A witness in a trial tells what they have seen. Are you a witness? What have you seen in your relationship to Jesus? Could you explain it to somebody else? Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power, and you will be my witnesses.”
Paul was not there with the disciples when Jesus ascended. But he became a witness when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Three times, Luke tells us Paul’s conversion story. Remember Paul shared it again and again. He was a witness.
When the Jewish leaders in Rome came to the place where Paul was under house arrest, he spoke to them from morning to evening. How long does it take to become a Christian? It can happen in an instant. But Paul did not truncate his presentation of the kingdom of God. Notice that he met his listeners where they were. To witness to the Jews, Paul used their own scriptures in the Law and the Prophets. In Athens, he started with the Athenians’ idols and poets. Paul became all things to all people to reach some. But the heart of his message was the same: Jesus.
One of our members talked about the importance of sales recently. He said, salesmen present, try to persuade, and close. Then he told me that Baptist preachers do the same thing. Paul presented the truth about the kingdom of God, and he tried to persuade these Jewish leaders to believe in Jesus. Some believed, but others did not.
We are not responsible for the results of our witness. But we are required to tell others what the Lord has done for us. Jesus is the subject and the main point. We are not trying to persuade people to be more moral, or to join a particular church. As Paul told the Corinthians, “Since then we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. . . .For Christ’s love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:11, 14).
