Over time believers tend to reduce their Christian lives to a list of things “to do.” This was the error of the Pharisees and is a mark of empty religion in every generation. Busyness, conformity, and externals too easily become the measurement of spirituality.

Perhaps this temptation is because it seems simpler to just give a list of do’s and don’ts. Yet, in the end, it shortcuts the divine process of transformation and misses the divine objective. There is no substitute for being with Christ and carrying the reality of Christ in you to others (Mark 3:14).

The emphasis of God’s Word is always on what we are to be. This is never an excuse for spiritual laziness and passivity. Here is the amazing thing: if we will be what we ought to be, we will do what we ought to do! The difference is that the Lord always begins in the heart. He begins with who we are in Christ and who He created us to become.

While this truth is woven throughout the whole of Scripture and connects to every part of life, it is seen most clearly in what Christ taught about the witness of His followers. He did not give them a script to follow or a formula to present. He simply, and powerfully, taught them to be what they were – witnesses of the grace of God! “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalm 107:2).

This keeps it personal. My pastor used to say that the noun always comes before the verb. Here is how Jesus said it:

“And ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48).

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Dear Christian, you are not a human doing, you are a human being! You are a believer. Be what God made you to be. Become the witness you were saved to become.

I have been praying personally that God would help me to be more the witness that Christ deserves. Ask the Lord to help you to be:

• A bolder witness – more willing to speak. Boldness is always the result of being filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31). As we yield each day to the indwelling Holy Ghost, He will give us the courage to open our mouths for Christ. Indeed, He will speak through us!
• A better witness – more wise in how we speak. The same Holy Spirit who gives strength to speak will also give discernment as we speak. Claim the promise and believe God for divine wisdom (James 1:5). “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:7).
• A brighter witness – more winsome in the way we speak and live. You can say the right things but fail to give a bright witness to the reality of salvation! We are not trying to win people to ourselves, we are seeking to win them for Christ. Don’t you think the countenance and spirit of a follower of Jesus should be a billboard for the goodness of God? Our lives and words should attract others to our Savior (Matthew 5:13-16).

Don’t just do something! Be someone that reflects the joyful salvation that is ours in Christ. BE a witness!

(For further study on the subject of the Christian witness download the GO kit at enjoyingthejourney.org/product/go-resource-training-kit/.)

This article, along with guidance for advancing the gospel globally, is available on The Gospel Advance website at gospeladvance.com