Somehow I think you and I misunderstood Jesus when He said, “You shall be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8). It’s almost as if we’ve interpreted that to mean, “You shall be my lawyers.” But that’s not what He said.

There’s a big difference between a witness and a lawyer. A lawyer tries to convince people, whereas a witness just tells what he’s seen and heard. Both witnesses and lawyers are necessary in a court of law for a conviction or an acquittal. But if the witness were to step out of the witness box and usurp the place of the lawyer, the case could easily be compromised.

Author Roy Moran writes:

We have essentially forced the idea of “persuasion” onto the biblical word “witness.” Even in a court of law, it is not the witness’s job to persuade his listeners. It is his job to present to others the facts as he has experienced them, and to leave it up to judge and jury to decide. So why do we put the burden of persuasion upon Christ's witnesses today?

When it comes to our witness in the workplace, remember that we are not called upon to convince or convict anyone. Our only job is to bear witness of what we have experienced of God’s love, grace, and truth. Our job is to tell people what we know, and to let God’s Spirit and Word convict and convince. 

Jesus did an amazing thing in Mark 5 when He saved a man who had been possessed by a legion of demons. When the transformed man begged Jesus to accompany Him on His ministry journey, Jesus didn’t let him go. He said, “‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you’” (Mark 5:19). That alone is shocking! How could a one-day-old disciple convince anyone of anything? The answer is simple: He didn’t have to. His job was not to convince; his job was to witness — to tell his friends and neighbors what had happened to him and how good and merciful Jesus was. The other shocking thing is that when he obeyed, “all the people were amazed!” (Mark 5:20). 

Maybe that shouldn’t shock us. After all, Jesus didn’t send the man out to be a lawyer — just a witness. He didn’t have a well-developed theology of mission, but he sure had a well-spring of passion! When you’re living and loving like Jesus, you have what it takes to tell your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about Jesus.

Dale Losch joined Crossworld as a disciple-maker in France in 1988, and has served as Crossworld’s president since 2009. He loves to motivate people to use their God-given passions to make disciples wherever life happens. Hear more from Dale.