today, of path, preachers (like the leisure of us) are more likely to "hold" the smartphone, tablet or tv far off along with the Bible. but the fact remains that modern circumstances can commonly result in discoveries of timeless knowledge.
That connection came about for me remaining week right through the U.S. apartment Intelligence Committee's televised impeachment hearings. no matter political party affiliation or opinion in regards to the validity of the investigations, one trade between a committee member and a witness mainly captured my consideration. It jogged my memory of a vital scriptural principle that should form the style that we Christians testify to the truth we believe we now have experienced in Jesus Christ.
The trade turned into between Ohio Rep. Mike Turner and Dr. Fiona Hill, a former respectable of the country wide safety Council that specialize in Russian and European affairs.
Turner opined to the witness:
"Dr. Hill, you have offered me probably the gold standard piece of evidence that's before us as an example the difficulty with rumour…. here's the difficulty with, no be counted how satisfied we're, Dr. Hill, no depend how a lot we accept as true with we recognize that what we've heard is right, it continues to be just what we've heard."
Hill replied:
"We're here just to give what we understand and what we've heard. I understand that for many members, this can be hearsay. I've spoke of issues I've heard, with my own ears."
Then she added:
"We're here to relate to you what we heard, what we saw, and what we did, and to be of some support to all of you in really making a very momentous choice right here. We aren't the individuals who make that choice."
when I location this modern experience alongside the knowledge of the Acts of the Apostles and the journey of the earliest followers of ways, i am reminded of what it means to be a witness.
Acts four tells the story of Peter and John who were in Jerusalem teaching and preaching about Jesus. The response from their listeners became so excellent that the priests and the party of the Sadducees grew to become concerned. The apostles have been arrested and dropped at trial, where they had been ordered by no means once more to communicate about Jesus. however the witnesses declared, with courage and conviction, that "we can not hold from speaking about what we now have viewed and heard."
Peter and John "were 'daring' to testify earlier than antagonistic or skeptical inquisitors."
The testimony of these two men earlier than this primary-century investigative committee summarizes the responsibility of a witness: to speak about what one has considered and heard.
Many interpreters of this passage have stated that Peter and John were identified as "companions of Jesus," and whereas that phrase confirms the very own connection that made their testimony believable, two different observations are pertinent for the continuing assignment of proclamation. First, these witnesses had been "daring" to testify earlier than hostile or skeptical inquisitors about what they believed to be authentic as they'd seen and heard it. 2nd, their words were now not authenticated by means of their talents or stature, however via anything else, for they had been both diagnosed as "uneducated and average."
Fiona Hill, considered by means of hundreds of thousands of americans who watched the hearings, turned into bold before people who adversarial her testimony. Even folks that disagreed along with her conclusions may admit that she was unintimidated. however, she became rarely "uneducated and standard." She became informed at the tuition of St. Andrews in Scotland and at Harvard institution's Graduate school. She also become rather mind-blowing each in her personal mettle and unquestioned advantage.
Yet, it changed into neither her braveness nor her credentials that validated her testimony and made her such a credible witness. simply because it turned into for Peter and John, it changed into her willingness (and backbone) to testify about what she had seen and heard.
Therein lies a vital lesson for us as Christian witnesses.
What justifies our proclamation about Jesus Christ isn't our sharing "rumour." It is not quoting a string of Bible passages, linked collectively in a persuasive and logical trend to show our theological point. It isn't our references to the experience of St. Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, Lottie Moon, John Wesley, Watchman Nee, mother Teresa, Catherine booth, Martin Luther King Jr., Oscar Romero, Sojourner truth, Walter Rauschenbusch, Desmond Tutu or another inspiring Christian practitioner or activist. It isn't our repeating the words of Billy Graham, Beth Moore, Peter Marshall, Barbara Brown Taylor, James Forbes, Marcus Borg, or any other favourite preacher or instructor. It is not elevating our voice, shedding tears or belittling different views.
"What makes our witness so effective is … the obtrusive evidence that we've been 'companions with Jesus.'"
fairly, what makes our witness so effective is the calm, reasoned and honest recitation of our experience with the Almighty as a result of our relationship with Jesus. it's the convincing testimony that what we say we believe is in reality real because we now have personally skilled it. it is the obvious facts that we now have been "companions with Jesus."
That multiple change interprets our witness from sheer rumour into undeniable, firsthand testimony, which is effective and potentially life-altering. it will not guarantee that people that hear us will reply positively. They may also nonetheless doubt our words, however we can had been faithful to the cost Jesus gave us when he observed, "you should be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:eight, NRSV).
No comments:
Post a Comment