Should You Witness as A Christian?

Among Jesus' last words, meant to guide Christians from his resurrection until his Second Coming, are these: "All authority in heaven has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Mt 28:18-19).

Jesus Christ's Great Commission

But isn't it antiquated, and even presumptuous, to believe that the divine Trinity has commissioned a worldwide outreach that remains in force in the 21st century?

Wouldn't Christians do better to act in the spirit of pluralism whereby people keep their religious beliefs to themselves out of respect for those who differ? Isn't it both arrogant and immature to assume that a core dimension of the Christian faith, the Trinity, should be shared with all people throughout the world?

Not from the perspective of the original Abrahamic covenant in which God swore by his name that he would make Abraham a blessing to all nations. Abraham had faith in God and God accounted it to him as righteousness, not requiring the sacrifice of Abraham's own son of the covenant, Isaac, because God foreknew that he would sacrifice his own Son to actualize this covenant with humanity.
 

Jesus Christ is the Trinity's sign and seal of an eternal covenant that brings reconciliation to God to all who receive him (Jn 3:16-17). Life in Christ is everlasting Trinitarian communion. God has removed all barriers from the God side for this life to be received and lived. But on the human side there are many barriers, some religious, some political, some social, and some psychological.
 

While it is true that no one holds a corner on God, and no religions fully have their act together, including Judaism and Christianity, nevertheless Christ seeks witnesses who stand up and are counted among those who have discovered that God as human takes his place among us, God as holy judges us for our sins, and God as divine requires persons who know him to surrender to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
 

It is not enough for religions to have rituals or codes of law for ethical behavior. God wants people changed from the inside out. This can happen with or without religion, but not without the knowledge that God yearns to encounter repentant hearts, welcome persons into Trinitarian love, indwell their human nature, and develop righteous wholeness in their personalities and relationships.

Faithful Servants

A Trinity mission statement today might include spreading the Gospel as a faithful servant in one's chosen profession, perhaps as scientist, entertainer, athlete, clergy, teacher, homemaker, politician, factory worker, coach, journalist, or a thousand other occupations where one quietly lives one's faith and fashions friendships with co-workers that emulate Trinity life.

Since the Holy Spirit takes the lead in establishing new churches from Pentecost through today, one might expect, too, that the Spirit is calling new generations of pastors, evangelists, therapists, religious teachers, musicians, and parishioners to celebrate the growing cloud of witnesses from every tongue and ethnic group that come to know and love Jesus as Lord, taking the Father as their very own "Papa," and experiencing the love of God poured through their inner cores by the Holy Spirit.

Cloud of Witnesses

In fact, there is no such thing as static Christianity, other than when Christians lapse into apostasy or become lax and forget their prime calling. Christianity worldwide, however, is growing as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit create opportunities for friendship with God and fellowship with others as compelling as when Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all the nations."

For more, read:

TRUSTING IN THE TRINITY:

A Self Compass for Humanity

Does Jesus Want You To Be Spontaneous?

Spontaneity means responding to immediate circumstances in the present moment, experiencing the present as an existential moment of “now”—a capability that requires both mental flexibility and spiritual openness.

The power of spontaneity, if a person gives into it and cultivates it as a way of responding to the Holy Spirit, allows for serendipitous experiences otherwise missed if preoccupied by the past or worried about the future.

When Jesus called each of his disciples, they responded spontaneously to the calls, all but the rich young ruler who met the invitation with an excuse that he had many properties to manage and many responsibilities to oversee, and therefore, sadly, was simply too busy to respond to God. Jesus didn’t try to convince him otherwise by pleading for him to consider all that he would miss, but rather turned away in search of the next person who would hear his invitation and welcome it.

Too Busy to Respond to God

Spontaneity, needless to say, is different from impulsivity and irresponsibility. Christ doesn’t want persons to act rashly on the spur of the moment, doing things they will regret the next day. That is why the Holy Spirit works to build a rapport with a person’s whole human nature: your mind and heart, body and spirit—and this evolves over the years.

God desires for his people to learn to trust his presence in their whole being, so they can sense when he is guiding them in novel directions, or affirming the way they are headed. Sound thinking, genuine feeling, bodily sensing, and spiritual prayer combine to keep you zestful in faith, sensitive to the moment, and responsive to God’s dynamic way of guiding you.

 

Seeking God's Guidance

In times of unusual stress, Jesus declares, the Holy Spirit intervenes at a core level: “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit” (Mk 13:10-11).

The same principle applies to private Bible reading, group Bible study, or church worship. Opening your being to the biblical narrative allows the Holy Spirit to sometimes augment the general meaning with a more specific application to your life.

Christ walks and talks among individuals today as surely as he did with his twelve disciples, and his spontaneous interaction with the contemporary believer requires just as much flexibility on the part of the person as it did for the disciples.

 

Jesus Today

By listening afresh for the spontaneous ways the Spirit is speaking, you can truly hear a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom, or a prophetic word that brings counsel in an area of need or a creative idea in an area of quandary. 

In this way the Holy Spirit, the wellspring of creativity and spontaneity, crafts nuanced love poems aimed at your heart, letting you know how cherished you are, “I AM” encountering “i am” with blessing and sustenance for each day.

For more, read:

TRUSTING IN THE TRINITY:

Compass Psychotheology Applied

 

Trusting in the Trinity

How To Grow A Christlike Personality

Jesus Christ doesn’t need to change, because he is sinless and lived his life on Earth without sin. So Jesus is the exception. The only exception! Everyone else, you and me included, does need to change if we want to grow more like Christ.

Why? Because over time, we form personality patterns as a way of coping with fear. Someone who blames and attacks, arguing to handle problems, fears trusting others, fearing they will take advantage of him. 

Regardless of why we formed these patterns, however, each of us is responsible for our own behavior. We each need to acknowledge that one or more patterns  hamper our relationships with others and our own growth as a human being. 

Self Compass Personality Patterns Chart

 

The Personality Patterns Chart above shows how manipulative strategies keep each personality pattern intact, unless you surrender to the path of growth offered by transforming your personality in Christ. 

• The Dependent Pleaser and Histrionic Storyteller are stuck with too much Love on the Self Compass. 
• The Paranoid Arguer and Antisocial Rule-breaker are stuck with too much Assertion. 
• The Avoidant Worrier and Schizoid Loner are stuck with too much Weakness.
• The Narcissistic Boaster and Compulsive Controller are stuck with too much Strength.

If you’re interested in finding out which patterns you overly rely on, try out the informal personality inventory in The Self Compass:Charting Your Personality in Christ.

Your score levels may indicate you have some personal and interpersonal difficulties that can be traced to this pattern. Taking the growth stretches sprinkled throughout the book or considering counseling will assist your growth.

As you monitor your progress over several months, eventually these action steps will lead to the healthy integration of this compass point into your life and personality. You will appreciate the freedom for creative living that arises from personality wholeness.

It’s common to have a mixture of personality patterns, even ones that seem to contradict each other, like the Pleaser pattern in certain situations and the Arguer pattern in others. As you read about each pattern, you proceed by targeting the highest score for concentrated prayer and growth stretches. When you begin to make discernible progress, shift your attention to the next pattern and work on it. 

Eventually, your Self Compass will break free from the patterns that imprison you. The outcome of this change, sometimes dramatic and other times subtle, is increasing serenity, improved relationships, and deepening trust in yourself and God.

Deepening Trust In God

You will also gain a kind of x-ray vision into the true motives of other people’s behavior. With this comes the ability to resist manipulation that would otherwise cause you harm, for as Jesus counsels, we all need to grow “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16).

The principles you learn will enrich and heal your relationships in single or married life. If you are raising children, the Self Compass is a trustworthy guide to helping them form healthy and balanced personalities. This is called the actualizing process—the shift from living through manipulative patterns toward Christ-like personality wholeness. 

How To Replace Fear of Life with Trust in God

It’s one thing to say we trust in God. It’s another thing to actually do it, especially in times of trouble and pain, when fear of life can overwhelm trust in God.

Here’s an action step to help you learn to lean on God with expectant trust, especially when life is too hard to handle by yourself: 

LEANING ON THE WALL TECHNIQUE

If you are willing, wherever you are right now, I’d like you to get up and walk over to the nearest wall.

Now lean against it. I mean tilt into the wall at a steep enough angle that if it didn’t support you, you’d fall flat on your face. 

Lean on Wall

Let the feeling of trusting in the wall spread throughout your body. 

Notice that you can even relax while the wall is effortlessly upholding you. 

This physical sensation of leaning into the wall epitomizes what it means to trust the Lord with your mind and heart, body and spirit. 

God delights in this experiential surrender to him.

Here is a prayer to help transfer your experience of leaning on the wall to leaning on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

“Dear Lord, I apologize for any ways I’ve been holding back from you because of fear or worry. I’m going to believe that you are here with-and-for me every day. Help me trust you as genuinely as I trust this wall to hold me up. Without you I will fall flat. But with you I can do all things. I love you. Amen.”

Lean on God

For more, read:

FAITH BEYOND CHURCH WALLS

Finding Freedom in Christ 

How to Live Your Faith Beyond Church Walls

Is it possible to have faith that promotes unity with Christians of diverse traditions and openness to non-believers who hold different beliefs altogether? Compass theory suggests that a non-dogmatic faith is the wisest way to grow in Christ and witness to others without alienating them.

But—“I’m a Baptist,” “I’m Roman Catholic,” “I’m Calvinist,” “I’m Pentecostal”—say too many Christians.

“Please,” says the Father, “just witness to my presence in the world. You are my children, all. I have called you and know you by name. Seek my wisdom without a chip on your shoulder that divides my family into feuding factions. Please welcome all individuals into my household and live your faith beyond church walls.”

In the big picture of Christ’s redemption of humankind, your religious tradition is about as significant as whether you prefer going to the mountains or the beach, or whether you believe that cats or dogs make the best household pets.

Whatever your denominational affiliation, you are first and foremost a person who loves Christ. But when you place your Christian tradition above the gift of intimacy with God, you contribute to the fragmentation of Christianity and the senseless competition between parts of the Body of Christ.

A humbler perspective lets you say, “I am a follower of Christ,” or simply, “I am a Christian.” If this admission brings disparagement from anyone, then you are simply being persecuted for your witness to the Lord, not rejected because of your denominational eccentricity. Sometimes this type of persecution can’t be avoided. At such times Jesus will personally comfort you. But the rest of the time, seek to be a door-opener of God’s grace rather than a closed door of dogmatic religiosity.

Once in my hometown I called together a group of Christian leaders for a prayer meeting. Among them were a Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, and Lutheran. “I wonder if we might become a network who get to know and trust each other,” I said. “That way we can serve the Body of Christ and seek to meet people’s needs, no matter what their orientation.” During the next hour there arose such a disputation about brand-name loyalties that my hopes for Christian unity fell to the ground.

Eventually I channeled my passion away from banding leaders together to writing books for persons like you. This is why I value your readership so much. You are the one who is becoming the face, voice, and actions of Jesus Christ, and through his Spirit, a one-of-a-kind individual.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Believe me, God takes note of your individuation and will move to benefit both you and others. You are a signpost and heartfelt witness that Jesus is alive not dead, loving not tyrannical, adventurous not boring.

On occasion, when people are undergoing pronounced adversity concerning their health, finances, job, or relationships, you might ask if they would like to receive a prayer of blessing from you. Most people will say, “Yes, please.” Whether you pray silently or aloud, or simply let them know in a card or e-mail that you have interceded to God on their behalf, they will feel less lonely and desperate because of you. They will feel a shimmer of hope that God is there for them. When God answers some of these prayers, both their faith and yours will be strengthened. 

Join a Bible-study group to deepen your knowledge of the Word of God. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit as to how to develop more of your real self in Christ. Read The Self Compass: Charting Your Personality in Christ to help you in this process. If you do not attend a church, explore ones in your community to see if there is one that draws you in. We all need a way to regularly take in the Scriptures so that the Holy Spirit can use biblical teaching to transform our personality. 

Witnessing That Jesus Christ Is the Lord

Driving my motorcycle down a country highway, I heard a metallic pop and instantly lost all power. Steering to the side of the road I coasted to a halt about a yard this side of a driveway that meandered up to an impressive looking estate.

Since there was no traffic on this seldom used road I jogged up the driveway to the country mansion. I hoped to use the phone. When I got there a man answered the door, scowling.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said. “My bike chain broke out on the road. I wonder if I might use your phone to make a quick call.”

“No,” he said. “You can’t.”

Stunned, I studied his face. Uncut whiskers. Red cheeks. Balding scalp. Blotchy rings under his eyes. Not a happy fellow.

“Well, it’s a long walk back to town," I said. "I’ll just be on the phone a moment.”

“So you think you can invade a man's property and use his phone like its yours?”

I reached for my wallet. “I’ll be glad to pay you five dollars.” 

“Never mind,” he said curtly. He unlocked the screen and opened it. “Just hurry up.”

Marching ahead of me, he led me to a living room phone, then sat down in a nearby chair and stared at me. I felt so self-conscious that I forget my friend’s phone number. “May I use your directory?”

He strutted off to another room and in a minute came back with a phone book in one hand one and a drink in the other. “So what are you doing out this way, anyhow? Not many people use that old highway.”

“I was taking my bike out for a spin. I bought it secondhand last week. I’m a student at the seminary.”

“Oh, one of those Jesus nuts.”

I found the number and dialed it. No answer. I sighed.

“So where’s God when you need him?” asked the man.

I hung up the receiver. “That’s a good question,” I said. “I didn’t even think God existed until a couple years ago. I was a died-in-the-wool atheist.”

“Like me,” he said. “So then you got religion?”

“Not really. I don’t like religion much. But what happened was I stumbled into a church service one night and heard a message that Jesus is still alive. It was at a time when I felt very alone. At the altar call I went down and told Jesus that if this was true—if he was a real person who really existed—then I wanted to know him. I felt a peace come into me that has changed my life direction.”

The man swirled the ice cubes in his glass and sipped. “I don’t believe any of that God crap,” he said. “But I know what you mean about being lonely.”

“How’s that?”

“I never got married and both my parents are dead. I made a lot of money in manufacturing and retired when I was fifty. I bought this place.”

I looked around at the Arabian carpet and fine furnishings. “It’s a great place.”

“Yeah, but it don't mean much when you're all alone. This Jesus thing you got. Does it comfort you?”

"Not always. But most of the time, yes. I feel comforted by the Holy Spirit."

He grunted and stood up, gesturing toward to the door. “I have a piece of advice for you. Jesus is just a crutch. Him and the Holy Ghost are imaginary friends you made up in your head to keep you company. When you have as much money as I do, you can buy any god you want. But the God you're talking about doesn't exist.” He opened the screen door to usher me out.

“Would it be possible to give me a lift back into town?” I asked.

“No. My favorite show's about to start. But since Jesus is such a good friend to you, I'm sure he'll help you out, right?” 

“Yes," I said. “He will.” I turned and started jogging down the driveway toward the highway, feeling way out on a limb with no one to help me. But Jesus.

I didn’t feel comforted. I felt lousy. I felt upset. I felt mad—at God. For leaving me stranded in a place I didn’t want to be with a man I never wanted to see again. Worse than that, I felt humiliated. Here I was telling this guy that the Lord Jesus Christ is alive today, and that the Holy Spirit watches out for me. And now this same guy was chuckling at my stupidity and watching me hoof it down the road to my busted motorcycle.

“Jesus, where are you when I need you?” I grumped.

Back at the motorcycle I knelt down and gathered the loose chain that lay like a dead snake underneath my bike. Ten miles. Should I push the bike or set out jogging and hopefully make it to town before midnight? Would the bike be safe or would someone load it into the back of a pickup and drive off? Did God know anything about bikes, chains, and stranded hitchhikers or was he too busy guiding stars in their orbits around the Milky Way? I kicked the bike. It fell over. My toe hurt. I felt like a fool.

I perked my ears at the sound of an approaching vehicle. Over the hill came a truck. I waved my arms to signal distress. As I did so I noticed out of the corner of my eye the man in the mansion, still standing on his porch, still swirling his drink, watching. My drama must have proved more entertaining than the TV show.

The driver pulled over and got out of the truck. He walked straight to my bike. 

“Chain break?” he asked.

“Yeah. I don’t have any tools.”

“No problem,” he said. Underneath his billed cap I saw the flash of friendly eyes. “Burt’s Motorcycle Shop,” he said, pointing to the sign on the side of truck. “I’m Burt.”

Some people call it luck. Others call it fate or good karma. I call it the God who is there. Burt and I rolled my bike up the ramp and secured it in the back of his truck. 

I hopped into the passenger seat, opened the window, and waved goodbye to the man in the mansion, the Holy Spirit having authenticated my witness that Jesus Christ is the Lord.

Will God Answer Your Prayer?

When someone asks me if I believe God will answer their prayers, I don’t say, “Just be a good person and he will.” 

We all know what it's like to pray an urgent prayer that God seems not to answer. But as a psychologist who has walked with Christ for many years, I've learned that God gives one of three answers to our prayers: Yes,  No, or Wait! 

A child can ask a parent for candy, and lots of it. The parent can say, "Yes, just one piece." Or, "No, it's bad for your teeth." Or, "Wait until Halloween, and then you can have your fill."

We are God's children. We do well to learn trust and patience in praying to God. Too much of a demand quality to our prayer means we treat God like our personal slave: "If you don't keep my grandmother from dying I'll hate your forever!" But too little expectation means we don't trust God at all: "God, I know you've got more important things to do than pay attention to me." Scripture counsels a midpoint between these extremes:

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15).

If you want to develop more awareness about how God answers your prayers, I suggest you begin taking risks by initiating genuine conversations with God. And watching how the Lord responds.

What happens when you risk a spontaneous little prayer? When you include the Lord in your inner life? Over the years you learn to invite him into every imaginable situation. But there’s something else. Little heartfelt prayers fulfill the Lord’s desire for companionship with you!

 

Answers to prayer vary as much as blooming flowers. Some are like pansies that blossom overnight. Others are like bulbs planted in winter soil, which seem not to grow at all; then springtime comes and they erupt with life. Still others are like roses that require care over many years, but their delicate petals and distinctive fragrance make them well worth the effort. Whether God’s reply is quick or seemingly takes forever, you can count on a response.

A Little Prayer of Longing

Gwen made an appointment to see me at a college where I was teaching. A student in my Psychology of Religion course, she had met the assignments, but stayed silent in class.

When she arrived for the appointment, I invited her in and offered her a seat. My desk lamp cast soft light on her frowning face.

“I want to talk about something you said in class the other day,” she said.

I nodded my encouragement.

"You said that God wants a real relationship with each of us. That he knows us by name. That he wants to walk and talk with us.”

“Yes, I believe that’s true,” I said.

“Well, I have a problem. I was raised in a Christian home and went to church all my life. But I don’t feel close to God. It seems like the Lord is way too big to really know about me. I feel like I’m this little grain of sand who shouldn’t bother him.”

“Is it like you know God loves humanity, but why would he want Gwen as his personal friend?”

“Exactly. I’m so ordinary. I’m not that good in school and half the time I feel bored in church. I’m not anything special.”

“Yet you care enough about your relationship with the Lord to come here and talk about it.”

“I guess so. I don’t know what else to do.”

Gwen,” I said, “I wonder if you would dare to ask the Lord to come to you in a private way that you can really recognize. Something that would show that he knows you.”

“You mean just talk to him?” she asked, eyebrows arching.

I nodded. “Maybe you could say a little prayer right now, just the way you are talking to me.”

“Well, this feels kind of awkward, but I’ll try,” she said.

We bowed our heads.

After a moment of silence, she said, “God, I have felt lonely for so long. I go through all the motions of being religious, but I don’t feel you in my life. Please show me that you love me. Help me know you’re really there. Amen.”

When I looked up, Gwen was dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex. I sensed that she was opening her heart to God in this little prayer. I wondered how Christ would answer her.

A week later there was a knock on my office door. When I opened it, there stood Gwen with a grin on her face. 

She handed me a bright red greeting card and said, “Go ahead and open it.”

Puzzled, I flipped open the card. The printed message read, “Our friendship will last forever.” Underneath, written in beautiful handwriting, were the words, “Dear Gwen, you don’t know me, but the Lord told me to buy this card and send it to you. He said for you to read Isaiah 43:1. Best wishes.” It was unsigned.

“This card was in my campus mailbox yesterday,” Gwen explained. “I looked up the verse in Isaiah and it says, ‘I have called you by name, you are mine.’”

My heart caught. “And you still don’t know who sent it?”

 “No. But I do know that God loves me!”

What worked for Gwen will work for you: going straight to the Lord when you face a lonely disconnect from God. Like Gwen, you can risk praying to the Lord by "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7 NKJV).

Body and Spirit: War or Peace?

Forget everything you’ve learned from the misguided dualists who teach that the body, being material, is inferior to the spirit in your walk with Christ. 

In Jesus Christ, body and spirit are redeemed together. The spirit brings serenity to the body—a visceral peace that nothing outside of Christ can bring. On the other hand, the body informs the spirit with its needs for healthy sleep, nutrition, and exercise.  

Overly emphasizing either the body or the spirit is like saying your right leg is more important than your left leg, and then hopping on that leg for the rest of your life.

 When the apostle Paul speaks of a war between the flesh and the spirit, he doesn’t mean you should abandon bodily cares so that you can be a pure spirit. He means that bodily appetites have limited horizons. 

The goal of life is not contained in fancy clothes, prestigious quarters, or satiating the salivary glands. The goal is to develop a mindset based on trusting in the Lord’s help for physical provisions (home, food, clothing, education, health), while seeking above all else the Father’s will for you. When you seek the balance of bodily health and spiritual guidance, you’ll find they both contribute to a wholesome human nature.

Listen to Christ’s overview: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6: 25; 33).

By the same token, the body is a complex machine that needs quality care. Do you have a runaway compulsion for sweets, food, alcohol, smoking, drugs, or sex? If so, Christ doesn’t get on your case and carp at you to give these up, but sends the Holy Spirit to help you, like through a Twelve-Step group that specializes in breaking addictions. Thank God, you are not left alone to battle a force that is physically devastating and spiritually demoralizing.

Twelve-Step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous work wonders because they restore balance to the body and spirit. You gain a reprieve from out-of-control appetites by participating in a spiritual fellowship whose foundation is trust in God and service to others. Many of these meetings end by reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Your spirituality needs attention just like the body. Opening your spirit to God does not require being religious. It simply requires sincerity, transparency, and humility. You can ask God for these qualities and the Holy Spirit will make sure they become part of your individuality in Christ. Equally important are eating and drinking the Word of God, relating to others who know and love Christ, and helping people whenever you can. 

So there you have it, a short course in understanding Body and Spirit. Along with Mind and Heart (previous blog), these complimentary dimensions comprise human nature, providing you with a reliable set of checks and balances for cultivating your individuality in Christ.