The Risks of Witnessing (ATW)
THE RISKS OF WITNESSING
Witnessing means obedience. Every time you do what God says to do or refuse to do what He says not to do you witness to the truth. And witnessing to the truth is a very risky business—risky in the world’s terms. You’re likely to be arrested, Jesus predicted, handed over to prison, brought before governors and kings. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, and thousands of others knew what He meant. They also understood what He said next: “Hold on, and you will win your souls. In the world you’ll have tribulation, but cheer up, I have overcome the world.”
Witnessing conquers the world, but it doesn’t exempt you from suffering. Witness enables others to see what they could not otherwise have seen. It changes the picture. Think of Stephen. He never minced any words. Standing before the highest civil and religious court of the Jewish nation, called the Sanhedrin, he witnessed. He spoke the plain truth about Israel’s history.
If miracles didn’t persuade them, what would Stephen’s defiance do? They ground their teeth at him in a rage and stoned him to death. But while the rocks were flying, Stephen saw something. He saw heaven opened, he saw the glory of God and Jesus Himself standing at His right hand. That’s witness. It conquers the world. It makes truth visible. It changes the picture.
When we see Stephen we see not the fury of the religious Jews, not the rain of stones falling on his head, but a man beholding the Lord. Faith stands in the midst of suffering and sees glory. The Church is here not to deliver us from suffering. The Church will make witnesses, those who see the promises of God, the angel in the lions’ den, the Son of Man in the flames, Jesus standing up to welcome His beloved Stephen.