I have heard Christians say that they want to witness silently with their lives. They want to live their testimony by being “salt and light” (Matthew 5: 14-16). There is a subtle message that we don’t need to witness with words if we “live it.” Certainly, we must witness with our lives, but we must also witness with words. I do not believe it is possible to be an effective witness without words. Therefore, we must speak up. Witnessing without using words is unrealistic. If we think otherwise, we are fooling ourselves. We must give a reason for the hope that is in us. (I Peter 3:15) We need to use words.

Primarily, we must give God the glory. Otherwise it is possible that people will notice our good works and attitude but not know that the glory belongs to God. Perhaps they would direct glory toward us. It is possible to do nice things, even good things, for our own glory. People pleasers are typically motivated by the praise of people. If we want to be a witness for Christ, we must be intentional about directing the glory toward Him and not ourselves. The joy of serving is a by-product.

The theory of witnessing without words sounds noble, and it feels much safer than witnessing with words. It does not feel safe to speak up for Christ and tell others of their need for salvation. But we need to be able to take the risk. I once heard a Christian athlete confidently say, “I will stand up for Jesus because He stood up for me.” That kind of speaking up is impressive and inspiring. We ought not focus on feeling safe. There is no real safety in this world. America is no longer a Christian nation. America has moved past secularism and into paganism. Paganism is a spirituality in opposition to Christianity. Paganism embraces many false gods and demons from many diverse cultures. We are surrounded daily by people who are unwittingly on their way to hell.

America today is not much different than ancient Corinth. Corinth during biblical times was the capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. It was a prosperous city and known for its immorality. To be called a “korinthiazomai” was to be identified as someone who lives immorally like a Corinthian. The apostle Paul was not content to be silent. His life and words were a witness to the Lord. Without words, how will anyone know what Christians are about and why they are different if, in fact, we are different from those around us. We dare not play it safe. We must be bold and tell people they need a Savior. They need Jesus. While we are living our lives, blooming where we are planted, being salt and light, we must also not be silent. We must tell others about Jesus.

It is not best to play it safe, remain silent, and go along to get along. Silence does not glorify God. We must witness with words and also speak up against sin. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Christian martyr who spoke out against the Nazis, said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” A believer’s priority must be to obey God and not surrender to the culture. We must stand strong against immoral cultural trends like abortion and homosexual marriage. And also stand against other believers who compromise God’s truth.

Speaking up and Standing firm,

Elsie

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” Hebrews 13:4