Witness

 "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming. Make a straight road for Him! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills! Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places! And then the people will see the salvation sent from God."  Luke 3:4-6

Luke, the writer of the gospel that bears his name, used the above passage from Isaiah, which foretold of the coming of the one who would announce the coming of the Messiah. The prophecy was fulfilled through the life, witness, and ministry of John the Baptist. I've read it many times, but when I read it just a few days ago, it impacted my heart in a way it never had before. It was not just reading about the life and ministry of John the Baptist. I was also reading what my life and ministry must be. And if you are truly a follower of Christ, what yours must be as well.

There is so much packed into that passage and John did indeed live it out. By His grace, power, and Holy Spirit, we can as well. If we do, we can not do so passively. Our witness is to be active and alive, but sadly too much of our witness is that of a slumbering church and people. We "hire" our prophets to preach to us and do the work of ministry. To be His full time witnesses while we.....play. But what would happen if we did see the call of John to also be our call as well. A call to each who in Christ, is a member of His royal priesthood.

What would happen if we had lives and testimonies that were crying out, in the midst of this wilderness world that He has come? What if we lived in such a way that we were a pathway to Jesus Christ instead of an obstacle? What if our lives were of such a level of integrity that all the crooked aspects of our fallen characters are made straight by the power of His character working in and through us? What if we lived and ministered in such a way as to give people the living hope that the mountains in their lives really can be leveled or removed completely by His miraculous power and presence? What if we gave and lived out the good news that we can rise above the valleys that seek to hold us? Rise above them in Him. What if we, the church, lived and ministered in such a way that the rough ways of this fallen world are smoothed out by His life? A life that has overcome all the power of that fallen world. The answer to it all is that if we, the church, would truly live out such a witness, a lost and dying world then "see" the salvation sent from God. They would see Jesus....in and through us. If. If we would live out our calling. If we would rise up from our slumber. If.

I want to be one of the ones crying out, speaking out, living out this call. Do you? If so, may our desire become our reality. May we have such a witness and testimony. We just need to have voices that are heard above the noise of the wilderness. May it be so that we do.

Blessings,
Pastor O