Liam

I don't mean to brag but... my grand son is certainly a handsome dude! He has the same bubbly personality as his brother.

The Witness

Stand over the very still sleeping form of Mathew, so very quiet, and whisper his name “Mathew.” His eyes will pop open like toast pops from  a toaster! He looks up to see who said his name, and he gives a hearty greeting, “Grampy!” Count to three very quickly, 1-2-3, and he will start with questions and observations, non stop!

January 17, 2010 - The Shepherd's Heart Journal: The Witness

John 1: The Word Became Flesh!

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]

There are could several reasons why God created each of us, and all of us. There may be dozens perhaps hundreds. Since God is by nature infinite, His purposes in all that He does is probably beyond comprehension. But we can get a handle on His overall purpose or His main theme, so to speak. We can do that because we are His children, made in His image, with a basic, perhaps instinctive understanding of what He is doing and why He made us.

A child may not understand all that we do in our efforts to provide for them. but most children readily grasp the overall purpose of a mom or a dad. They will give you simple answers like “A mom is here to love me!” or “A dad is here to protect me!” Their answers would be brief, but surprisingly comprehensive.

I talked to someone lately about why God brings people into our lives, and what it is we long for from friends. I was given a quote from a movie. There was a depth to the statement that almost floored me. The movie statement was “I want someone to bear witness to who I am!” It is a broad theme of friendship and love.

Funerals are extremely unpleasant, but essential. They give the friends of the deceased an opportunity to fulfill this deep heart felt desire in every sentient creature to be remembered. We go to a funeral to bear witness to the impact of that person’s effect on our life. It is painful, but it is deeply desired by most, if not all. I know that I myself have considered this question: Have I made an impact at all on the lives of those around me? When the time comes for my funeral, will any one show up?

We are made in God’s image, so we can assume that God and we are alike in basic respects. The very fact that there is a Bible testifies to the desire of God to have people witness to what He is. The writer of John was bearing witness to who God is, by documenting the life of another John, the cousin of Jesus, and at the same time a prophet of Jesus, John the Baptist. (Pulease! No denominational jokes like “The greatest man in the eyes of Jesus was a Baptist!” to which another counters “Yes, but the Son of God Himself was a Nazarene!”

Jesus said of Himself that He was sent to bear witness of the Father. If the accounts of the Gospels are accurate, then we can believe that Jesus not only sought to constantly bear witness of the Father, but He also loved the Father. There is a correlation, or a tie between loving someone, and bearing witness to someone. Funerals are well attended if the deceased is well loved. We will stand for the reputation of someone if we love them.

God has had the desire from the beginning of time. Before he created a single star, or a drop of water, or a ray of light, or a speck of dust, he created massive, almost innumerable race of Angels, creatures made of celestial stone and light, invincible, indestructible, fearless, and completely aware, almost divinely aware. They woke up talking, sort of like my grandson Mathew gets up in the morning. Stand over the very still sleeping form of Mathew, so very quiet, and whisper his name “Mathew.” his eyes will pop open like toast pops out of a toaster! He looks up to see who said his name, and he gives a hearty greeting, “Grampy!” Count to three very quickly, 1-2-3, and he will start with questions and observations, non stop!

That is not! how I wake up! But I imagine it was like that with the angels. Loaded to the brim with curiosity, observations, and language, I suspect that God created angels one at a time, and fully briefed each one, before He went to the next one, so that He could use the older to help the younger. If that wasn’t the way He did it, I am trying to get a picture of a billion Mathew like beings popping their eyes open all at once. Well, God is not the Author of confusion!

That’s why you read the Scripture “When God laid the foundations of the Earth, The Sons of God shouted for joy!” The entire ancient lives of these heavenly beings are devoted to being the full time witnesses to what God can do.

That’s what the purpose of John the Baptist was. He was sent to bear witness of the divinity of his cousin Jesus. He knew it since he was a boy. He even sacrificed his life rather than be untrue to that witness. His last request was to His cousin, “Am I on track, cous?” (That’s a Mad Dog paraphrase!)

I have rearranged my entire life on the belief that God has called me to be a full time witness. I gave up my goal of playing music in bars. That was probably a good thing. I walked away from lifetime friendship with a beautiful musician, Valedictorian, who thought being a preacher was unwise. Then God brought into my life another beautiful woman, Valedictorian of the Class of Outstanding Character, who sought me out because I was going to be a preacher. (Why are incredible people attracted to me, people like you, for instance?) I have done this because I love that man who died on Calvary for me, and for you.

Why does God create an abundance of witnesses, angels, saints, believers? The reason is witnesses make it so much easier to believe. Faith is vital to survive. If you want to make it another day, you have to trust God. If you want to have eternal life, you have to have faith! If you want to make it to Heaven, you have to believe.

There are lost people all around us. They don’t know who they are. They don’t know where they are. They don’t know where they are going. They don’t know where they want to go. They don’t know who God is.

You could help them. You could go to them and tell them who you are. Don’t tell them what’s wrong with them. Don’t condemn them. Just tell what you have seen and heard and felt. You do love God. You believe He died on the Cross for you. Tell them that. Be a witness!