Praise for Witness
by Patti Boring, Springdale, Pennsylvania

Sharing your faith story is not always easy, even when your heart is in the right place. True believers often doubt themselves:

"Do I really know what I believe?"
"Am I living a life worthy of Jesus Christ?"
"I admit my life has been transformed by the power of Christ's love and forgiveness. Can I find the words to reveal this miracle to a loved one, a neighbor, a co-worker . . . or even to a stranger?"
"Am I up to the challenge of leading an adult Bible study?"

The Witness study led a small group of casual acquaintances and virtual strangers on a journey to uncover the answer to these questions and more. Daily Bible reading and prayer encouraged each of us to reflect on the Word of God in a new way. Group discussions and personal journaling helped us clarify our deepest beliefs and led us to acknowledge the good that Jesus Christ had done in our lives. The insightful and flexible Leader's Guide permitted me to offer the group well-thought-out, engaging sessions. Within the span of six weeks, we became a tight-knit group of believers, eager to walk intimately with our Lord and Savior, and willing to trust one another with our struggles and small triumphs.

The Action Assignment set this curriculum apart from all others; for it was the Action Assignment that turned each of us from students of the Word to hearers and doers. As the weeks passed, I was thrilled as each of us learned how to listen genuinely to the needs of the people in our daily lives and offer them the kind of encouragement and peace that can be found only in Jesus Christ. Eventually, we began to understand that witnessing is . . .

less about promoting our own personal theology and more about friendship and caring
less about self-righteousness and more about living a holy life
less about instant revelations and more about gentle, persistent persuasion.

And sometimes witnessing is being able to handle rejection, knowing that our efforts will not go unrewarded, for the Holy Spirit never returns a void.

Thank you so much for a unique and wonderful Witness experience.

Witness resources are available from Discipleship Resources, 1-800-972-0433.

Visit the Witness web site at http://www.gbod.org/witness

Posted 5-29-02