Eye Witness part 3
I really think we miss out on a lot when we try to use Scripture to prove something to somebody. I think every time--EVERY TIME--we try to shove the Bible down somebody's throat... they choke on it. And I don't think that's what we're called to do. I think we're called to be witnesses. And you only be a witness to something you've experienced. Something you've seen. Something you've heard. Look at Romans 10:14, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" The Scripture talks about knowing and believing because you can't believe in something you don't know. It's like praise and worship. We seem to want to use praise to "get" God to do something. PUSH, right? Pray Until Something Happens? But praise is a natural response to the goodness of God. We praise Him because He proved Himself worthy of praise. We trust Him because He proved Himself trustworthy. We have faith in Him because He proved Himself faithful. In the Old Testament He proved Himself over and over again with various miracles. Signs and wonders. And then on the cross He proved Himself once and for all. By first telling us the greatest expression of love a man can have--laying his life down for his friends--and then actually physically laying His life down for us. He gave us something to believe in by telling us, and showing us, the Truth. The truth of God's love. The truth of who God IS. That's what we were witnesses to. That's what 1 John is talking about when it speaks of the Word manifesting Himself to us. Something to see, and hear, and feel, and experience. And once we experience it, that's when we can share it. Again, that's what a witness does. He tells others what he experienced. He receives it and releases it. Look at John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." First there was the Word. But then the Word was made flesh. Not just words on a page, but a living Word dwelling among us. Not just an idea, but an action. Not just love, but charity. Love in action. So first the Word. Which is love. And then love dwelling among us. And then, through the cross, love dwelling IN us. So that we might know it and believe it. And believe me, the best way to let someone know God loves them... is by YOU loving them. Don't just tell them about God (love) SHOW them God. By showing them love. By sharing your experience. By witnessing God's love to you (receiving it) and then sharing it with others (releasing it). I always come back to the New Commandment: Love one another as Jesus loves you. Guys, that's all we're "supposed" to do. And that puts ALL of the emphasis on Him. Because if He only loves us a little bit, we're only "expected" to love a little bit. However much love you have (however much love you BELIEVE you have, or however much love you've received) just go with that. I know sometimes it's hard to love people, because we don't feel loved. But that's what the Holy Spirit is for. He leads and guides us into the truth of just how loved we are. HE fills us up to overflowing and His love comes out of us naturally. That's what being a witness is really all about!