There is a song, “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” Its meaning is obvious: We should brighten the world around us, lift up the fallen and downtrodden, cheer the crestfallen and sad, bring help and hope to those who are helpless and without hope. Above all, we are supposed to offer salvation to sinners who have neither help nor hope in their lives.
Each of us has his or her own little cubicle or, speaking cosmically, his own “space” in the universe. He can choose to keep that space to himself or he can allow others to enter the space with him via some form of communication such as speaking or eye contact or other means of nonverbal communication, including body language that conveys to another person what is in the first person’s mind by the first person’s various postures and gestures.
We have to open up our private space to the teeming throngs around us and be voices crying in the wilderness (I use the term so often it is becoming a banality, but that is precisely what we are) of sin, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
There is such an overwhelming amount of suffering in the world that we can ill-afford to stand aloof from the hordes of humanity who are sorely battered by the turbulence of this life. There is also a super abundance of sin; it is in the air we breathe and in our own carnal natures. Suffering and sin are closely related as sin is the original cause of all adversities. It is not only the original cause; it is often the immediate producer of suffering.
I suppose we could retreat into our private space and turn a deaf ear to the cries of the desperate souls all around us, but you know better than that. The love of God will not let us. As James warned us, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (Jam 2:14) Can we wrap our faith with us in our private envelope of self-concern and ignore the plight of the lost souls around us on every side? Can our faith that we clutch so tightly to our chests – can it save our miserable, miserly hides?
The obvious answer is No; and it’s something to seriously think about. Yes, I know you are not one who can skillfully witness one-on-one with an unbeliever; you are unable to do so even with your wife or close friend.
Here is what I would do if I were you: First I would make sure that my nonverbal witness was above reproach. In other words I would see to it that my life, devoid of any verbal witnessing, was solid. That is the basis of any witnessing to a skeptical world: if we don’t first live right, any other type of witnessing can be forgotten. It would be useless. Next I would pray for God to help me speak, under the anointing of His Spirit, words that will leave their mark on the one to whom I am witnessing. God knows your skills and your obvious lack of certain skills and He will not leave you with an open door for witnessing and no means by which to enter that door.
In your quiet time you can ponder how you would witness face to face with someone, but do not let the thought upset you because there are any number of situations that could arise in an opportunity to witness that you cannot foresee. If the thought of witnessing one-on-one terrifies you, dismiss the thought and put your trust in God. He can transform your sow’s ear of witness into a silk purse. He made you; He made your mouth. He controls your thoughts – just be sure that you continuously live a good life of witness. Always remember: When the opportunity of personal witnessing arises, DO NOT BE TERRIFIED. If you let fear overcome you, it will have its negative impact on your witness.
“And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do [bring them down in defeat] to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” (Jos 10:25)
I have listed here a few more scriptures that will bolster your courage: 1 Chr 22.13, 28.20; Eze 2.6.
A word of admonition: God understands our fears; that is why He encourages us, but He will be displeased with us if we give into the fright that is naturally ours when we come upon any situation that is beyond our native capabilities. This is akin to the scripture, “Be ye angry, and sin not...” God knows anger can assail anyone for a righteous cause, but He cautions against letting it master you. So it is with fear: Fear can come upon even the most righteous of men, but he should not allow it to overcome him and render him ill-equipped for the task of bearing witness.
The best advice I can give you is what I take for myself. I am as you, I am not naturally predisposed to be a great personal witness, that is, one with a charming personality and a ready flow of eloquent words with which to convince the unbeliever. That does not mean however that I dread any chance one-on-one encounter because I stay close to my God who has all power and the anointing to give me when I need it. Above all, I endeavor to live a solid life of witness that so often speaks louder than the spoken word.
Put your trust in God and “be not dismayed.” He will be with you and help you to enter that open door of witness when it comes before you.
Comments