Witnesses to the Cross of Christ

Alistair Kay, Sheddocksley, Aberdeen

As preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are charged with the responsibility to be first and foremost witnesses to the Lord Jesus (Acts 1 v 8). Yet, if you ask the average man to be a witness he would dread the thought! What exactly does it mean to be a witness?

As a practising court lawyer for the defence, I see lots of witnesses in my daily work. Whilst most are police officers, many are simply members of the public that happened to be in the right place (or wrong place?) when something happened. Most often they are afraid of the cross-examination of the defence solicitor- me! The purpose of cross examining a witness is to test their evidence, show gaps, and put to them the defence scenario for their reaction. This tests the memory, and credibility of the witness.

It’s quite different when I’m the witness and not the other way round! Yet should it really frighten us if we are witnesses to the truth of the Gospel at work in our lives and confident that Jesus is able to keep all the promises he has made to those who believe in him?

In court, most witnesses must speak to the facts- what they saw, heard, or experienced in some other way. Only experts in a given field of learning (such as medicine) can give opinion evidence. So likewise we are foremostly witnesses to the facts of the Gospel as we have experienced the resurrection power of the Lord in our own lives.

Surely this is why our own personal testimony is worth so much. We should learn from the apostle Paul who often gives his conversion experience either in his defence (e.g. Acts 22 & 26) or in his letters (e.g. Galatians 1 v 11-24). I find myself referring to bits of my own testimony each time I preach the word. Without this factual basis, we are merely giving opinion evidence, and this is far less convincing to the sceptical jury (or the congregation).

Each witness in court has to give their evidence without being prompted or led in any way; otherwise an objection will be raised. Often the lawyer has to dig deeper into the testimony to bring out the key facts as most witnesses string the story together too fast or dwell on less important matters. As witnesses for Christ we should be diligent that we give a full account of our faith, as most Scottish congregations don’t interrupt us to clarify a point as a lawyer may do in court. Again, Paul in his writings constantly asked questions, as if to clarify his points, and then proceeded to give the answers. This is a helpful device for us in preaching the word.

You may wish to imagine that your congregation is hearing your testimony for the first time, and will pass a verdict on it at the end of the service (and maybe they do!). Will you be found a credible witness? Will your testimony move them to convict?

The bit that most witnesses dread is the cross-examination. What will the cunning defence lawyer ask them, will they be tripped up in their testimony, will they be forced to admit not really knowing a vital point of evidence, will they look a fool, etc. You can’t really prepare for this. In court, a good cross-examination can help win the defence case, although some witnesses come through very well and stand steadfastly to their story.

Yet should we be afraid of being cross-examined? If we are sure of our faith and know the basis of our trust in Christ and his promises, have we really anything to fear? Think of it this way- the unconverted person we are sharing with (the defence lawyer) is really testing our credibility as witnesses to the Cross of Christ- so they are actually examining what the Cross means to us! So the term cross-examination is very appropriate! We should welcome this, as that is the root of our salvation- and theirs too.

Finally, the jury must give it’s verdict based on the evidence it has heard. Sometimes the congregation will be asked to make a response at an alter call, and other times they just go home to mull it over in their minds. They will consider what truth was said, the manner in which it was said, and how the witness (you or me) handled the “Cross” examination.

One major point of difference is that the jury are also the people in the dock! They way up the evidence against themselves, and must apply the truth to their own lives! We want them to be convicted of their sin, and persuaded to put their trust in the Gospel message and Cross of Christ. As preachers we should hope that no “Not Proven” verdicts will result (far less any “Not Guilty”)!

USA Trip Musings

Stephen Marr

Going on a Mission trip/preaching tour to the USA does sound fairly impressive, but you have to factor in a few things. Firstly, getting to the airport at a time when any good Baptist should be fast asleep! Secondly, having to take 3 separate flights to get there (and the same to return) without costing a king's ransom. Thirdly, feeling like a sardine wedged between a couple of “well built” gentlemen on the trans-Atlantic leg! Fourthly, upon collecting luggage and passing through US immigration via a rather grumpy official, having to drive 4 hours to initial destination in Georgia which, I'm assured by a few Americans, is “just a walk in the park”! Why did I do this? Let me tell you of some of the things I got up to.

Canton is a large suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Having arrived there at about 1am on Saturday morning, I had to get sufficiently settled and rested before going to the 1st Baptist Church of Canton on the Sunday morning to do a couple of things. I had the joy of addressing the children of the Church during the first service (there are 2 each Sunday morning to accommodate the large numbers of worshipers) at “children's Church” on Jesus' healing of the 10 lepers. Then, during second service (the larger of the 2 services with about 1000 people there) I preached and then spoke briefly of ministry in the schools of Scotland. On Sunday evening I spoke at a Church in the town of Jasper, some 25 miles from Canton. This was a small Church by US standards with about 100 people. They showed a great interest in life and ministry in Scotland and were all for taking their puppet ministry (which is very impressive) on the road to Scotland!

Another 4 hour drive on Monday saw me pass from Georgia, through South Carolina, into North Carolina and the city of Hickory. There, I spoke a numerous meetings at a missions conference and addressed the youth group of the Church (Hickory Community Chapel) at 2 Wednesday evening meetings with over 100 teenagers at each. The subjects were “Are you willing to wash smelly feet”(!) and “Could you spare the price of a Star Bucks coffee to support some ministry?” On the Friday evening, between both of these meetings, I participated in the “Plight of the persecuted Church” as the “Pastor in hiding”! The teenagers had to try to find where I was – the “Church” - without being caught by guards. Then they listened to a 10 minute presentation and hoped that the “Church” wouldn't be raided (which it was, right after the message ended!). The Youth Pastor of the Church had gone to great lengths not only to set the whole event up (informing the neighbourhood, police, etc and getting a safe house for the “Church” and such like), but also to get accurate and honest information about persecuted Christians all over the world so that the young people could see the differences between their freedoms and those not enjoyed by so many.

On the Sunday following the “persecuted Church” event I again participated in 2 Church services (Hickory Community Chapel also has 2 services to accommodate numbers) and did basically the same as at 1st Baptist in Canton, addressing the Children during 1st service and preaching at the 2nd.

Throughout my stay I enjoyed the phenomenal southern hospitality of the people and it became a common thing for me to have a huge plate of food placed in front of me at every meal “just in case the other folks didn't feed you right”! The interest in all things Scottish (partly due to the large population of people with Scottish heritage who had ancestors settle in the southern States following the Highland clearances and the fact that anyone wearing a kilt is immediately identifiable as being “not from round here”!) made conversations too numerous to relate. Suffice to say, I felt that there was a genuine warmth not only in Scotland as a country, but it's spiritual needs and Godly heritage.

Would I go back again? Well, if you could guarantee the necessary funds, a smooth journey, no more 4 hour drives, a bit less food and time to do some shopping (you should have seen the list I had from various people to get things “when you have the time”!), I'd be back in a heart-beat. God bless America! - did I really say that?!

Congratulations: We offer our Congratulations to Jim Edmiston (Alexandria) who has recently obtained a Bachelor of Divinity with Honours degree in Theology.