That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes … this we declare to you. (1 John 1:1–2)
Christian witness is always both verbal and visible. This is true without exception. What we say is inseparable from what we do, and who we are.
This is so blindingly obvious, yet frequently in danger of being overlooked in the multiple schemes and programs of evangelism which are generated by local churches and larger Christian organizations.
Nietzsche’s challenge to the evangelical community of his day resonates for every generation, every church, and every last one of us: ‘You will have to look more redeemed if you want me to believe in your redeemer.’
All of which can be deeply discouraging—for ‘who is sufficient for these things?’ (2 Cor. 2:16). However Philip, Barnabas and Saul clearly were sufficient, not in themselves nor on the basis of their own resources, but by the power of God: the God who continues to be ‘with us’ in His mission (Matt. 28:20).
Make us to be what we profess to be;
Let prayer be prayer, and praise be heart-felt praise;
From unreality, O set us free,
And let our words be echoed by our ways.
– Bruce Milne