Witness THE NONWITNESS
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen. John 3:11.
Imagine with me a court scene. The prisoner is brought in. The prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney take their places. The judge enters, and the court is in session. The first witness is called to the stand. He is sworn in, and takes his seat. The questioning begins.
"Where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh, at about 10:00 pm?"
Silence.
"I said, where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh?"
More silence.
And the judge demands, "Why aren't you answering the question?"
"Well," the witness speaks at last. "I feel that being a silent witness is enough. It should be apparent to all, by my mere presence here in this courtroom, how I feel about this case, and I think that should be sufficient. I'm not that comfortable answering questions. I might give a wrong answer or something. I prefer to be simply a silent witness."
The judge sends the first "witness" out of the room and calls in another witness. The second witness is sworn in, and takes his seat on the witness stand. The trial continues. "Where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh, at about 10:00 pm?"
"At home in bed."
"Did you hear or see anything unusual?"
"No, I was not only in bed but he drapes were shut, my radio was playing soft music in the background, the lights were out, I had a pillow over my head, and I was asleep. I couldn't see or hear a thing!"
"And you're a witness?"
The majority of Christians today are like one of these two witnesses. They are either determined to remain silent witnesses or else they have nothing personal to tell. And because of this, their witness for Christ is ineffective. It is only when we have become personally involved with the Lord Jesus, and have personal testimony to give, and then give it--by our influence, yes, but also by our words-- that we become effective witnesses for Him.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen. John 3:11.
Imagine with me a court scene. The prisoner is brought in. The prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney take their places. The judge enters, and the court is in session. The first witness is called to the stand. He is sworn in, and takes his seat. The questioning begins.
"Where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh, at about 10:00 pm?"
Silence.
"I said, where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh?"
More silence.
And the judge demands, "Why aren't you answering the question?"
"Well," the witness speaks at last. "I feel that being a silent witness is enough. It should be apparent to all, by my mere presence here in this courtroom, how I feel about this case, and I think that should be sufficient. I'm not that comfortable answering questions. I might give a wrong answer or something. I prefer to be simply a silent witness."
The judge sends the first "witness" out of the room and calls in another witness. The second witness is sworn in, and takes his seat on the witness stand. The trial continues. "Where were you on the night of the twenty-seventh, at about 10:00 pm?"
"At home in bed."
"Did you hear or see anything unusual?"
"No, I was not only in bed but he drapes were shut, my radio was playing soft music in the background, the lights were out, I had a pillow over my head, and I was asleep. I couldn't see or hear a thing!"
"And you're a witness?"
The majority of Christians today are like one of these two witnesses. They are either determined to remain silent witnesses or else they have nothing personal to tell. And because of this, their witness for Christ is ineffective. It is only when we have become personally involved with the Lord Jesus, and have personal testimony to give, and then give it--by our influence, yes, but also by our words-- that we become effective witnesses for Him.
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