THE ROUGH EDGES

By David Pam McQuel

She was very beautiful and every man thought so. She was the modelling agency's marketable face. She has enjoyed life by all worldly standard.

She put in everything required to stay in form. She had limitless number of men queuing up to have her. She has enjoyed comfort, happiness and fun.

But she also has had moments of lowliness she would prefer to keep under lock. Disappointments, betrayals, abuse, rejection and shame stained her short life. Instead of the façade of exuberance and luxury, down beneath it was a cupboard of dry bones, very dry.

She had worn all cosmetics of great brands. She has put on world class perfumes. She has worn the latest dress modes and shoes desired by most women. She has danced in the most famous party halls and eaten in luxurious restaurants yet, she never felt truly beautiful, happy or elegant.

One morning, an ordinary day, nothing big. No sign, no intuition and no premonition. She went to fetch water and met a man at the well, the only one to hit the deepest longing of her heart.

Like a beautiful harmony on a great piano by the world's best pianist is pleasant to the soul, so where the words of this man to her. What started as a mere racial argument turned out to be a conscience pricking dialogue.

She closely guarded secrets, her deeply embedded disillusionment with life and her veil hunger for God was revealed and Jesus peeled layer and layer of his failed life. 30 minutes of encounter turned out to be an overwhelming life transformation.

Then the disciples broke up the spellbinding conversation but her heart had melted. He forgot the watervessel and headed for town and with passion told everyone abound the man, Jesus, who changed her life just moments ago.

She didn't need eloquence, she didn't need an extraordinary grammatical accuracy. She didn't need a reputation. She didn't the best PA system. She need a degree in Mass Communication. She didn't need a track record in Public Speaking.

All she had was a passion born out of a truly changed heart. That's all we need to witness Jesus.

Here is the testimony of her one hour witnessing in John 4:
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.

41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Nobody need tons of qualifications to witness Jesus. We just need a passion born out of a true transforming encounter with Jesus.

Excuses Christians Give:
I'm new to the faith
Nobody has enough reason to witness Christ that a new convert. If your conversion was born of an encounter, produced by a heart touched by the Spirit of God, then you must be rejoicing in Christ and glad to let everyone know what has just happened to you.

I don't speak well
Telling someone about Christ is the easiest thing. Have you ever shared an experience you had? Yes. Everyday things happen to us and we share it with people. May be a taxi was kind, a tailor was rude, your car had some difficulty, your child's teacher was negligent or your boss is excessively difficult.

In like manner you can tell about Christ and His saving power.

I don't know the bible
It doesn't take a million verses memorized to share your faith. You can even share about Christ with the help of stories or parables without even having to read from the Bible. This is because Scripture is Scripture whether read from a book or memorized in the head.

I'm shy
Paul told Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of timidity. 1Timothy 1:7. Jesus also told the disciples if we are shy about him, we are not worthy of him Matthew 10:32. Since Jesus was not shy to die for you, why be shy to tell men about Him?

Who will believe me
It is not your responsibility to convince or saved anyone, that's why you don't take the credit when someone gets saved. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts. Mark 16:19, 20 says, "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

I'm nobody
God is not looking for Somebody influential to share the gospel. It is not worldly influence that we use to witness Christ.

Paul said to the Corinthians 1:26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

It is just the truth. Truth is her own biggest instrument.

I'm not a pastor
Jesus said in his final instructions in Acts 1:8, that they will receive ability as the Holy Spirit comes on them and they will be His witnesses. These were ordinary men. They were not scholars. They were not theologians. They were fishermen and peasants. They were men who had instruction in the law.

I have been a very bad person
Excellent point! That makes you more qualified to share your testimony. Being good all your life doesn't qualify you to share the Lord. It is having the "Born Again" experience.

You don't have to sharpen the rough edges of your life to witness Christ. Just a passionate heart. Reach out now and speak about the Man who changed your life and gave you the greatest hope.