I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8)
Every night for two years, when I tucked my kids into bed, we prayed, read books, and said goodnight to all the faraway family members we could think of—including Grandpa and Grandma. When it came time to travel, over the summer or other breaks, we never told our kids we were going to Indiana or Kentucky; we told them we were going to see Grandpa and Grandma.
The reason was simple: Our kids were too young to understand why they had to sit for ten hours in car seats, but they could remember Grandpa and Grandma, who they said goodnight to every night.
In the same way, we can’t fully understand the mystery of God. We can’t fully grasp the sacrifice he’s made for us. But his sacrifice is not the core of our faith. Christ is. The person of Christ is the message—which means he should always be central to our testimonies, just as he was to John the Baptist’s. We as Christians are part of the body of Christ, imbued with the Holy Spirit, and commanded to testify.
As we work up the courage to share Christ with our non-Christian friends and family, we must remember that the Spirit animates that testimony, and that Christ animates our whole faith.
Testify to the power and love of Christ with someone you know.
Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate and lives in Arkansas with her husband and two sons. She likes to read to the kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
