You gonna let Him shine?

You gonna let Him shine?

On Ash Wednesday I saw a few people wearing a smear of ashes on their forehead, a public declaration of humility and of some level of Christian faith. Of course, simply wearing ashes on one’s head for a day does not make him a true disciple of Christ. I know that!  But, that made me ponder if I am making Christ known? Does my life speak of Him? Is my faith readily visible to those who walk alongside of me for any length of time?  When and where is it right to make a public statement of faith? It has been my sorry experience to know some people who wore their faith in Jesus like a badly mismatched outfit – attracting attention, but for all the wrong reasons. 

Christians are most certainly to bear witness of a living faith.  The opening words of the story of the Church contains a promise for every disciple -  "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;” and why? So that “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)  Witnesses?  Like those people I saw standing in the airport handing out literature? Not necessarily. The word ‘witness’ is a translation of NT Greek – ‘martus’ – from which we get our word, martyr. The word was used for a one who has first-hand knowledge of an event, who would stand up for what they knew, even to the point of persecution.

So, who knows you are a Christian?  
Does your life inspire others to seek Him?

Being a ‘witness’ demands more of us than handing out Christian literature, inviting people to our church, wearing a cross necklace, or putting a fish symbol on our car bumper. (Lord, help us if we believe that is what it means to bear witness.) True witnesses will be holy, loving, and godly people. That person who walks in the Spirit, who has given himself totally to the service of Christ Jesus, finds a beautiful quality of character. That spiritual depth is irrefutable proof of the reality of the Gospel’s power to transform.

Watch out for religious performance or mere piety!

Sincere Christians can slip into hypocrisy, wearing a kind of ‘Christian makeup’ that hides the flaws and creates a false reality.  The best witnesses are those who are transparent, who are know they will never be perfectly sinless but who grow in their love of Christ and others daily. A real witness need not have all the answers, either.  On a flight yesterday during a conversation with the woman sitting next to me, the question of faith came up. Learning of Bev’s recent death, she asked, “Why would God let something like that happen to her, to you?”  She smiled when I said, “I have no idea but I choose faith anyway.”  It was an honest response and hopefully one that let Jesus shine.  

Jesus said, “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels? “If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you’re knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won’t be overlooked." (Luke 12:8-10, The Message)

If your friends wrote up a description of you, would it include the fact of your love of Christ Jesus?

Is your faith so woven into your core values, your words, your responses to life -that who you are and what you do could not be understood without reference to your Christianity?

Jesus told us that His wisdom is the foundation of every choice in the life of a disciple. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit-but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” The Message (Mt 7:24-27)

Here’s a word from the Word. Let’s grow in grace and walk in the Spirit so that we, like Paul, can say without pride or self-consciousness:
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV) What a wonderful life!

________

Shine

Shine, make 'em wonder what you've got,

Make 'em wish that they were not,

On the outside looking bored!

Shine, let it shine before all men.

Let 'em see good works and then,

Let 'em glorify the Lord!

Out of the shaker and onto the plate.

It isn't karma, it sure ain't fate

That would make a Deadhead sell his van,

That would make a schizophrenic,

Turn in his crayons.

Oprah freaks and science seeks,

A rationale that shall excuse

This strange behavior.

When you let it shine you will inspire

The kind of entire turnaround

That would make a bouncer take ballet

Even bouncers who aren't happy.

But out of the glare with nowhere to turn,

You ain't gonna learn it on ‘What's My Line.’

Shine, make 'em wonder what you've got,

Make 'em wish that they were not,

On the outside looking bored!

Shine, let it shine before all men.

Let 'em see good works and then,

Let 'em glorify the Lord!

Peter Furler | Steve Taylor

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