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| Had I been a NASCAR fan as a boy, I might have brought model cars like these to "Show and Tell." |
Do you remember “Show and Tell” day? I’m not sure they still
do that in schools, but “back in the day” we had show-and-tell once a week. As
I recall, it was optional and whoever thought to bring something in got to go
in front of the class with their chosen item, show it off, and then tell about
it.
Weapons weren’t an issue in schools in those days, so there was
no concern little Billy would bring in dad’s pistol, shotgun or prize hunting
knife. Most of the time featured items were things like stamp collections,
favorite dolls and stuffed animals, plastic dinosaurs, something from grandma’s
memorabilia, model cars and airplanes, maybe a live hamster or gerbil. I don’t
think pythons were permitted.
The rules were simple: If you brought something from home at
the appointed hour the teacher would call on you to walk before the class, show
the item of your choice, and tell whatever you wanted about it.
Being shy, I think I “forgot” to bring something to class
most of the time, but do remember taking my dad’s wartime medals to school once
and explaining what each represented.
The single stipulation of this activity was it had two
parts: Show – and Tell. You couldn’t go forward, face the class, and just tell
them about something you left at home. And you couldn’t just show the items;
you had to say something about them. It definitely was not show-or-tell. It was both-and, not either-or.
As I ponder what we often call the “Christian faith,” it
occurs to me that it, too, is show-and-tell.
Over the years I’ve taken part in evangelistic conferences,
events and training programs, and most of the time the emphasis is on the
words: How to say the right things, or how to say things right, hopefully to
persuade the hearer.
Speakers at these activities often refer to “witnessing.”
What strikes me about this, however, is the Bible rarely uses “witness” as a
verb. It says we are to “bear witness” (a noun) – in other words, carry
testimony about our faith to those that will listen. In most cases, the
Scriptures use witness not as
something believers do, but rather what they are.
For instance, in Acts 1:8 we find Jesus’ exhortation to His
followers: “And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He also instructed
them, “…let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
People within the Christian culture have become skilled in
using the words of the Gospel, but
perhaps one reason we’re not more effective is because of a lack of emphasis on
the works of the Gospel. As someone
been said, if your walk doesn’t equal your talk, the less you say the better.
An overbearing employer professing to be a follower of
Christ, for example, that doesn’t treat employees with fairness, compassion,
sensitivity and understanding isn’t likely to be listened to when she talks
about Jesus. An employee that’s always telling people about Christ, but fails
to do his work diligently and with excellence, undermines his own witness.
A husband might be a pillar in his church, but if he abuses
or demeans his wife or children, he has no platform from which to speak about
Jesus – at home or in public. And a physician that often talks about her faith, but
uses coarse language or demonstrates a lack of personal integrity, conceals the
light He wants her to shine.
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