Back in September of 2008, Canon Glenn had Deacon Rick Zepernick come to St. Michael’s Seminary and present his 1-2-3 Witness program. Dcn. Rick presented the most natural and effective approach to one on one witnessing that I have come across. He recommends you keep your “witness”, which is just a snap shot of your walk with Christ, to 100 words or less. My 3 examples run just a bit long. There should be 3 parts to your witness, the origin, the ownership, and the outcome, with the outcome being the emphasis. Dcn. Rick used the example of the difference in a movie and a trailer. In preparing your “witness”, you don’t write the screen play for a movie, just the trailer. Then use these witnesses as the Lord provides opportunities to open the door for an extended conversation or plant a seed for another time and place.
Surrender
I used to live my life according to my own will, trying to achieve what I thought would bring me happiness. After multiple crises occurred in my family in a very short period of time, I realized that I was not in control of the outcome. I learned to surrender each day to God because He has taught me that He can be trusted. He is not caught by surprise. God has shown me His faithfulness over and over again. There is nothing I can do today to cause God to love me any more, or to love me any less. It doesn’t get any better than living in surrender to God’s will for my life.
Contentment
I used to experience a lot of frustration in my life because I didn’t know where in the body of Christ I belonged. After a crisis in my former church, God guided me to new church and it feels like I have come home where I belong. Since finding a church home, I now experience much more contentment and much less frustration in my life. God has used many events to confirm that I am where He wants me to be. I feel connected to my church family at many levels. I feel secure in my submission to those in authority over me. All of these things and many more produce great contentment in my life each day.
Freedom
I once lived with a sense of never being good enough, or never measuring up to the standard I felt God wanted for me. Then I learned that man can never achieve that standard by his own strength. Since discovering the freedom that I have because of the price Christ paid on the cross, I can live with a true sense of joy and peace. I no longer live under a cloud of guilt for all the good things I should do but don’t. I have realized that Christ’s love for me does not depend upon my works or my performance. If I my motivation does not stem from my love for Him and my desire to please Him, then my works are in vain. Those things I have done that were in willful disobedience, I have repented of. I am realizing the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Fr. Ronnie Sanders
