Brittney Ford, member since 2007, Children’s Ministries Hospitality Lead, Children’s Council

Acts 1:8
“…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” 

I grew up in a denomination where the idea of witnessing to others was drilled into our heads from an early age. I wore the salvation bracelet and could tell you what the color of each bead represented (black represented sin, red was blood, blue baptism…you get the idea). Telling others about Jesus was at the forefront of our minds when we were at Church and we were encouraged to witness to others in our schools and neighborhoods. The witnessing we were taught was focused on getting more and more people to sign up to follow Jesus and get through the doors of our church, rather than leading others to Christ by setting an example.

I’ve now come to believe that we should lead a life that is so Christlike that others are drawn to what is different about us. When I was in my early 20’s I had a friend that didn’t have quite the same religious upbringing as me and we spent a good deal of time together with our group of young professional friends. One evening we were out at dinner and she looked at me across the table and said, “Why are you always so happy? I don’t get it.” It truly was one of the greatest compliments of my life. It opened a door to share about my faith and why I was “always so happy.” It wasn’t through a salvation bracelet, pamphlet, or a high-pressure altar call. My friend’s journey to exploring her faith was through building a genuine, authentic relationship with her. The outcome has become a beautiful, lifelong friendship. We stood by each other’s sides on our wedding days, had our first babies just days apart and I’ve been cheering her on as she leads her family to church. 

In the book of Acts, we learn about the acts of the apostles. One of the overarching messages of this book is that our actions matter more than our words. But which one is louder in our lives – our actions or our words?

My challenge to all of us today is to let our actions—our pure, holy, God-breathed actions—speak so loudly that others cannot help but feel that they are in the presence of Christ when they are around us. Perhaps this seems like a big challenge – but remember, you serve a big God who encompasses you with love and strength every single day. No matter what embarrassing thing you do.

Prayer:
Jesus – THANK YOU. Thank you for loving us to the ends of the Earth and help us to love others the same way. May our actions and our words reflect you today and that we can draw closer to you through all that we do. We love you and want to bring honor to your name. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.