Be A Witness
Testify To The Event
1 Peter 5:12
By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider
him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this
is the true grace of God in which you stand.
NKJV
To be a witness is to see an event. To be a witness is to testify or tell others about this event. Consider a courtroom. The witnesses are those who come forth and tell the court about things they have seen or “witnessed.” In the case of a Christian, the courtroom is the world of unbelievers. The believer is to testify to the effect Jesus has had upon their lives.
While witness is a part of evangelism, it is not equivalent to evangelism. Evangelism will include relating events to Scripture, proving the validity of Christianity and the Bible and preaching the Word of God. To be a witness, in its simplest form, is to mere tell others about what God has done for you today.
In the ancient world where written documents were not in use, memorials were used as the evidence of the event. These memorials are frequently referred to as witnesses. Consider:
Genesis 21:30 (NKJV)
30 And
he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand,
that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.”
Genesis 31:48 (NKJV)
48 And
Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this
day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed,
At the same time, Scripture refers to God Himself as the witness of Old Testament events.
Genesis 31:50 (NKJV)
50 If
you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides
my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God
is witness between you and me!”
