GET INVOLVED
Head-Heart-Hands | Fruition
Our lives should faithfully "bear witness" to the truth of Jesus Christ through our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes, and our words.
In a courtroom, a witness is someone who tells about what they have seen and heard. When a witness speaks, it’s called testifying. In courtroom dramas, lawyers sometimes clarify or challenge a witness with this question: “Is it your testimony that (fill in the blank)?”
The judge, jury, victims, and defendants count on witnesses to be clear, consistent, and truthful. Everything depends on it.
In God’s Kingdom, everything does not depend on us. Rather, everything depends on our one true all-powerful God.
But we do have a role to play. We are called to be faithful and active members of God’s family and Kingdom. One way we do that is by being a faithful witness. Faithful means that we are true, reliable, obedient, and loyal to Jesus and his truth. Witness means we tell the story of what we’ve seen, heard, and experienced. That includes the story of how we first met and started following Jesus. But it includes so much more than that, things like what God is teaching us, what we're learning about following Jesus, how God is meeting us in our struggles, how God is bringing joy to us, and more.
Remember, Jesus himself was the ultimate faithful witness to the truth of God’s love and power. When we are faithful witnesses, we are imitating Jesus and becoming more like him.
Begin with a conversation starter, then use some of these warm-up questions.
Use one or more of these passages to see what Scripture says about being a faithful witness. You can also engage with the passage by copying out part of it, rewriting it as a prayer, rephrasing it as its opposite, summarizing it with a single word or phrase, making a list or chart of similar and dissimilar things, or turning it into something visual like a doodle, design, or flowchart.
Read any story about Jesus since his entire life was a faithful witness to his Father and to truth. Then talk about these questions.
Read John 4:1-42 (Jesus and the Samaritan woman).
Read Matthew 28:1-19, Luke 24:1-12 or John 20:1-18 (women testify about Jesus' resurrection). By the way, women were not considered reliable witnesses in the ancient world.
Read John 19:38-42 (Nicodemus helps bury Jesus).
Read John 9:1-41 (Jesus heals a blind man).
Read Matthew 26:69-73, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-65 or John 18:15-18, 25-27 (Peter denies Jesus).
Read 1 Peter 3:15-1 or Colossians 3:1-18.
Print off and talk through the Tiny Testimony Template. Give one or two examples from your own life. Start working on it during your time together. People can share one response now or continue working on it during the week and share at your next meeting.
An honest witness does not lie; a false witness breathes lies. (Proverbs 14:5)
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (John 5:14-15)
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17)
But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. (1 Peter 3:14-16a)
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2103 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
© 2004-2024 Young Life. All rights reserved.