Witnessing
I need a clear cut definition of WITNESSING. What does it mean to WITNESS?
The only definition I have is from my old church… According to the pastor, if you were not bringing people to church, you were not witnessing, so the definition of witnessing was: Bringing people to church.
I haven't asked anyone at my new church, but I plan to.
Here is my personal definition… Telling others about Christ, whether it is a testimony, a "sermon", a word of encouragement, a hug, a reprimand, or prayer.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (New King James Version)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
I know I witness. But, I have never actually led anyone through the Sinner's Prayer. I firmly believe that I am the kind of person that plants. I believe that another follows behind me and waters.
There are those who will go off on me and say that I am not a good Christian witness for the Lord, but I just don't feel that way about it. I know that I can always do more, as we all can do more.
I have just always wondered what a good definition of WITNESSING is.
Religious Background (Make-Up)
Our Sunday School lesson today was about reaching beyond your comfort zone when witnessing and inviting others to your church. It got me to thinking about something, my religious background or make-up.
I think I have a very diverse religious background.
My father is Baptist. He is an ordained Baptist preacher. He was a Baptist pastor before.
My mother is Church of God In Christ (COGIC) which is a Pentecostal religion.
My stepmother was Methodist before she married my father. She leans a bit to the Pentecostal side at times. She is an ordained Methodist preacher.
I was born, raised, and bred Church of God In Christ (COGIC), ages 0-17. When I graduated high school and went to live with my father, I became Baptist, ages 17-24. After graduating college, I moved back to Dallas and joined a Full Gospel Church ages 24-33. Now, I am currently attending a Southern Baptist Church, age 33 and beyond.
I have fellowshipped with AME (African Methodist Episcopal) churches. I have fellowshipped with White Baptist Churches.
Here's some information about these religions.
Church of God In Christ (COGIC)... The religion has changed a lot since I was a little girl. Mainly, this religion believes in the whole Bible. They teach being filled with the Holy Sprit separate from being saved. You must speak in tongues to show that you have the Holy Spirit. Also, you can lose your salvation by backsliding. Many of the tenants of the COGIC are the same as other Protestant religions.
The services are very high spirited and exciting. You can never predict what will happen. There are over 5,000 COGIC Churches all over the world.
Baptist… It is the basic Baptist ideology. They believe as most Protestant Religions. I can't think of anything specific to point out.
Full Gospel… Most African-American people and religions that say they are Full Gospel or Pentecostal are offspring of the Church of God In Christ. Many of them have varying differences in doctrine. Many of the differences are related to women being pastors and women wearing pants. These services are high spirited and exciting. For the most part, the music is a bit slower than COGIC. The services can be unpredictable, too.
(The link for Full Gospel is the church that I use to go to.)
Honestly, I feel most comfortable in a Pentecostal church because of the element of excitement. Most Baptist churches aren't as exciting as Pentecostal churches. But Baptist churches have come a long way with their style of praise since the 90s. I like the unpredictability of the Pentecostal church.
I like the Baptist church because they don't use "scare tactics" to keep you save. In the Baptist church, you are responsible for your own soul salvation. In the Pentecostal church, it seems that you are guilted into living saved and doing other things that you should freely do.
In the Baptist church, there is full autonomy. I like that because you are responsible for yourself and no one else. I also like the fact that most Baptist pastors admit that they are human and that they can make a mistake. That attitude is very rare in the Pentecostal movement.
That's my religious background. I may add more later.
