your witness when you already know it. The words just flow off your tongue as the Holy Spirit pulls them from the memory cells in your brain and plants them on your tongue. So make sure as you are reading the Bible, you are spending separate time to memorize God’s Words and make them your words.
3) Go to church
I often read about people saying they have God in their life or in their heart but they don’t need church or “organized religion.” Religion has taken on a bad connotation it seems as well as has church and that’s a shame.
The bottom line is you need church. You need fellowship. Church may be a hospital sometimes, but really it’s a gym. You need to power up and refill your battery cells after being in the world for the last week. God dwells in your heart yes, but He really dwells in His church. (“For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20).
Christ instituted the church on earth when He sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles. Who wouldn’t want the chance to praise, pray, sing, learn, partake in Holy Communion, and dwell with God among your fellow believers? I don’t understand people who say they believe in God but do not “Honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” as God commands. Look at how believers acted amongst each other at the church’s formation: “And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Acts 2:44-47.
That’s church, baby!
Unity in Christ – Working Together With One Heart & Purpose
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2
And don’t be a church hopper. Yes, churches are run by humans and as humans, we sin, we bicker, we sometimes don’t get along. But that doesn’t mean you run away to a new church at the first sign of a struggle or difficulty. Stick with it. You don’t ditch your family for a new one when the going gets tough, do you? (Well, I suppose some do but is that what God calls us to do?) Why would you abandon your church then? Build something at your church – your relationship with your pastor, your fellow church members, your community. Stay with it and attend regularly and God will only continue to grow in your heart as you go out and face the world each day. I think people should be running to their church every Sunday. It’s a welcome reprieve from the day-to-day dealings of the world. And we carry the church with us. That is, we carry what God has implanted with us. We live our life for Christ daily. Remember the mindset – having a total worldview of God first in our life in all things. Church is simply the cherry on top of the sundae. And who doesn’t like Sundays (pun intended)?
So if you don’t have a current church home, find one already! Jesus is our example and He attended church regularly: “When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the scriptures.” (Luke 4:16) What makes you any different then? Remember the cowboy church. Find one that fits for you. You like rock and roll Christian music or traditional hymns? Find one that fits for you. Just don’t get too caught up in the style of your church over the substance of what is preached. Sure, you want to be comfortable, but instead of asking whether the church uses electric guitars in their service, first and foremost you should ask, “Is this church talking to me about the Gospel and the saving message of Jesus Christ?” Because, just like reading the Bible daily, you need to hear that message each and every week. Don’t tell me you know the Christmas story, you know the Lent story, you’ve heard the “Good Samaritan” or the “Prodigal Son” story a billion times. Maybe you’ve heard but have you HEARD it? Do you live it? Is it part of your being or DNA even? Make it so. We are creatures of forgetfulness and distraction and self interest. We need to hear the Gospel message as often as we can, especially if we want to be a witness of it to the world.
If all you are hearing at church are ways for life to be better for YOU, then you are in the wrong church. As Rick Warren said in “Purpose Driven Life,” It’s not about you. If the sermons you hear are all about ways to increase your financial wealth through Christian living or ways to be happier in your life – if all you hear is stuff about you, you, you – get over yourself! That’s not your purpose. Your purpose is, say it with me, serving God through sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ. And lo and behold, when you do that, you find your life is the best it can be – even if by the world’s standards it isn’t. We are not of the world as the saying goes. We are in it. And while we are in it, we need to act in it. We need to act on behalf of our loving Savior, follow His example, who served mankind His whole ministry. That’s our ministry, too. Be we can’t do it without a support group. You’ll find that support in your church.
4) Be prepared for attacks
Let’s face it, as soon as you start putting it out there and start living your purpose by witnessing about Christ, the Devil is going to jump all over you like white on rice. The Devil would rather you stay silent, go to church like a good little Christian, but keep your faith personal – that is, keep it silent, internal, and don’t share it with anyone. Sure, the Devil says, go do your church thing for an hour on Sunday, but then forget about it and get back to your real life. And keep that Jesus stuff to yourself. You have no right to force people to believe what you think. Everyone has the right to believe what they want so keep it to yourself.
Trouble from All Sides
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 2 Corinthians 4:8
Is that your life right now? It is for so many Christians. And it makes the Devil happy. But now it’s time to shake yourself out of this soul-deadening way of life, take up your armor, and kick some Holy-butt! You know the Devil is prowling around like a lion. You know you’ll have people look at you funny or even with disdain when you start sharing the Good News (that’s one of the reasons why you’re going to be clever about doing it through culture, but NEVER diluting the message either. Never sugar-coating or watering down the message of Christ. All roads do not lead to heaven though many want to believe that. But what some people want and what is real are two different things. Christ loves everyone and makes it so easy to love Him back. He did the hard work and His loving Grace saves us – why people push that message away and treat it as narrow-minded is a mystery to me but never mind. The purpose is still the same. We need to go the distance even when it gets hard), so just expect it and then leave it behind. Christ is there to strengthen and be with you so really what do you have to fear? I know, I know, you still have to actually “talk” to people, and put yourself out there. But it’s okay, really. You are going to do fine. And believe me, once you get going, you’ll dig it and wonder why the heck you haven’t been doing it before.
Remember, the Bible is your ally: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)
When You Suffer For Doing What Is Right
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 1 Peter 3:13-17
Yes, there will be some tough times perhaps. Look at what happened to Jesus’ apostles. Even John, who wasn’t killed, was banished to the island of Patmos, yet God still had work for him when He gave John the visions to write the book of Revelation. Christ himself said, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.” (Matthew 24:9) We read in Romans 8:17, “And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
And Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 1:18 & 21 & 25, “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God...Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe...This foolish plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.”
So you may get labeled as “narrow-minded,” “naïve,” “simple,” “intolerant,” or “foolish,” as Paul says. Not to sound glib but again, so what? “O God, I praise your word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:4)
But on the other hand, what will happen to your neighbor if you never say anything? What if God had you in mind to talk to your co-worker and you never did for fear of being labeled “the religion guy?” What will you tell God when He asks what you did with the talents He gave you? Did you bury them or did you put them to work? So don’t worry so much about yourself but instead be concerned with the things of God. Be concerned with sharing His Good News so that ALL might be saved.
By the way, this is another reason to get your butt into church and build a family of fellowship there in one place. The world will get colder and colder as you put on your armor daily to battle the Devil to save souls. You need the love, kindness, and support of a church family to back you up, power you up, and keep you up.
5) Keep Learning
As you start your witness, we’ve talked about keeping it simple. Share the Gospel. John 3:16. And that’s good. Practice your witness, your personal story, in the mirror or with another Christian friend. Write it down. You’re not trying to create a canned-speech here, but in the beginning, it’s good to get your foundation down. You prepare for job interviews. You have cue-cards when giving a presentation at work. Prepare what you want to say and as time goes on, you’ll add to your witness and be speaking off the top of your head with the Holy Spirit there priming the pump all of the time.
As you read the Bible, read other books on faith, the history of Christianity, witnessing, and of course all those great books on finding God with pop culture that I mentioned in the last chapter. The point is to keep growing in wisdom and knowledge. I think everyone should have a basic course in apologetics (that is, the ability to make an intelligent argument for the truth of Christianity and Jesus Christ as our savior). This ties in with having a “worldview” of your beliefs which permeates everything you do and not simply keeping your faith in a box on Sunday that you keep separate from the rest of your life. People like to complicate things and as we just read in 1 Corinthians, they look at Christianity as simple-minded and foolish, an out-dated belief system that worked in days of superstition but doesn’t work in today’s enlightened, science-driven, post-modern society. The message of the church and the invitation to Christ’s grace will always be easy and open to those who believe it. As Christians, God calls us to keep growing in our knowledge of Him, as He speaks to us in Hebrews 5:12 – 6:3:
“You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right. So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely, we don’t need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”
Amen. And don’t call me, Shirley. :-)
6) And last but not least: Prayer
In the movies you often hear the over-used line during some moment of crisis: “All we can do now is pray.” I saved prayer for the last in this list not because it’s the last thing you should do – no, it’s the first thing. I saved it till now because it’s the most important thing you can do. Again I hear you saying, “I know, I know.” But, like reading the Bible daily, I have to ask, “Do you?”
Prayer is the best maintenance tool you have on your utility belt to call on God for strength, wisdom, endurance, joy, you name it. As you live your life, as you give your witness, pray unceasingly. I mean it. Get a little chant going in your head throughout the day. You know the Jesus Prayer? It goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It’s a tradition for the Greek Orthodox church and what a great tradition. Start saying this little prayer throughout the day and soon it will be running through your head on auto-play.
Jesus Prays for Us
I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. John 17:15-18
The point is to call upon God, always. He is our strength, our wisdom, our source for everything, especially for being an effective witness. Here’s some good advice from God as He spoke through the apostle Paul: “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. And Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22. How powerful is that, huh? And, this: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2).
Just go back to step one – Read the Bible, and combined with prayer, you have a powerful combination. Top it off with the strength and support of fellowship through your family church and your continued drive to learn more – God will certainly bless your efforts.
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