If you’re a believer, I’m sure you’ve heard that you need to witness to others about Jesus. You’ve been told that to bring others into the body of Christ, you must share the good news to all of those you encounter. But can you do this? And if you do, do you do it well? Suffice it to say, Christians are called to evangelize and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world (Matthew 28:18–20). But as witnesses to the saving power of Christ, some of us have not exactly learned the proper way to articulate the magnitude of this saving power. Some of us have mastered the power detail and have let it overshadow our salvation experience. In other words, our attitudes mirror that of the Pharisees causing us to view others less like Jesus would and more like they would.
Identifying the Problem
So, how can we ensure that we aren’t labeled Pharisaic as we witness? I would offer that the first step would be to know exactly what type of witness we are already. And we can do this by taking a closer look at 3 types of witnesses we can point out in Scripture.
If you’ve read Matthew 6, you’ll recall that it is part of the Sermon on the Mount. It was Jesus’ discourse on moral living. He was explaining to the audience what they should and should not do. It can basically be summed up as Jesus’ teaching on how to live a life that is consumed with pleasing God. A life that is free from hypocrisy. One that is full of love, grace, and the eagerness to share Christ. A life that the Pharisees were not familiar with living.
The “All About Me” Witness
Digging deeper into Matthew 6 introduces us to our first witness—the all about me witness. The Pharisees were adamant about making sure people saw them practicing their righteousness. When they fasted, they wanted people to take notice. When they gave to the needy, they wanted to be praised for it. Everything they did that they thought was good, they wanted people to know it was them that did it.
Many believers take this position when witnessing by seeking to draw attention to themselves instead of shining their light for the Lord. However, the juxtaposition of these two ideas muddies the evangelical waters for those we are witnessing to. When we witness to others about Christ, He needs to be the subject of our testimony. Failing to practice this is failing to understand that when we make everything about ourselves, nothing is truly for someone else. This results in our evangelistic efforts not being about the recipient nor God being the aim of all glory.
In John 7:18, Jesus said, “he that speaks of himself seeks his own glory but he that seeks the glory of God, there is no unrighteousness in him.” Although not always explicitly intended, when we beg for the glory that only God deserves, our righteousness quickly begins to mirror that of the Pharisees. But remember Jesus also said, “if your righteousness doesn’t exceed that of the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” If Heaven is the goal of the believer, then our righteousness should be patterned after Christ. It should not be conditioned for the praise of men. And this should, in no way, be the aim of those who are seeking lost souls.
The “All About You” Witness
If we go a little further in Matthew and then jump over to Luke, we are introduced to the all about you witness. In Matthew 9 and Luke 15, we see examples of this by way of the Pharisees, yet again. Matthew 9 lays out the account of Matthew, the tax collector, being called to follow Jesus. Some time after this takes place, Jesus goes to Matthew’s house to dine. While there, the tax collectors and sinners came to Matthew’s house where Jesus was. On par with their usual disposition, the Pharisees had a problem with this. They were so busy trying to find fault in Jesus, they missed the goal of His mission.
The Pharisees tried to call Jesus out for His dinner choices, but Jesus knew His place, authority, and what He ultimately came to do. He responded by letting them know that He didn’t come for those who are in perfect health. Jesus came for those who will acknowledge they need someone that can give them the help they need. He came for those who realize the value of the hospital and the Great Physician practicing at that hospital. He goes on to say, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Out with the Old. In with the New.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament—scripture the Pharisees should’ve been familiar with. He was trying to get them to see that He didn’t need their adherence to religion and the old system of doing things. He needed them to show compassion, perform kind acts, and serve with a benevolent heart. Instead, they wanted to point the finger. The Pharisees thought they knew better about what was right, but they were wrong the whole time. And we tend to act with the same heart. We think we know a few Scriptures. We say our prayers at night (we may even get on our knees at times). We’ve stopped hanging out in certain places. And we’ve cut a few of our old buddies off, so now we are the experts on all things kingdom. But when it comes to how we witness and how we show others Christ, we fail.
We don’t have to compromise ourselves, but we can’t forget the pressing need of those who are lost. Jesus knew this. This is how people could leave the presence of Jesus changed, not feeling condemned. As Christians, we can’t be so self-righteous and high-minded that we are of no help to the people right around us. We can’t think ourselves with a hubris that causes us to accuse, malign, and degrade others. And we definitely can’t be too hasty with our spiritual finger pointer. We can’t be so ready to tell people what they are doing wrong that we can’t lead them to the One that can help them get it right. Because after all, them “getting it right” is the desired end of our witnessing efforts.
The “All About Jesus” Witness
When we look at Acts 8, we see the story of Philip and the Eunuch. This account details the perfect example of how to witness about Christ. If Christians really pay attention to the people we encounter, we will notice those that are really searching for truth. We will be aware of those who want to experience something different. Those who want to get to know the Lord in a deeper, more intimate way. This was the Eunuch. He was already searching. And believe it or not, some of the people that we encounter have already tried to find answers in so many other futile ways. But if we are doing what we are called to do the right way, they may just be able to find the answers they are incessantly searching for in us.
Imitating a Good Witness
If you look at the example of Philip, you’ll see the first action of Philip that we all can learn a lesson from. Philip obeyed the voice of the Lord. When the angel of the Lord instructed Philip on what to do, he didn’t ask questions or take his time. Acts says that he rose and went. Something else Philip did (or didn’t do) was make the mission about himself. Because the Spirit orchestrated this, Philip knew that this task didn’t have anything to do with who he was. But rather, the task had everything to do with what God wanted him to do. Verse 35 proves this by showing us that when Philip opened his mouth, he didn’t talk about himself, nor did he demean the eunuch.
Scripture says, “beginning with this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.” Philip didn’t go off script or interject his own thoughts and ideas. He used the same scripture that the eunuch initially brought to his attention. Philip exemplifies what it means to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. He was equipped with adequate knowledge and a heart that was eager to proclaim Christ. This is how he could refrain from passing judgment and doling out criticism and cynicism.
Being a Good Witness
What we must understand, as believers, is just because we adhere to religious rituals or can point out the shortcomings of others, that doesn’t mean we have a monopoly on Jesus. It doesn’t make us more saved or mean we are endowed with a special knowledge that deems us more superior than others. We must have a heart that is full of fervor and zeal to help others get to know the Lord. A heart that knows the importance of not only being able to do what we need to do but also knowing where we need to do it from (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).
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