Vernon Law
— Witnessing
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
The story is told of a sixteenth-century duke who had ten daughters he loved dearly. As the years sped by, he decided to leave them something to remember him by and constructed a beautiful chapel.
At last came the great day when the work was finished and the duke took his daughters to see it. The simple lines, the graceful beams, the magnificent carvings and the glowing stained-glass windows took their breath away.
"But father," one daughter said suddenly, "where are the lamps?"
"That, my dear, is a special feature of the chapel," said the duke. "There will be no hanging lamps. Each person coming here to worship will carry his own lamp. I have provided small bronze lamps, one for every person in the village, up to the number the church will hold."
Then he added slowly, "Some corner of God's House
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will be dark and lonely, if all His sons and daughters do not come to worship Him at the appointed time."
Four hundred years have passed since that time and the bronze lamps have been handed down from father to son and carefully treasured. When the sweet-toned bells of the old church ring today, the village people wend their way up the hill, each carrying his own lamp. The church is nearly always filled, for no family wishes its corner to be dark.
This story by Elizabeth Cheney expresses just the way I feel about witnessing. Jesus said His followers were "lights" and He commanded them to let that light "shine." When any Christian fails to share his faith with others, his particular corner of the kingdom stays dark and gloomy.
Much of the world today is dark. Part of the reason is that Christians have been too careful not to offend the forces of darkness. They have come to believe that conforming to the world will put us in a better position to influence it for good. They have forgotten that the value of light lies not in its similarity to darkness but in its glaring contrast.
Other people are continually asking, "Can I smoke or drink and still be a Christian?" This kind of question betrays a fundamentally wrong attitude. The true Christian is not trying to discover how many doubtful activities he can engage in and still be considered a member of the brotherhood. He is too busy trying to find out how he can more effectively impress the society around him with the claims of his Master.
It is hard to say who is blessed most when a Christian shares his faith: the Christian, or the person receiving the good news of the gospel. Witnessing exercises every spiritual faculty of the believer. He must spend time
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with his Bible, wait for God's direction, pray in faith, and go our rejoicing.
Witnessing is hard only when we try to do it all by ourselves. If we have a certain amount of eloquence, it is a temptation to believe we can "talk" someone into discipleship. Sometimes men of learning are tempted to believe they can "teach" people into the kingdom. But the human soul is not moved in its deepest parts by clever arguments or great knowledge. Men and women become disciples only when they have been inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit.
For this reason, witnessing is not something to be rushed into. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. There are people to speak to and others who are not your spiritual responsibility. And the Christian who waits for orders before acting will find that eloquence and great knowledge are not needed — just humility and an obedient spirit.
Another story is told about a passenger on an ocean liner who was lying in his stateroom, deathly sick. Suddenly the cry was heard, "Man overboard!" The ill passenger struggled to his feet but he was so weak he could barely stand. All he could manage to do was grab his flashlight and shine it out his porthole.
The drowning man was saved. Later he said, "I was going down for the last time when someone put a light in a porthole. It shone on my hand. A sailor in a lifeboat saw me and pulled me in."
Was it a small thing, the shining of the flashlight from the porthole? It didn't require a profound knowledge of seamanship. It didn't require cleverness. It didn't even require that the passenger be in the pink of good health. But it saved a man's life.
This is true of witnessing. One kind word spoken at
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the right time to the right person can result in a changed life.
No disciple is exempt. Each one carries his own lamp. Will you carry yours today?
Prayer
Lord, I pray that this day my light may so shine before those I meet that they may feel the impulse to glorify You. I ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Vernon Law was an All-Star pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and winner of the 1960 Cy Young Award as the outstanding pitcher in baseball. Advisory Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
