Boldness in our Testimony

Acts 4:20 states that "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Christians sometimes are afraid to share their faith in Christ because people might feel uncomfortable and might reject them. But the Apostles Peter and John's zeal for the Lord was so strong that they could not keep quiet, even when threatened. If your courage to witness for God has weakened, pray that your boldness may increase.

Remember Jesus' promise, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32)

I wanted to get right to the point because many Christians are afraid or nervous about witnessing. Perhaps the reason is they are not confident enough about what they believe to share it with another person. Well, we are way behind the other religious groups who make it a requirement for their members to witness.

A "witness" is someone who attests to a fact, so in order to be an effective witness for Christ, one must have first-hand knowledge of Him. Perhaps that is where we fall short. We don't have a first hand knowledge of Him. What we do have is what we have asked of God in prayer and that which He has answered in prayer.

Well, here some things that might help to be effective witnesses, taken from Got Questions Ministries and I quote:

" 1) The theme of our witness is Jesus Christ. An important part of the theme is the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. John 14:6 says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through me.

2) The power of our witness is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who transforms a life and a transformed life is evident to all. As we witness, we should spend much time in prayer, appropriating the Spirit's power so that we are enabled to let our light shine in such a way that othres will recognize the power of God in us. (Matthew 5:16)

3) The validity of our witness will be shown in how we live our lives. The effective Christian witness will live his/her life above reproach in the power of the Holy Spirit, whose fruit we exhibit when we remain in Christ (John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:22-23)

Most importantly, we must be familiar enough with the Scriptures to be able to accurately and coherently present the gospel to others. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)"

The bible further states this: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

To handle the word of truth correctly, we must study what the Word of God says so we can understand what it means. In this way, we will have boldness and confidence and we can do what pleases God.

Thought for Today: One thing about God is this: if He gives you an assignment, He will equip you to do it. Get prepared; stay in the word and pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance. You will be surprise that at the right time, and the right place, you will be able to speak the truth of the Gospel.