Living as Witnesses

“‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 1:8

“But 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, keeping a clear conscience….” 1 Peter 3:15-16

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.” 2 Timothy 1:8

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see you good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Mathew 5:16


The Problem:

The problem is twofold. First, college Christians too often do not live in that shining light—walking in the Spirit, filled with joy and peace, serving others in humility. As a result, unbelievers have no good works to see and praise God about.

Second, college Christians too rarely share the gospel with other people. There are several reasons for this. (1) We don’t care. When our hearts should break for lost souls, headed for hell, we often respond in casual indifference—focusing on our own business rather than caring for others. This selfishness is clearly sin, and we must repent of it. (2) We are afraid of rejection, or that others will think of us as strange. By valuing the opinion of people over the opinion of God, and by valuing their opinion over their lost souls, we sin and need to repent. (3) We shy away because we don’t feel confident enough to explain and defend the gospel. We must take Scripture's command seriously to always be prepared. Even so, we can’t cite a lack of readiness as an excuse when the Spirit prompts us to share. We’re called to be “witnesses”—a witness is simply someone who shares what he has seen (witnessed) Christ do in his or her life. We must confess our excuses as sin and repent, depending on the Spirit to the give us words to say and on Spirit to turn hearts from darkness to light.

Many Christians have a different problem. They do share the gospel, but they become discouraged because few respond. They can even feel responsible for the condemnation of those around them. These Christians need to remember that only God can open their eyes—Jesus declared, “I shall lose none of all that he (the Father) has given me” (John 6:39)—and to continue to faithfully speak the good news as the Spirit leads.