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Ray Jones is the Coordinator for Evangelism for the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served the church as a pastor for twenty-five years. He has a heart for helping people grow in the love of God in Jesus Christ. This growth always includes our words and deeds. He is married and has two grown daughters. He has experienced training and education at Furman University, Columbia Theological Seminary, the church, and through living in the world.

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May 25, 2012

My Witnesses

Ray Jones

The churches of my childhood stressed constantly  the importance of personal evangelism, but there was something essential missing in the messages we heard. The emphasis was on souls being saved. Not once did we receive a message about serving people in need and being part of what God is doing to right ancient wrongs.

When I was a teenager, I found a home with Presbyterians. It was refreshing to to hear about and to be part of God's mission to the poor and mistreated. The messages resonated with me, but once again something essential to the gospel was missing. There was little concern for personal evangelism. Rarely did I experience anyone talking about reaching people who do not know the love of God in Jesus Christ.

As I engage scripture, I am increasingly aware that the body of Christ is to have a heart for justice (Matthew 25) and personal evangelism (Luke 15). We are called to be a community in which people are experiencing the restorative power of  Jesus in our midst. Through this power at work in the church, disciples are nurtured and equipped to share faith and serve others. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we become witnesses to God's life-changing power in Jesus.

Our witness is complete with words and deeds. It is erroneous to believe that the gospel goes forth only through deeds. Words are  a necessary companion to our deeds. The good news about Pentecost is that we cannot do the work of the church without power. We need the power of the Holy Spirit, which is our resurrection power, to truly be a transformed and redeemed people who live and speak in a very different way.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are witnesses. We are witnesses to the life of Jesus that has changed our lives. We are witnesses to a new way of life, which is revealed in a community called the church. We are witnesses to the way in which God intends life to be. And we are witnesses to the future reality of a consummated and restored creation. And our witness comes from the way we live our lives and through the words we speak.