New Year's Resolution: Do Not Do Witnessing

S - "You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, and you killed the Author of life. But God raised him from death, and we are witnesses of this. … Peter and John answered, “Do you think God wants us to obey you or to obey him? We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”" Acts 3,4 TS

O - Jesus comes to clarify the person and purposes of God. His closest friends and followers became witnesses of him and his resurrection.  The point of their speaking was not to replace the individual's experience of the person of Jesus which heaven has designed all humans to have.  In fact, as Saul of Tarsus can testify, the involvement of other humans is not always required to have such an experience and begin a relationship with Jesus (cf. Acts 9). Heaven’s desire is not people believing things about Jesus, but believing in him, i.e. having a personal, confident relationship with someone you actually, literally know. Being a witness involves what one has seen and heard first hand, not just what one has been told (even accurately informed).  According to Jesus: "This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. (John 17)" You know if you know someone and you know if you only know about them.  

A -  Being a witness of what one has seen and heard (i.e. personally experienced) is very different from "doing witnessing" (i.e. saying to others what others have said to you). Religion wants its adherents to do witnessing.  Heaven wants people to meet Jesus and then be witnesses of all that they experience of him and his irrepressible resurrection life. What if we all decided to live this way?  Not in religious camps peddling religious ideas but in dynamic relationship with the One given to the whole world.  What if we stopped saying things others say about Jesus and restrict ourselves to that which he has given to us and we're experiencing?  What if we do the one thing he commanded? “ I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my followers.”

P - You who are the Good News to all People,

I accept your assignment to love you back and my neighbors as myself, my equal.  I promise to refuse to do witnessing and to only be a witness of our relationship together. I'll welcome you and your will on earth just like they do in heaven. I want to live out loud the beauty of knowing you.

So very glad to know you and be known by you,

Steve