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This is the fourteenth scene in my series of The Christian journey illustrations & the second one set in autumn, which represents older age in the man’s life; the so-called “twilight years”, inevitably moving towards physical death… and what lies beyond!

In this picture the man dark brown hair, a green shirt & jeans is standing with Holy Bible in hand, speaking about the Lord God (witnessing) to various people around him. There is a small child, sitting cross-legged paying close attention & a couple dancing nearby, obviously happy to hear such good news! There is a man in the bottom right foreground with an expression of surprise on his face. All these people represent various positive reactions to being told about God by the man dark brown hair, a green shirt & jeans.

To the left of the picture there are two men who have rather negative reactions to the man’s proclamations. I have used the “spiritual lens” idea (from the previous scene) to show that daemonic spiritual beings are covering the men’s ears, trying to get these people to ignore the man’s words about Jesus & the good news He brings to us.

Notice that the man dark brown hair, a green shirt & jeans is speaking at a crossroads, which represents two different directions people can go in: either towards the Lord God, or away from Him, as the two men on the left are doing.

Why do Christians need to “witness”?
The term “witness” means to share the gospel and testifying to personal experience with God. It is a cornerstone of the Christian faith: not merely as an optional activity for religious leaders, but as a core duty, privilege, and identity for every believer.

Why does it matter so much?
Proclaiming God’s grace, mercy, and truth honours Him and declares His salvation among people (John 15:8 [1]), so it brings God glory.

Christians view people outside of a relationship with Christ as “lost” and in need of the peace, forgiveness, and eternal life found through Jesus (John 3:16 [2]). If no-one tells non-believers about Jesus, how can anyone know the truth & thus change their fate? Witnessing is an extension of loving our neighbour. Christians thus feel compelled by love & compassion to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Believers do not need to be theological scholars; they simply share what they have personally seen, heard, and experienced through God’s transformation in their lives. This is the power of a Christian’s personal testimony. And no-one can really argue against someone else’s experienced truth.

Actively sharing one’s faith deepens a believer’s own prayer life, reliance on Scripture, and boldness in walking with God, thus leading to their own spiritual, Godly growth.

Biblical foundation and direct commandment to witness.
In Matthew 28:18–20, Mark 16:15, & Luke 24:44-49 [3] we have what is referred to as “The Great Commission” of Jesus. Before His ascension to Heaven, Jesus explicitly commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them and sharing the message of salvation. So that is a direct commandment to share His gospel with other people.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses in their local communities and to the ends of the earth, thus we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness effectively to non-Christians.

In Luke 19:10 we are referred to as co-laborers with Christ. By sharing the gospel, Christians partner directly in the same mission Jesus carried out while on Earth, which is seeking and saving the “lost”.

In 1 Peter 3:15 Christians are told to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope they have, doing so with gentleness and respect. That hope is found in Jesus the Christ, therefore we are to witness to what amazing improvement Jesus has made in our lives.

In Colossians 4:5–6, Christians are encouraged to act wisely toward outsiders and make their conversations full of grace, seasoned with salt, so they know how to answer everyone.

In Matthew 5:14–16 Jesus calls His followers “the light of the world” and urges them to let their good deeds shine before others so people will glorify God. Thus our words and deeds/actions should be aligned, in order to point people towards Jesus, the source of our salvation.

In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Christians are described as Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal directly through them. An ambassador represents someone else: in this case Christians are representing Jesus to non-believeres, thus showing them what belief in Jesus brings to one’s life.

For those people who are nervous or awkward about telling other people about Jesus, Romans 1:16 reminds us that the apostle Paul states that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. While in Romans 10:14–15 Paul highlights the necessity of sharing the message by asking how people can believe in someone (i.e. Jesus) they have not heard of, or hear without someone telling them about Jesus.

[1]
John 15:8 (NIV)
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

[2]
John 3:16 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

[3]
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:15 (NIV)
He [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Luke 24:44-49 (NIV)
44 He [Jesus] said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”