Christian Witness
{13} Who is
going to harm you if you are eager to do good? {14} But even if
you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do
not fear what they
fear ; do not be frightened." {15} But in your hearts set apart
Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to
give the reason for
the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect, {16} keeping a clear conscience, so that those
who speak maliciously
against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of
their slander. {17} It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than
for doing evil.
{18} For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for
the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made
alive by the
Spirit, {19} through whom also he went and preached to the
spirits in prison {20} who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the
days of Noah while
the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all,
were saved through
water, {21} and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you
also‑‑not the removal of dirt from the body but the
pledge of a good
conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, {22} who
has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand‑‑with angels,
authorities and powers in submission to him. ‑‑ 1 Peter 3:13‑22
(NIV)
Arthur Conan Doyle's
famed detective, Sherlock Holmes, once solved a case by noting
the character of a witness.
The character was so reliable as to be remarkable.
In fact, the witness had been invited to the scene of the
crime solely for the purpose of establishing an alibi.
His character was such that the police accepted without
question his version of events.
The clue to Holmes was that the witness was so reliable
that it was "elementary" that he had been called there for that
purpose.
We are like Doyle's
witness. We have
been called to be the witnesses of Christ, and in this passage
Peter tells us how to do it.
The Preparation
of the Witness
"Do not fear; do not be
frightened." Fear
is a normal part of the human existence.
Without it, jugglers would try three bottles of
nitroglycerine. I still think the guy who juggles running chain saws is nuts.
We need to understand that courage is not the absence of
fear; it is the
overcoming of fear.
There is an element
of high comedy in the Christian's life.
We go through life with such fear of so many things - and
often forget to fear God.
Picture Charlie Chaplin, running beserk through a
minefield, bullets whizzing overheadd - as he tries to get away
from a bumblebee.
When we let the bumblebees of this world distract us, we forget
the minefields that Satan lays.
The solution is to
fear God; or, as Peter puts it here, to set apart our hearts for
Christ as Lord. We
must keep our mind on Him, and rely on Him both as Lord and as
Saviour.
This will not be
easy; but as Peter
says, "even if you suffer for what is right, you are blessed." There are many ways in which that is true.
One of them, central to the character of the witness, is
that the witness is now prepared to face even greater trials.
Suffering is the basic training of the Christian soldier.
But - we don't like
to suffer. May I
suggest a change of attitude?
Do you remember the movie The Wizard of Oz?
You might not recall, but the scenes before Dorothy lands
in Oz are shot in black and white.
Only in Oz do we see color.
Many years ago I had the reverse experience.
Betty and I visited the town of Pendleton, Oregon.
The town was drab; the people in the laundromat
suspicious and unfriendly; over everything hung the color of
dirty ash and factory town.
We went from color to black and white.
But we were just
passing through. We
left; we never came back.
It makes a lot of difference whether you are "in trouble"
or "going through trouble."
Credibility of
the Witness
If a witness is to
be credible - "able to be believed" - there are certain
requirements.
-
Preparation: In a sense, we are expert witnesses. We must study our subject and be prepared to give a defense
of the faith. The
expert must know the subject.
-
Poise: Nothing so impresses hearers as a witness who is assured.
We judge a person's honesty by the way they speak.
Most of us are not convincing liars.
The only sure way to have such poise is to have a clear
conscience behind it.
-
Personality: We are seen and judged by people. There is no getting around it.
People examine our behavior and make their judgment of us
- as witnesses - upon that.
Let your actions show Christ, and your words will be
believed. (Just
don't forget to deliver the words, too!)
-
Delivery: The most knowledgeable, assured and well behaved person will
not be listened to - if the words are an attack.
"Gentleness and respect" assure a hearing;
anger and accusation do not.
Think of it: how would you break the news to someone of a death in their
family? If you
would be gentle and respectful then, how much more so in telling
them of the Christ?
-
Suffering: In one sense, suffering itself brings credibility to the
Christian witness. As my father assured me, "If a man's principles don't cost him
anything, they aren't worth much."
And if they cost him a lot?
Put your life where your mouth is.
The Testimony of
the Witness
Having prepared the
witness, and established his credibility, we are now ready to
hear what he has to say.
And what is the testimony you are called on to deliver?
It is not
"what Jesus has done for me."
As important as that may be to you; as telling a point as
it may be in establishing your credibility it is not the
testimony of the Christian witness.
Peter outlines, in
example, the testimony of the witness:
-
Death We testify that Jesus of Nazareth, born of woman, died on the
cross - a death like yours and mine, physical death.
-
Burial We testify that He was buried - just like the rest of us.
-
Resurrection We testify that God, in His power, raised Jesus from the
grave.
In these three facts
we bring forth the essentials of the Gospel, the Good News:
that God became man and lived on this planet.
That He died as we die; was buried as we are buried - but
rose again on the third day.
And by these facts we establish one last thing:
-
Authority We testify that He has ascended, and that all authority is
given to him, and all power - including the power to forgive sin
and save from hell. Heaven is His to reward;
by His sacrifice we can avoid Hell itself.
You see the
difference? One
says, "Here is what Jesus HAS done for ME."
The other says, "Here is what Jesus WILL do for YOU."
