WHAT SH A L L I KEEP IN M IN D ? by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper
O ne of the reasons many believ ers do not carry on an active program of witnessing for the Lord is that they are afraid they will be come overwhelmed by the people with whom they come in contact. We can not become like the world to win them to the Saviour. If we so adulterate our product we will have nothing to “sell.” Turning to the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a wonderful guide which we can use as we work in the world making contacts for Him. In John 17:19 the Saviour declares, “And for their sakes I sanctify my self, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” He impresses us that if the truth is to have any value at all, there must be those who will demonstrate it. He was the great illustration of it, of course. But He wants us to be also. The “truth” for us as far as wit nessing is concerned is that we may be God-like men and women. Perhaps one of the reasons why we have diffi culty in witnessing is that we don’t know why we are witnessing. Too many people witness as though they were trying to get votes for a political
party’s candidate. The main purpose of our testimony is to live such a godly life that men might yearn for God Himself. Are you doing this? If you can see how important this “first rule” is, you will be amazed at the results God will give you. In our human relationships we ought never to do that which will ruin our product. We should never do that which is ungodly in order to reach a godly end. The end will not justify the means. Let me give you an illustration. Some time ago I conducted a funeral service as a pastor in Jersey City. The lady of the house was an out standing Christian. Her husband, how ever, was not. The funeral I was con ducting was for a cousin of theirs. After we returned from the cemetery, they invited me to their home for dinner. All during this time the hus band was doing everything he could to embarrass his wife. He would say outlandish and unnecessary things which he thought would get me upset. They didn’t. When we arrived at their home, the first thing he showed me was his well-stocked liquor cabinet.
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