35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.
What John saw, he faithfully attested to - fulfilling the command Jesus gives to all of His disciples. It is His will for every believer to bear witness of what they know to be Truth so that others may know and believe:
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things." Luke 24:45-48 (NIV)
27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:27 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt 28:18-20 (NIV)
John had been an eyewitness to the happenings of the Lord Jesus making him competent to testify to the Truth – his testimony being undoubtedly factual. He not only told the Truth but he told the whole Truth - writing as he did under the inspiration of the Spirit of Truth. His assurance of veracity was from the Holy Spirit. Ever been an eyewitness to something remarkably amazing and exciting? The first thing we want to do is share with everyone what happened – something so amazing is difficult to keep quiet – good news was made to share. The original disciples really grasped and understood this at a core level. Jesus had opened the Way to God, freeing the captive and providing the all-achieving power of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of every child that called on His mighty Name for salvation. This was amazingly Good News. No longer would a follower of Christ have to live a life of slavery to themselves but in yielding to Jesus, every fetter would be broken – the yielding must be stressed for it is in the yielding that we are truly freed. Peter, the prior chicken, spoke boldly after Christ’s resurrection and the filling of the Holy Spirit regarding what he knew to be true - even in the face of adversity – he could not help but do so:
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:18-20 (NIV)
John also was eager to draw men to believe in order to bring about their eternal welfare and earthly good. He wanted us to know that this was no fabrication – no delusional thinking – this was fact not fiction and it was fact that would forever free if found and embraced. He wanted to assure people that they need not hesitate to believe what he had seen – he stood there, he saw it, he was an eyewitness to the account and he faithfully proclaimed it. Passion and Truth burned in his soul until he spoke. Not too dissimilar to the prophet Jeremiah - though extremely ridiculed and discouraged still continued to state:
9 But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jer 20:9 (NIV)
Interestingly, God is still in the business of strategically placing His people all over the world to be salt and light for Him in this dark place. He teaches and equips His followers to do His bidding in their spheres of influence for His glory and their good. We are not all exactly alike. We are all uniquely and wonderfully made – each gifted in our own ways to build and equip His Body, the Church. Do not strive to mimic others; strive only to be like Jesus. He gives to us in order to give – there is to be no hoarding of the gift “manna”. God desires salt and light fleshed out in His vessels in our everyday routine lives. It is grace in its various forms fleshing out as teachers, doctors, friends, lawyers, waitresses, mommies and daddies, business professionals, police and the like - each one letting God’s light within them shine before men so that their good deeds may bring praise and glory to God, the Giver of all. We have this false notion that it is only those termed “missionary” that are to be about the Lord’s business which is so far from the Truth and so foreign from the Way our Lord works. Scripture tells us every believer is called to the battlefield – everyone in some way.
“Being a ‘missionary’ (one who is sent) is not a matter of crossing the sea, but of seeing the cross.” Hudson Taylor
My sweet friend Paula Kirby - who does hail under the banner of missionary in Washington D.C. – enlightens us so superbly as she dances with her words regarding the believer’s calling as salt and light:
“It’s an ethos and conviction underscored by so many I’ve met since being here -- men and women placed by God in the portals of power. In education, government, the military or entertainment, they’re there, holding sway and affecting for good. I keep meeting them -- nuclear physicists, university presidents, business moguls; social entrepreneurs. Others are advisors, entertainers, journalists, and yes, even politicians. From across the globe, they are power-holders and influencers; living for God, risking all, spicing our world with His precepts, His standards, and with His grace, Amazing Grace. These invigorating experiences have so broadened my perspective of God and the canny, brilliant ways He works. His people are everywhere -- His “sent ones” who wear not the vestments of religion nor hoist the banner of traditional “missionary”. Yet they are equally dedicated to the purposes of Jesus -- to the death if need be.” Paula Kirby