7 Vital Signs of Spiritual Growth – Witness

Acts 2:47b – “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

In 1984, Rockwell released a song titled “Somebody’s Watching Me.”  The guy who wrote that song must have been very paranoid.

However, the truth is someone is almost always watching you.  When I was growing up, we talked in church about witnessing to people.  That was defined as getting dressed up, grabbing a Bible or a “track” (sorry if you don’t know this, you’re probably better for it…) and heading out to beat Jesus into some poor unsuspecting stranger’s head.  Or something like that…

Well, I’ve come to know that the truest form of our witness is simply how we live our daily lives.  Is there something different about you because you belong to Him?  If not, you need to look inside.  If  a coworker were invited to your funeral, would they be surprised that you were a Sunday School teacher?

This one really convicted me a few years back.  It’s a story I actually won’t tell here, but it occurred to me that I needed to start treating my daily life as my mission, not a trip to some far-off place.  This attitude change was, and still is, occasionally very uncomfortable.  You know why?  Because I am NOT perfect.  My coworkers and friends see the real me.  And I’m a hypocrite sometimes.  That damages my “witness”, right?  Well, sort of, but it also opens the door to demonstrate how God’s grace works.  Yep, I do stupid stuff.  Regularly.  But I’m no longer hiding whose I am, warts and all.  It has opened more doors that you can imagine.

Remember that we are not called to “save” people.  That is Jesus’ part to play.  We are to introduce people to Him.  And we are to make disciples.  That’s the teaching part we discussed earlier in this series.  It is up to Christ to change someone’s life with his never-ending grace.

When the pressure to be perfect is removed, it becomes much easier to be this witness.  Now, that’s not a blank check to go do stupid stuff.  If we are working with all 7 of these vital signs, then we are working towards a closer match to God’s heart and desire for us every day.  We just don’t have to be perfect anymore to be a witness for Him.

Your witness also accounts for the actions you take resulting from the teaching we discussed.  You are called to “go and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19-20).  These words were the last spoke by Jesus before His final ascension to heaven.  He didn’t say “pray for someone else” or “bring them to the preacher” or “pay someone else’s way”.  He said “Go.”  Now, you can do those other things as well, but you MUST go.  Go to work.  Go to school.  Go to the store.  And maybe, go to Tanzania too.  But you must be willing to go.  It takes us back to the Giving discussion.  Give God everything.  Then, your witness will stand where it should.

Get up tomorrow morning, and on your way to school or work, make the commitment that you’ll be authentic in who you are from now on.  Be proud of whose you are.  Don’t judge people.  Don’t shove Jesus down their throat.  I wish I could claim credit for this one, but in summary of your witness – Love God.  Love People.  And do stuff.