Describing Christ to Others

In understanding about being a witness for Christ, let's try to visit a simple analogy of someone witnessing an accident. Usually, you are a good witness if:

“You saw it, you heard it, you felt it, and you can describe it.”

By these things, we can testify the truth of the matter.

The apostolic community witnessed Christ.  In Acts 4:20 it says, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."  And that is why their witnessing, even without video cameras or pictures to prove it, was so powerful.

We come to ask ourselves, "Have we seen, heard, and felt Christ?" Can we describe Christ? I believe that the following can make us good witnesses of Christ.

1. Being a friend of Christ.
Knowing Christ allows us to see Him, hear Him, and feel Him.  Through prayer, study, and sacraments we come to be closer to our Lord. I'm not talking about trying to pray well or to study diligently.  I'm referring to a growing relationship, a deepened friendship every time we come before Him in prayer, study, and sacraments. To enjoy His friendship is very important, and it shows.

2. Being able to Describe Christ to others
How has Christ changed you today? By answering this question, we can describe how Christ inspires us and transforms us.  Some have very powerful and dramatic testimonies that really convict us of our faith.  These testimonies describe the greatness of Christ's redeeming love.  But I'm also looking at how we can describe Christ in the ordinary day to day life that we live.  Can we describe Christ, even amidst heavy traffic?  Having a good disposition despite being in the worst of situations can be reflective of how Christ lives in us. Through good witnessing, people will even come to the point of describing Christ by describing you.  I have heard sometime ago that "Your life may be the only Bible other people read."

Witnesses for Christ are much needed in today's secular world.  Our prayers, study, and sacraments should help us become true Christians.  May we come to describe Christ to others, without much effort and much more naturally.  Through His friendship that is contagious and overflowing, we can become effective witnesses of His great love.

Value Your Freedom

We went to a pizza place today and was delighted to be able to avail of a good deal on a meal. I got a super sized slice and a large drink for 99 pesos.  Compared to many pizza prices, this was inexpensive and the pizza was excellent!

I am reminded of how Christ saved us.  In order to set us free from sin, he bailed us out with His very own life!  Unlike the pizza, our freedom is expensive! We are indeed "dear" to God.  God thought we were worth the heartache of seeing His only begotten Son suffer and die to buy us from death.  Everytime we see the cross, we should be reminded of the price God paid for our liberation.

Knowing this, how are we valuing our freedom in Christ? Since we have been bought by His blood, we are no longer bound by sin.  But there times we act as if we have not been liberated.  We keep on going back to that cell, imprisoning ourselves even with the knowledge that Christ can set us free. Let us be remided of the following:

Christ on the Cross by Francisco de Zurbarán

1. Let us not take the cross for granted, our freedom did not come cheap.
2. Let us value the freedom of our new life in Christ, which is the best life anyone can ever live.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16