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| WITNESSING: A Christian Lifestyle |
| by Danny A. Tariman |
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| Witnessing is an important command that the Lord has given all His followers before ascending to heaven. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says "You will be my witnesses". In Mark 16:15, Jesus commissioned His followers to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature" As Catholics, we should take this command to heart. In fact, witnessing for the Lord should be our lifestyle! But how do we witness? A witness is someone who testifies to what he has seen and heard, just like what you see in courts. Similarly, we ought to testify too what the Lord has done in our lives: it could be an answer to a prayer, it could be how the Lord healed you or your loved ones, it could be how the Lord saved you from a tough situation. I believe there are many countless ways that we can testify about the Lord. However, a Christian witness is more than that. Catholic Dictionary defines a witness as " believer who testifies by his life, words, and actions, and thus gives inspiration and examples to others..." A Christian witness is more than a just verbal testimony. Your lifestyle (life, words, actions) must show that you are indeed a Christian. St Francis of Assisi very aptly put this into an admonition: "Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary". More than what we say, it is how we live that will give credence to our Faith. How we live is an important element of our witness. As I have taken up in my teaching sometime in May, do you engage in "tsismis"? The Bible is very clear about it: "Do not speak evil of one another" (James 4:11) and still another verse says : "Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy and all slander" (1 Peter 2:1). Another area that creates bad witness are foul language and dirty jokes that are common in the work place and in hang-outs. The Scripture is emphatic about it: "No foul language should come out of your mouths..." (Ephesians 4:29) There is yet another issue that really catches the attention of many: indecent or immodest dressing. First Peter 3:3-4 says "Your adornment should not be an external one... but rather the hidden character of the heart". What perhaps some people do not realize is that some kind of clothes tempts others to sin. Matthew 5:28 reads,"everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart". Maybe that person would reason out, "It's his fault!". But the Bible is very clear about being a stumbling block -- that is causing other to sin: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." (Mark 9:42). Witnessing practically involves all areas of our lives, at home, at work or at school, and everywhere. It should be the lifestyle of every Christian. God calls us to advance His kingdom here on earth. He calls us to proclaim the Good News through our witness. This article was first published in the Ascension of Our Lord Parish website. |
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