Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 23, 2015.
Emboldened witnesses
by Yaffet Gabayehu
Are you prepared for the big game? Have you worked hard enough? Do you think you can handle typing the huge paper you have to do for your college class? Are you ready to take on new adventures and all the challenges life has to offer? At times we find ourselves asking questions similar to these in our lives – wondering whether or not we are prepared for the future. It can be difficult know how to handle difficult situations, and we may even seek ways to avoid them when they arise.
For me, perhaps my biggest feeling of being unprepared is when it comes to teaching and sharing God’s word. It seems to me that it can be so easy to make a mistake or accidentally turn others away, or simply not know what to say when the opportunity to instruct others in God’s word arrives. All of us are called to be Christ’s witnesses in the world, and many of you may have similar fears on your minds at times also. We are all are sinners. We know make many mistakes and errors. Each and every one of us has fallen short of the glory of God (cf. Romans 3:23).
God’s Word gives us many examples of persons who struggled with the idea of being unprepared to preach and teach his word. We see how Moses feared speaking to Pharaoh and all the Israelites, as Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Moses feared that Pharaoh and the Israelites wouldn’t believe him or listen to what he had to say. Don’t we also find ourselves thinking like this in our own lives? That whatever we say or do will be denied by others? I know I have found myself scared and worried that I will not be able to speak to others, just as Moses was afraid … because I don’t know enough and I’m nothing compared to the pastors out there today. Maybe many Christians have this same fear of speaking up. But friends, we have a promise from Christ that gives us the hope and the strength to witness confidently to others.
Christ says, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8), and we have received power from the Holy Spirit to trust this promise. Jesus also promises he will be with us always and that he ultimately has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18-20). We have the ability and responsibility to tell all people of Christ and his salvation, and Christ graciously gives us the strength to do so. When we are worried by the mistakes we might make or the daily sins we commit, or even afraid that we may not be well-prepared as witnesses of the gospel, we can go to Christ in daily repentance and see the love he has given us at the cross. Jesus paid the price we couldn’t, that we might live through him in everlasting life with him. He gives us the promise that he gave to his apostles, that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit and will be his witnesses to all the ends of the earth. When we feel like we aren’t prepared or ready for our witnessing work on Christ’s behalf, we can smile with great joy that Jesus himself has given us the promise that the Holy Spirit will be with us as we proclaim his word. We know what Christ has done for all people. Out of our joy, and through the strength of the Holy Spirit who fills us, we eagerly want to tell the world this good news!
The Lord promised to help Moses speak to Pharaoh and the Israelites and to teach him what to say. The Lord promised the apostles that his Spirit would enable their testimony. We also can trust that Christ will be with us and his Spirit will work through us and guide us by the Scriptures. So be bold in witnessing to all, telling what the Lord has done!
