8. Witness: Commission to Speak
"… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Jesus' final words before his ascension, as recorded in the book of Acts, make it clear that his followers were commissioned to serve as witnesses of his life, death, and resurrection – and the significance of these events for all people. This does not mean Christians today are called as witnesses in only a legal sense – testifying that these things actually occurred – but also that we are called to convey the good news about Jesus Christ and his message.
Fulfilling Christ's commission to be a witness by speaking on his behalf is certainly one of the most significant uses of the power of speech and one of the greatest ways we can help people, but it is not a responsibility that should be taken lightly. When Jesus gave his disciples this great commission, they had already studied with him for some three years, they had heard the gospel explained and expounded by Jesus himself, and they were well prepared to convey the message that had been given to them. The point for us today is that we too need to be prepared if we are to properly fulfill the commission of witness. Sometimes, although with good intentions, people who are new to the truth do not convey the gospel message properly because they do not yet fully understand it. The New Testament story of how Priscilla and Aquila had to instruct the enthusiastic but not completely prepared Apollos is a perfect example of this fact.
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John's baptism. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After
Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. (Acts 18:24–28 CSB) This is why Paul impressed on the young Timothy the importance of "rightly handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV) and why it is important that we understand the essential aspects of the gospel before we attempt to share it. On the other hand, we do not need to wait until we have achieved "perfect" understanding before we begin to witness to the gospel – we are all (or should be) growing continually in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), so no one has "perfect" understanding.
In the same way, we should never feel that our own lives and behavior are not perfect enough to tell others the good news of salvation. We should always be careful not to speak hypocritically – saying one thing and doing another – but Jesus nowhere said his followers must be perfect to serve as his witnesses – in fact, our own imperfection and Christ's perfection is part of the gospel message we are called to share.
So Jesus' command "let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16) does not mean that we must be spiritually perfect for our actions and behavior to influence others for good, and it certainly does not mean that if we are imperfect, we are unworthy to witness verbally. Witnessing with Words You have doubtless heard the saying "preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words" but while that thought may be wellintentioned it can be a misleading idea. Our lives certainly should witness to the work of Christ's Spirit in us, but unless others know we are Christians we may only appear as "good people" to them. This is why the apostle Peter could write:
Wives … submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. (1 Peter 3:1-2) In situations like the one Peter describes, the unconverted people know that their mates are Christians. In any case, what he says and Jesus' stress that our lives should be lights do not negate the fact that complete evangelism takes place only when the message of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is conveyed.
We see this fact continually in the Scriptures, but nowhere more clearly than in the writings of Paul. The apostle tells us, for example: "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ" (Romans 10:17). Paul also stresses: "It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak" (2 Corinthians 4:13). A final example from Paul's writing undeniably shows the necessity of proclaiming rather than simply living the gospel: "just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak" (1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV).
While it is true that actions sometimes speak louder than words, in other situations words are our best option – or even the only way we can convey the gospel. So we should let our light shine in words as well as in actions. The act of witnessing is not only about the message of the gospel, but it is also about how that message is conveyed.
Witnessing with Wisdom While it is not wrong to share the gospel with others in whatever setting we may find ourselves, it is usually better that it is not done indiscriminately. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7), and that certainly applies to Christian witness. Jesus talked about the principle of not giving sacred or spiritual things to those who are obviously going to reject them (Matthew 7:6) and it is clear that he often did not preach to people when he had opportunity to do so (Matthew 5:1; Luke 5:16; John 11:53–54; etc.). It is better to choose the time, place, and opportunity to share the gospel carefully rather than to feel that if we are simply around people, we should be witnessing to them.
A related principle to keep in mind is that it is preferable, whenever possible, to use a natural conversational opportunity to talk to others about Christ rather than to suddenly accost them with religious statements or questions. Extreme examples of this (such as "Repent or you will go to hell" or "Have you given your heart to the Lord?") frequently arouse hostility in people and doom the effort to introduce them to the gospel. The apostle Peter doubtless had this fact in mind when he wrote: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). Here, Peter places the emphasis on letting the unconverted person be the initiator of the discussion, and while that is not always necessary, it is certainly an ideal situation. And, of course, answering with respect – as Peter urges us – precludes berating people about sin or the kind of "in your face" presentation of the truth of salvation that many well-intentioned believers participate in.
Reading how Jesus guided his conversation with people – such as the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4:4–26) – can teach us a great deal about how we should present the truth to others. We can also lead conversations toward the point where others will ask questions. In any case, a great many natural opportunities arise in everyday conversation. For example, to a coworker offering condolences when they heard we had lost a relative we can say "Thank you, but as a Christian I believe that just as Jesus was resurrected, so my relative will be – so I do not grieve as many people do who do not have this hope." That kind of statement gives a totally natural opening for a conversation about the gospel if the other person seems interested. In the same way we can bring up some aspect of our beliefs when discussing books, activities, or in dozens of other ways.
Yet we should not feel under any kind of pressure to try to bring people to Christ quickly. The book of Acts gives us a good example of that fact when it records an important conversation between Paul and the Jewish king, Agrippa:
Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." (Acts 26:28 –29) In saying this, Paul showed that he felt no urgency to bring Agrippa and others to Christ – just a desire for that outcome, however long it might take. Witnessing with Joy Our efforts at evangelizing may never be as successful as those of Paul, or someone in our own day like Billy Graham; but God still expects us to do our part. And this should be a labor of love that is not driven by feelings of guilt or desperation.
Ultimately, we cannot convert people – only God can do that. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul tells us: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Nevertheless, despite the pervasive spiritual blindness, God frequently chooses to empower our efforts when we desire to help others to come to the light. We are all called to share what we have been given, and the truth of the gospel is certainly the most valuable gift that we can share.
This can be done in dozens of ways, so it is always possible to find a way that works well for our own situation and the circumstances around us. Apart from simply sharing the gospel verbally when that is appropriate, we can invite people to an outreach event or a service at our church, or give them a book about Christianity and offer to discuss it. We can mention a website that teaches the Bible and that we have found helpful. We can start a social media account and use that as a venue to spread the word. The possibilities are nearly endless, so we should never feel we lack opportunity to witness with words as well as through our actions.
Just as the Son of God is a "faithful witness" for God (Revelation 1:5), so we are commissioned to witness for him: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21), and we are sent, above all, as witnesses. Witnessing is an inherent and essential part of being a Christian and one of the most worthwhile opportunities we have to use the God-given power of speech. If it is done with care, witnessing can be successful, and it can be done not only with joy on our part, but also in the eyes of God (Luke 15:7).
CONCLUSION
Throughout this book we have continually stressed the negative and positive aspects of the power of speech, but there is so much more that could be said regarding speech and how we as Christians use it. In fact, this book could easily have been made twice as long and still all the possibilities would not have been covered!
Do we, for example, ever use speech in order to manipulate people, or do we only use our words for the benefit of others as much as for ourselves? What about flattery – which both the Old Testament and New Testament condemn? The difference between flattery and encouragement can sometimes be small – it depends not so much on the words used as whether we seek to help another or to get something from them – and whether, as the apostle Paul tells us, "we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts" (1 Thessalonians 2:4 CSB).
We have not been able to consider many such questions, but what we have done in the preceding pages is to examine some of the most important overall aspects of speech to see how they can be used both negatively and positively – applying the power of speech for wrong or for good uses. This potential for the good and evil use of speech is something we must never overlook. It is the basis for the words of Jesus himself – who told the outwardly religious people of his day: the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Matthew 12:34–35)
Those words were the context for Christ's powerful reminder that:
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36–37 ESV)
But as we have seen throughout this book, what we say need not hurt us or others. For every potential negative use of the power of speech, there is an equal or greater potential for its use for good – as a source and a cause of guidance, support, and encouragement. Paul emphasized this in writing "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them" (Ephesians 4:29 NLT).
Our speech can also be a powerful witness for our beliefs and way of life – just as we saw that Luke tells us of Jesus: "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips" (Luke 4:22). This should, indeed, be the goal of every Christian – and it is one that we can attain if we continually choose to use only the positive power of speech!
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