Our service last night looked at the subject of ‘Everyday Witness’, focussing on Jesus’s words to His disciples known as the ‘Great Commission.’ (Matt 28:16-20) Even after the Resurrection, there was a mixed response amongst the disciples, with some worshipping but others doubting. They needed these instructions to give shape and purpose to their lives and it was only after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost that they were equipped to go forth and make disciples of all nations.
Often, we feel inadequate to this task, but we need to understand that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and therefore we have all we need to witness in Him. The Jesus who gives these final instructions to His disciples speaks with the total authority of the Godhead, for He speaks as the resurrected One whose resurrection proves our faith is not futile, whose resurrection becomes, therefore, the motivation for how we live our everyday lives.
Everyday witness involves more than speaking; whether we are gifted in this area or not, our very lives are called to be light for God. ‘Imagine Church’ (a project run by the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity) talks about the 6Ms which we all need in our lives to be effective witnesses:
- Model godly character
- Make good work
- Minister grace and love
- Mould culture
- Be a Mouthpiece for truth and justice
- Be a Messenger of the Gospel
Our everyday witness must involve our character and our actions as well as our words.