THE WINSOME WITNESS

"In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  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 NIV)

The word evangelism once conjured up for me mental images of Bible-thumping, fist-pounding, loud-voiced preachers. Now I think of evangelism simply as a plain, white candle. It's flame burns hot and strong, spreading light in the darkness. But as I grasp that candle, it feels cool to my touch and I have no difficulty holding it in my hand.

That's the kind of witness I feel called to be. My faith can burn brightly, but at the same time I can remain calm and cool. I am to speak about Jesus, but that does not mean that I get into heated arguments. I am to tell others about Jesus, but not in verbal battles. I am to have an answer for everyone who asks the reason for my hope, but I am to give my answer with "gentleness and respect" as Peter says.

Pushing our beliefs on others seldom meets with success. The winsome witness is a person in whom the light of Jesus shines brightly through gentle words and acts of love. 

-- Tanya Ferdinandusz in “The Upper Room”

Lord Jesus, help me to be a light, honoring You in my heart so that my words reflect Your love. Make me ready -- not just with answers, but with compassion. Let my hope in You be visible, my tone be gracious, and my life be a testimony to Your goodness. Amen.

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THE WAY WE SPEAK MATTERS

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”  (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT)

We can turn people on to the church or turn them out of the church by the way we speak.

Catherine Booth (1829 –1890) was co-founder of The Salvation Army, along with her husband William Booth. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army she was known as the 'Mother of The Salvation Army'. When she died, her body was carried to a great auditorium in London. For hours and hours, people by the hundreds streamed by her casket in an outstanding display of love, affection, and gratitude.  One man in that long line expressed what all were feeling that day:  "She spoke to me as no one ever had before.  She cared for me, and I could tell it by the way she talked to me.  I was an outcast, lonely and lost.  I will never forget her voice.   There was something so wonderful and so meaningful about the way she spoke to you.  You could feel the spirit and love of Christ in her words."

How is it with you?  Are people drawn to Christ and to the Christian faith by the way you speak? 

-- Adapted from James W. Moore in “When You're a Christian, the Whole World is from Missouri”

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RADIATING GOD’S LOVE

Until God's will holds sway in our own hearts and lives, we bear no living witness to the Good News of God's transforming love. The gospel is not a general principle of goodness in the world. It is the concrete vision of God's love realized in person; first and foremost in the person of Jesus Christ, then in those of His disciples who have proved willing to become like Him in extraordinary love. They are called saints. Whether widely or little known, it is the lives of such persons that bear power to attract and transform others. It is not their own power. Their lives are simply so transparent to the Spirit that God's love radiates through them.

-- Rev. Marjorie Thompson in “Leading from the Center” Newsletter 


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WINSOME AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV)

What our culture needs these days is a vibrant, plausible, winsome Christianity. Intellectual and philosophical arguments are important and good, but they cannot stand alone. They must come from lives of people who have evidentially been changed for the better by the God they profess. Do we love people enough, we must ask, to showcase -- by how we talk, how we do business, how we do politics, and how we treat people -- something of the goodness, justice, loyalty, beauty, and love of our true home? Why does Christ get such bad press in our day -- or why does He often get no press at all? Could it be, at least in part, because we are not the winsome ambassadors we should be? 

-- Charles D. Drew in “A Public Faith”


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