Witness
There was a man sent from God whose name was John.He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe. John 1:6-7
Merry Christmas, from all of us at the International Orality Institute! What emotion do you feel when you hear the word witness? Maybe witnessing is something that you love, perhaps it feels scary, or it feels like pressure. I wonder what the disciples felt when Jesus commissioned them to be my witnesses. A witness is simply a person who sees an event take place. For the disciples, the “event” that they saw was Jesus! One of those witnesses, John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James described it like this: That which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you. 1 John 1:3 The disciples told stories about Jesus! In fact, the Gospels are a collection of what the disciples heard and saw.
So what does it look like for us to be a witnesses today? Jeff is a new believer and recently received his 5-year sobriety medallion. When we were learning the story of Jesus calling Simon Peter to follow Him and fish for men, Jeff commented, “Oh, this is a good story!” He was touched when he heard Simon fall on his knees before Jesus and say, Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man. Jeff said, I’m going to tell everyone this story. And indeed, the following week when I asked who had had a chance to share the story, Jeff had shared the story with many people. He had called up his sister and shared the story with her. She was moved to tears hearing her once-drug-addicted brother telling her a story about Jesus. He shared the story with the cashier at Cenex and numerous others around town.
We can tell people what Jesus has done in our lives, but ultimately, we need to introduce people to Jesus by sharing those gospel stories about Him. Try it! Learn a story about Jesus from the gospels and ask someone if you can share it with them, that is all it means to be a witness. You might get a response like Jeff who will take that story and tell everyone that story!
Testify
I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. John 1:34
I have been on staff with IOI for a year and a half now, and it has been a joy to be part of the vision to equip disciples to testify. We are grateful for the many who have been sharing the stories of God’s Word.
I was asked what was the favorite story of the young disciples in the farming village in Uganda. It was the story of Simon and the catch of fish from Luke 5. Simon was just an ordinary guy, a hard-working fisherman who was a little rough around the edges. However, Simon had enough sense to know that if the Son of God invites you out fishing you should go, even if you just fished all night and caught nothing. As rough as Simon was, Jesus still wanted him. As sinful as Simon was, Jesus did not come to condemn him, but to save him. The Ugandans resonated with Simon. If God could use a guy like Simon, He could probably use me.
I remember acting out this story at an orality training, Deb played the part of Simon Peter. When she fell on her knees before Jesus and confessed, Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man, Deb started weeping. We all wept as we witnessed Deb’s tender response. Why did she weep? I’m no different than Simon. Jesus’ response to her was such a comfort: Don’t be afraid! I’m going to make you a fisher of men.
We feel like Simon as well. It feels like opportunities to be fishers of men keep multiplying. Three doors have opened to share oral stories with Muslims. One is through a Chiropractor in Bloomington MN, one is through a friend at the school my kids go to, and one is a contact through a food pantry. Thank you for your support of the Orality Institute. We pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas as you relive the story of Jesus. He is the Light of the World shining on those walking in darkness. We anticipate sharing that Light in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Cambodia this January. Pastor Nate Jore
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