Overcoming Witnessing Guilt

 

Being a Christian in our world today is just as relevant now as it was during the book of Acts. Many Christians at that time had seen Jesus at one point in their lives or had possibly heard stories of those who had yet it was still difficult to be a servant of Christ. Fast forward to the present day and we now live in a time when Christians have lived their entire lives from beginning to end without physically seeing the Lord yet served Him in faith. Do you ever wonder what life was like for them? Maybe they lived during the time of a fiery preacher like Jonathan Edwards or Charles Finney. Maybe they were moved by the teachings of Martin Luther or experienced the direct effects of the Latter Rain movement (which I do not endorse). Maybe they simply had a Bible in a cabin out on the homestead, living miles away from any church and waited for the circuit pastor to make his rounds and bring encouragement and comfort to the family once a year. 

Here we are, serving the Lord in 2025 with many of the same concerns that Paul observed in the early church. Romans 16:17 says, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”

Any teaching that is shouted from the pulpit, on YouTube, or in a book by a popular Christian author needs to line up with the word of God. One teaching that has crept into our churches is the one that says we need to witness, or share our faith every single time we step out of the door. Remember the sign above the doors of so many churches that read You Are Now Entering the Mission Field? Yes, that one. Pressure is often put on Christians to have to share their faith with a certain amount of people each week. Keep a tally and make sure you bring several back with you next week to fill up the pews. Every single time you go to the store you need to witness. Every time you go to the doctor's office you need to share the four spiritual laws. If you are out and about and see someone in a wheelchair and do not pray for them, you are not a real Christian. 

I encourage you Christian to get rid of these destructive mindsets that are 100% works-based. Please, let me be the first to tell you that you do not need to share your faith 24-7, to everyone, everywhere. Rather, we are to live our faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” As we allow the Lord to work in and through us, we will see Him work throughout our lives. Our faith is made evident when we are out in public and we allow the Holy Spirit to work patience in us while we are driving. The substance of our faith is made clear when we go shopping with little to no funds and yet we are still able to find what we need to fill our grocery carts with plenty for our family. Even if we are stressed, the Lord can help us to encourage another believer or another customer who might be having a bad day.

Look back over the past month. Maybe you have not led 150 people through the steps of salvation but what did the Lord allow to happen? Were you able to encourage another homeschool mom on a phone call, through text, or over email? Did you run into an old friend while out shopping and you were able to catch up and possibly have a few minutes of sweet Christian fellowship? No pressure, no need to flex your spiritual muscles sharing which verses you have been memorizing or what you read in the Bible that morning. Of course God can use those things to bless someone at times, but most of the time, we are called to simply live life. 

At times, yes, we will share our faith—when there is a need! It is a little cocky to go up to someone, assume they are not a Christian, and act holier than them. Instead of adopting a weird doctrine of having to witness or have an emotional encounter with people every time we are out, let us allow the Lord to simply have His way in us and He will receive all of the glory. It's about Him, not us. My prayer is that He will use each and every one of us in the way that He sees best this year. If that is to pray for a sick friend—do it. If it is to disciple your children after a meltdown—do it. If it is seeing someone turn from darkness and enter into the family God—let God use you! True freedom is found in the Christian walk. There are enough troubles for the believer as it is. Why add extra rules and expectations?