And Jesus said to the Disciples, “Go into the entire world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15 NRSV).

We are all called to be witnesses of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. But too often an unnecessary burden of guilt is placed on Christians in regards to witnessing. The most misinterpreted idea is that Christians are somehow responsible for results. No one wants to fail. We must remember that we are the sower of The Word of God. The Word or Gospel is the seed and the most important element is the soil or the people receiving.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 tells us who is responsible for the result of our witnessing. It states “Who then is Apollos? Who is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe as The Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants working together.  You are in God’s field, God’s building.”

Maybe you are naturally shy, or a new Christian with little or no experience witnessing but Jesus challenges you to sow the Good Seed anyhow. It’s not about your talent, intelligence or charisma. It is about the power of the Seed (Word) and The Spirit prepared soil. The results belong to God. Faithfulness is your responsibility.

Some of the reasons that Christians fail to witness are:

• Ÿ  Fear of rejection
• Ÿ  Fear of offending
• Ÿ  Not knowing his/her responsibility. Not knowing The Word. We want to see results but we are only called to be faithful.
• Ÿ  Lack of know how – adequate preparation is the answer to this obstacle.  2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by Him, rightly explaining The Word of Truth.
• Ÿ  Not having a personal relationship with Jesus. Witnessing is sharing the new life that we have in Jesus. It is impossible to share what you don’t have. You must know Jesus Christ in a personal way and enjoy His life within. It is possible to say the right things about Jesus and even quote Bible verses. But sharing about Jesus and sharing Jesus is two different things. To witness you must process the inner assurance of a personal relationship with Jesus. You must do according to Matthew 6:33-“But strive first for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you”.

Brothers and sisters the time is now. Go out, reconcile God’s souls to Him. Today is the day of salvation!!!

God bless and empower you,

Pastor E. Ann Scott