How to Become a More Effective Witness for Christ

“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

This is the Word of the Lord taken from Ephesians 6:13-18 Message version of The Bible. 

Here was the Apostle Paul speaking to members of the early Christian church in Ephesus. He was teaching on the spiritual tools needed for a Christian's journey. 

Paul said to the believers, and I also like how The Amplified version puts it: “So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),  and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Question.

Why do we find a lot of unbelievers not willing to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour? Because believers, Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, church folk, many of us talk the talk but we don’t walk the walk. We know the Bible but we don’t live the Bible. Our words have no backbone.

This is nothing new. Back in the days of the  early Christian church in Ephesus, comprising both Jews and Gentiles who had come to faith in Jesus Christ, Paul saw the need to admonish them to live out their faith on a daily basis. 

He provided these powerful elements that we too must actively apply in our lives as we seek to become effective witness for Christ. 

#1 We must live the Truth

To live the truth we have to know the truth. Amen. The truth that is contained in God’s Word. And if we know the truth we will live the truth. The two go hand in hand. 

Back to the Message version of The Bible, in John 8:31-32 it says “Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.””

James 1:22-24 says: “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.”

#2 Righteousness must prevail

God is righteous and we must live to please Him. So we have to make right choices, stand up for right and do right by others.

1 Peter 1:15-16: “So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.””

Isaiah 1:13-17 ““Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings— meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You’ve worn me out! I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.”

Ahh Jesus. More than words. Speak to our hearts on this new day Holy Spirit. May we hearken unto Your Voice Lord. More than words. May we live for You Father God.

#3 Peace must reign in our lives

Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above. Sweep over my spirit forever I pray, in fathomless billows of love. One of my absolute favourite hymns. If we want peace, we must let Jesus the Prince of Peace rule our hearts and minds. And then, even in the midst of our uncertainties and trials, we can find answers, remain calm and foster harmony.

Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. 

And Ephesians 2:14-15 “The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.”

#4 We must have Faith in God

Where would we be without faith? That trust and belief that we must have in God in order to face the challenges of life. Faith protects us from doubt and fear and gives us reassurance in God as a Promise-keeper.

Hebrews 11:1&2 “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.”

Romans 4:19-25 “Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.”

And #5 Salvation must be our end goal

What are we living for, if not for Christ and His promise of eternal life? When we look at the turmoil in this world today and experience the challenges ourselves, we can find joy as we look forward to this gift.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

John 14:1-4 says ““Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.””

Family, we are reminded today that this Christian journey is more than just words. It’s about truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation. Glory to God. 

It’s not just a feeling, this Christian journey. It’s not something you study and memorise so that you can impress people with fancy speeches and sermons. 

This Christian life is more than words. We must practice what we preach. Live the life we sing about. 

We must apply the concepts and principles we learned in Sunday School and Sabbath School and in Bible Study and evangelistic services.

As we do this Family, you and I will become stronger in our faith, better able to face the challenges of life, and be more effective in our witness to the world.  

aub - 3June24 

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