If you’ve been following Jesus for quite some time, you know some things“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.’
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'”
Our witness is revived when we can clearly answer the question, “What have you heard from the Lord?” Through the years, we have heard a lot about Him. And if we claim to be followers, we must have also heard from Him. In our daily lives, there are many ways God speaks to us. On a Sunday, we can hear it through worship, reading of the Scripture, or from the sermon. Other times God speaks to us through people and our situation.
We have heard so much to revive our witness. So many things that give us hope and meaning. But we also need to ask ourselves another question: What do we know about the Lord?
, and surely you’ve heard some things. This means that you are prepared and more ready than you realize to witness, to give testimony when asked, and when the Lord leads you to.
What does a modern-day witness of Jesus look like when immersed in culture and society? How do we give our testimony to those who ask us what we know about God? Here are two simple steps we can take to walk the walk as we prepare to share our testimony.
First: Answer the question you are asked simply
“And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'”
Paul and Silas knew that God was bigger than their circumstances. The jailer was sure that his life was over. Witnessing that God freed the prisoners of their chains and that they had all stayed, the jailer asks the question. The Philippian jailer’s straightforward question merited a straightforward answer from Paul and Silas. They didn’t beat around the bush. They gave him the plain and simple answer. Paul and Silas bore witness to what they knew,
As Christians, we are to do the same. Whatever the question is, we must be ready to give an answer. When we don’t know, we must humbly admit it and show our willingness to learn.
Second: Share the Word of the Lord
When someone asks us a question about God, we are to share the Word of the Lord and not our opinions or thoughts. We must share the Word of the Lord that is powerful. This is why we must know the difference between what we’ve heard and what we know. After the jailer’s question, the story continues with Paul and Silas in his household.
“Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.”
Some of us might be interested to know more about the conversations that happened from prison to the jailer’s household. The verses tell us that the two men continued to speak about God’s Word to the jailer and his household. Their boldness to impart God’s Word first led to the baptism of the household. Paul and Silas’ testimony was made even stronger with their knowledge of God’s Word.
As we think about our testimony, we can only know what we’ve heard, what we have learned, what we have read, what we have seen, and what we have received in prayer and the study of His Word. John the Beloved says in his letter, “We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).”
Let us ask ourselves again: What do you know about Jesus? About God? About yourself?
Lord, revive our witness. Help us to be ready when asked about our faith. Help us when asked why we go to church and why we give money to the church. Help us answer when we’re asked, “How do you stay hopeful in such deep grief?” Prepare us to provide an answer and to share what we know. Continue to help us hear Your voice and come to a deeper understanding of who you are. Motivate us not to be satisfied with what we do know. Help us grow so that our witness would be attractive in this culture and in this time. Amen.
