Some people call it the principle of spiritual multiplication or, more simply, “passing the faith along.” Paul explains the concept to his young friend, Timothy, this way: “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2, NIV). Jesus, the master teacher, modeled how to do it. Without benefit of mass media or sophisticated technology he managed to bring the message of God’s salvation to the world by concentrating his training on twelve men. These men, in turn, trained others. At some point, someone—parents, friends, Sunday school teacher, pastor—passed the faith to you. Now it’s your turn. At the very heart of being a Christian are two responsibilities: the responsibility to be a disciple yourself, and the responsibility “to disciple”—to lead—others into this role.

A Work in Progress...

Frightened by the challenge? Think you’re too new to the faith? Haven’t felt the “call” yet? Doubt your ability to lead anyone to Christ because you’re still a newcomer yourself?

The good news is that you have many ways to be a witness for Christ. One of the most common is to share your testimony with a friend. This can be a simple one-on-one account of your relationship with Jesus. It can be a brief expression of your own experience, of where you have been and how you arrived at this point in your Christian pilgrimage. You can explain that you are a “work in progress,” and that you can only speak to where Christ has brought you today.

Another way to witness is by your actions. Old habits may fall away as you start to stretch and grow under God’s loving guidance. You are no longer the same person, and the changes may be evident.

Streching Exercises...

The Bible contains several personal stories that can serve as models as you think about sharing your testimony with other people. In Acts 22:1–16, Paul quiets an angry mob with his story of how he became a Christian. First he establishes common ground with the crowd (“I am a Jew … brought up in this city … trained in the law of our fathers”), then he admits to making many mistakes in his life, and finally he recalls the encounter with Jesus that led to his baptism.

Not everyone’s story is as dramatic or as dangerous as Paul’s. Still, all testimonies have similar characteristics. They are one-of-a-kind, eyewitness accounts of personal experiences that happen to people just like us. And because they continue to happen over and over again in our times and to our neighbors, they are constant reminders of Christ’s relevance in this day and age. They stand as contemporary translations of what he can do in our lives right now.