Joyful Service and Witness

Article 12 of 13 in the Walking with Jesus Series

When Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple, high and lifted up, and heard the voice asking "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?", his response was immediate: "Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8). He did not need to be persuaded or pressured. The vision of God had produced in him a readiness to go. This is the pattern of genuine Christian witness. It does not begin with a sense of duty or a fear of judgment. It begins with an encounter with the living God that is so real and so transforming that it naturally overflows into a desire to share what has been received.

Before His ascension, Jesus gave His followers a commission that has never been rescinded. Matthew 28:19-20 is the Great Commission - the defining mandate of the church in every age. Several things stand out.

First, the authority behind the commission: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18, KJV). The commission is not issued by a well-meaning teacher. It is issued by the risen Lord who holds all authority in heaven and on earth. This gives the commission its weight and its confidence.

Second, the scope of the commission: "all nations." The gospel is not for one people or one culture. It is for every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. The church that limits its witness to those who are already like it has misunderstood the commission.

Third, the promise that accompanies the commission: "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The One who sends is also the One who accompanies. The witness is never alone.

Jesus had described the same commission in Acts 1:8:

The witness begins where we are - in our Jerusalem, our immediate circle of family, friends, neighbours, and coworkers - and extends outward from there.

Isaiah 6 gives us one of the most vivid accounts of a call to witness in all of Scripture. The sequence is instructive:

1. A vision of God (vv. 1-4): Isaiah sees the Lord, high and lifted up, and the seraphim crying "Holy, holy, holy." The starting point of witness is always a fresh vision of who God is.

2. A recognition of unworthiness (v. 5): "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips." The vision of God's holiness produces an honest awareness of personal sinfulness. This is not false humility. It is the necessary precondition for genuine service.

3. Cleansing (vv. 6-7): The seraph touches Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the altar. "Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." Before Isaiah can speak for God, he must be cleansed. The witness must be a forgiven person.

4. The call (v. 8): "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" God does not conscript. He invites.

5. The response (v. 8): "Here am I; send me." The response is immediate and willing. It flows from the experience of cleansing and the vision of God, not from external pressure.

This sequence - vision, conviction, cleansing, call, response - is the pattern of every genuine call to witness.

The most effective witness is not a rehearsed presentation, though knowing how to explain the gospel clearly is valuable. It is a life that has been visibly changed by the grace of God. Peter writes:

Notice the sequence. First, sanctify the Lord in your heart - let your life be so shaped by His presence that it is evident to those around you. Then be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you. The question comes first. The life that is genuinely different will prompt questions, and those questions are the open doors for witness.

Jesus described the same principle:

The good works are not the gospel, but they create the context in which the gospel can be heard.

Witness is often presented as a burden - a duty that faithful Christians must discharge whether they feel like it or not. But in the New Testament, the sharing of the gospel is consistently associated with joy.

The disciples, after being flogged by the Sanhedrin and commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus, departed "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name" (Acts 5:41). Paul, writing from prison, described his circumstances as having "fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel" (Philippians 1:12, KJV). The early church did not share the gospel reluctantly. They shared it because they could not help themselves:

This is the witness that comes from genuine encounter with Christ. It is not manufactured enthusiasm. It is the natural overflow of a life that has been touched by the grace of God.

Witness is not only verbal. It is also expressed in service - in the practical love that Jesus said would identify His followers to the watching world:

James is clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). The person who claims to have received the grace of God but shows no evidence of it in their treatment of others has reason to examine whether they have truly received it.

No one can be an effective witness in their own strength. The disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high (Luke 24:49). The power for witness is the power of the Holy Spirit, and it is available to every believer:

The witness is not our project. It is God's project, and we are His instruments. Our part is to be available, to be willing, to be faithful in the small opportunities that present themselves daily. His part is to work through us in ways that are beyond our ability to produce.

• "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30, KJV)
• "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14, KJV)
• "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:15, KJV)
• "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Romans 1:16, KJV)
• "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3, KJV)

"Witnessing is the job of pastors and evangelists, not ordinary believers." Matthew 28:19-20 was given to all of Jesus' followers, not only to a professional class. Acts 8:4 records that after the persecution in Jerusalem, "they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." These were not apostles. They were ordinary believers who carried the gospel with them wherever they went.

"I need to know all the answers before I can witness." The most powerful witness is often the simplest: "I once was lost, and now I am found." The blind man healed by Jesus did not understand the theology of his healing. He simply said: "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25, KJV). Personal testimony does not require theological expertise.

"If I witness, people will think I am forcing my religion on them." Peter's instruction is to give an answer to those who ask (1 Peter 3:15) - with meekness and fear. Genuine witness is not aggressive or coercive. It is the honest sharing of what God has done, offered with respect for the other person's freedom to respond as they choose.

"My life is not good enough to be a witness." The gospel is not the story of how good we are. It is the story of how good God is. The person who has experienced forgiveness and grace is qualified to share it, precisely because they know they did not deserve it.

1. Pray for specific people. Make a list of people in your life who do not know Christ. Pray for them by name. Ask God to open doors for conversation and to prepare their hearts.

2. Be present. Witness happens in the context of relationship. Be genuinely present with the people around you - interested in their lives, attentive to their struggles, willing to be honest about your own.

3. Know your story. Be able to describe in simple terms what God has done in your life. Not a theological lecture, but a personal account: what your life was like before, how you came to faith, and what difference it has made.

4. Be ready to explain the gospel. Know the basic message: all have sinned (Romans 3:23), the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), and those who believe receive eternal life (John 3:16). Be able to explain this clearly and simply.

1. Read Isaiah 6:1-8. Trace the sequence from vision to response. What happened at each stage? Why was the cleansing of Isaiah's lips (v. 7) necessary before he could respond to the call?

2. Read Matthew 28:16-20. Jesus prefaces the Great Commission with a statement about His authority (v. 18) and closes it with a promise of His presence (v. 20). How do these two bookends shape the way you understand the commission itself?

3. Read Acts 4:13-20. The Sanhedrin noticed that Peter and John were "unlearned and ignorant men" yet spoke with boldness. What was the source of their boldness? What does this tell you about the qualifications for witness?

4. Read Romans 10:13-17. Paul traces a chain of dependence: calling on God requires believing, believing requires hearing, hearing requires preaching, preaching requires being sent. Where do you fit in this chain for the people in your life?

5. Is there someone in your life for whom you have been praying but have not yet spoken to about your faith? What is holding you back? What would it look like to take one small step this week?

• The Study of God's Word - Article 11 in this series
• The Blessed Hope and Walking Until Christ Returns - Article 13 in this series
• Surrender and Consecration - Article 8 in this series

Primary passages: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:8; Isaiah 6:1-8

Supporting passages: Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3; Matthew 5:16; John 9:25; John 13:35; Acts 4:13-20; Acts 5:41; Acts 8:4; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:13-17; 1 Peter 3:15; James 2:17

Recommended reading:

• Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Chapter 7: "The Test of Discipleship" (Review and Herald, 1892)
• Will Metzger, Tell the Truth (IVP, 1981)
• John Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World (IVP, 1975)

Do you have a question about witnessing or Christian service? Ask it here - your question may become our next article.

This article was adapted from the themes presented in the classic devotional book Steps to Christ. To access the original book, please click here.