Jesus stated very clearly, as recorded in Acts 1:8 ‘you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ (BSB). He was talking to those who had gathered together in Jerusalem, at his command, awaiting further instruction. They were still expecting an imminent, physical, Zionist kingdom but Jesus assured them that times and seasons were outwith their authority. They had a job to do – to be Jesus’s witnesses. What does this mean? To bear witness means to verify the truth of what you have seen and heard. The Greek noun is martus (3144), a witness, a martyr. The verb is martureo (3140), to bear witness, to testify, to give evidence. This can be in a legal sense (Matt 18:16), historically (Acts 10:41) or ethically, even to death in proving the genuineness of faith in Christ (Rev 2:13).
In a court case a witness (an eyewitness) can be interrogated and cross-examined, in order to establish the veracity of his statement, and what he truly witnessed. What did he see and hear and how does that corroborate other evidence provided? On the other hand hearsay cannot be rigorously examined. It is a second-hand report of what someone else might have seen or heard.
Of what were those first-century disciples to be witnesses? That first generation of believers had a unique perspective which no other generation can claim. They had been with Jesus for up to three and a half years. They personally heard his teaching, they saw his miracles, they witnessed his death, and experienced the unimaginable joy of his resurrection. There was so much that they had personally experienced and about which they could go forth and testify. They could be interrogated until the cows came home; there was no reason for doubt in any of their minds (Acts 4:20). They really were eyewitnesses. What about subsequent generations? We who have but sixty-six Bible books on which to build our faith? Including four highly abridged gospel accounts of all that Jesus did in those 42 months? Are we the hearsayers, the rumour mongers? Can we truly be witnesses for Jesus?
Fortunately martus is not restricted to those who saw things with their own eyes. It also refers to someone who publicly stands by what they know to be true. People whose life-course demonstrates the reality of Jesus can be questioned and remain credible. Yes, this is a different kind of witness; our evidence is not inferior, it is from a different perspective. We witness by demonstrating the real-world effects of having Jesus in our lives. When others notice this, they start to trust us as credible people who are motivated and driven by the Holy Spirit, as we bear its fruitage in all our daily activities. They see people who are patient and kind, who have peace and joy, are good and gentle, have faith and self-control, who love. When they see healed relationships, bad habits conquered, caring people, it works. This is the result of having Jesus in our life and it shows. The modern-day witness stands out: he forgives, he is generous, he remains peaceful under pressure, he is compassionate to all.
Our growth is the result of prayer, scripture, community, service, confession and worship. We do not tell others what to believe; nobody has that authority; we simply invite others to walk with us and share the journey. That is a journey that can last forever, but for now it is about healing, identity, purpose, freedom, reconciliation and hope. When they join us on the road they gain a sense of purpose, and absolute clarity of who they are and where they are going. This is not about being creepy, having strange emotional experiences, or telling of weird events and private revelations that cannot be verified in any way. Our witness is seen, not in these sometimes disturbing episodes, but in publicly observable behaviour and transformation. Those first-century believers were eyewitnesses of all that Jesus did in a physical way. We are witnesses of his ongoing work.
Witnessing is therefore something very personal. If it is based in our own experience then we can confidently testify to all that Jesus has done, and is doing, for us and on our behalf. This leads, naturally, to the question – how can we be Jesus’s witnesses if we have not enjoyed this relationship with him, if we have not come to know the Christ through scripture, and developed the faith and trust that comes from this? I come from a background where witnessing means knocking on doors, distributing literature and sharing a corporate message, because this is one important way of ‘serving Jehovah’. This is not bad; after all, anything that encourages someone to look at his Bible and appreciate its amazing message of salvation through God’s grace and love, can only be good. The danger is that they become disciples of a religion, rather than of Christ. If we engage in this work, are we bearing witness, or are we peddling someone else’s agenda (2 Cor 2:17)? That is an important question. If we have not personally encountered Jesus then how can we testify? What are we bearing witness to? Are we not, perhaps, spreading rumour, gossip, hearsay?
So how can we bear witness to how Jesus has showed up for us without sounding self-satisfied, smug, emotional, strange? So often people have said to me such things as ‘I am saved’, ‘I am born again. Are you?’, ‘I love Jesus’ (often seen as a car sticker), and similar. None of these are wrong; indeed all of Jesus’s followers should be able to make the same claims. So it is not what is said, but the way, or the intent, of its saying. They are usually used as conversation stoppers, not as an opening to witness how these things have occurred in their life with a view to bringing Christ to others. So how can we witness without sounding arrogant or cringing? Here are some examples of concrete, relatable, provable statements that I have collated and reused:
‘Jesus spoke to me and I felt his presence’
could become
‘Following Jesus changed how I handle conflict. Rather than being defensive, I am learning to listen carefully and respond with grace’.
‘God laid it on my heart’
is a weird way of saying
‘through my study of Scripture I realised that I needed to make changes’.
‘The Spirit spoke to me’
perhaps becomes something like
‘I became aware that my attitude did not align with how Jesus treated people’.
Ask questions: ‘What helps you find peace?’, ‘Why are you so passionate about justice/charity/family…?’ Open-ended questions that make people think and, perhaps, open up.
Don’t be complete, presenting yourself as the finished article. That also seems to be arrogant. Frame your comments in the sense of an ongoing project. So make comments such as:
‘I’m still learning’
‘I didn’t get it right first time’
‘I still struggle with… but Jesus is reshaping me’.
Yes, we worship Jehovah, but it was Jesus who came to earth, lived as a man, and left us that perfect example to follow (1 Pet 2:21), one that we can relate to. If we model our life on, and worship Jesus, then we do likewise to his father (Heb 1:3) who gave him all authority.
What about the value of delving deep into God’s Word? How can we talk about this without appearing to be intellectual or academic?
‘I have spent years studying scripture in depth, and yet the clarity I have gained is far greater than my own intelligence could produce. I have been reshaped more than I expected’.
‘There is so much practical wisdom in the Proverbs’.
‘My studies have produced answers but, more importantly, I have changed in how I treat and think about people, more patient and hopeful, my faith has become personal not just intellectual. I have received insights that I didn’t expect’.
There are so many ideas out there if one is willing to look. A simple internet search can reveal tools and techniques that make witnessing seem easy – and natural. I use the YouVersion Bible App. It has a daily verse, with a two-minute commentary that is always positive, sometimes really interesting, and never veiled by organisational exigencies. I do not always agree with the theological interpretation but knowing what I believe and why, this is not a danger. I am comfortable with that, knowing that none of us have the full picture – it will be revealed in its full glory in God’s own due time. In the meantime we are to bear witness to what Jesus has done for us, and every follower of Christ can do that if they are willing to be motivated by love of God and love of neighbour.
Often, the most powerful testimony we can offer is not by what we say but what we do, how we treat people. Simply being kind and gentle to all will be noticed, eventually! What about charitable works and volunteering in the community? James tells us that clean and undefiled worship is to look after widows and orphans whilst remaining unpolluted by the world. This is acceptable to our God and Father (Jas 1:27). There are many individual Jehovah’s Witnesses who are truly caring; their love knows no bounds. Nevertheless the WTS does not do charity, even though it claims to be the modern incarnation of the first-century church (see Acts 6:1-6). Any hint that practical compassion and magnanimity might break out is quickly quashed by line management. There is no local autonomy. So everyone is preached at, wherever they are on the globe, with the same standardised, homogenised message that they can live forever, even though staying alive right now is likely of greater and more pressing urgency.
Belief is not a wishy-washy gullibility. Faith can be rigorously tested. Scripture can be scrutinised. Clarity comes from engagement. Transformation is real, not theoretical. For years I merely repeated what I had been taught because of its origin. It came from ‘Jehovah’s organisation’, lead by ‘the faithful and discreet slave’. What could possibly be wrong? Studying the Bible leads to discovering who Jehovah and Jesus really are; it is not to promote a religion. I once distributed literature because that is what I thought Jehovah wanted. Real witnessing is relating what Jesus has done for me. I no longer promote that religion; I share the clarity that, through hard work and prayer, has come to me from the scriptures. I can bear thorough witness to that!
Whilst on the subject, we must consider the name ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’. Where does it come from? Is there a scriptural basis? Is it right? All devotees of this religion will know that it was invented on the inspiration of ‘The Generalissimo’, J. F. Rutherford. It was in 1931 that he launched this new name with great fanfare at an annual convention, somewhere in The States (Cedar Point?). It tickles me pink that, initially, his scriptural basis was Isaiah 62:2 which says ‘and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name’ (KJV – NWT hadn’t been invented at this point). That was fine until somebody pointed out to him that, according to v4, that new name was Hephzibah (my delight) and Beulah (married). There is no mention of ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ in that chapter. So Rutherford had to have a rethink and thus Isaiah 43:10 has become the basis. Perhaps Jehovah and his Spirit get confused at times!
That passage is actually referring to the Israelites, who really were witnesses of Jehovah, he who is, who causes to become. They were the result of a promise made to their forefather Abraham, an alien in the land. Through Isaac and Jacob they became a large clan, which, in the safe space of Egypt developed into a true nation. Its birth was difficult, through the Red Sea, as if a birth canal. They were adopted at Sinai as God’s children, given a system of worship, a law code, and, eventually, their own land, complete with houses, towns, farms, orchards, vineyards, water – everything they could want for a comfortable and privileged life. And despite their ill-doings and subsequent discipline, he kept them as his chosen people and it was through them that Jesus was born into the world, as a man, to fulfil those promises to Abraham, David, and others. They really were a chosen people, a special possession. They were witnesses of all that Jehovah had caused them to become.
Of course natural Israel rejected the Messiah and were therefore replaced by the Israel of God, a multinational, global group of worshippers who, through faith in Jesus, repentance and baptism, were, and are, formed into the congregation of God and adopted as God’s children via a new covenant. Are these also to be known as Jehovah’s Witnesses? Decide for yourself, but as we have already discussed, Jesus said that we are to be his witnesses, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 et al).
I have just been going through the study articles in the May 2026 edition of Watchtower. In four of the five, Jesus is not even mentioned; they are directed towards ‘servants of Jehovah’ who must ‘serve Jehovah’. Nothing must interfere with their ‘service to Jehovah’. These sound-bites are repeated almost mantra-like. But what does it mean? In Watchtower speak, it means field ministry, meetings, Bethel service, construction, telling medical personnel how to do their job, pioneering, training schools, Kingdom Hall maintenance, donating money and so on. When you start to understand what is going on it becomes apparent that ‘serving Jehovah’ is a euphemism for serving the Watchtower corporation. Is any of this mentioned in the Bible? Where has Jesus gone? I am sure he warned against building bigger barns, storing up wealth on the earth. If he has ‘all authority in heaven and on earth’ why is he being bypassed? Has he been usurped by a putative ‘faithful slave’, a governing body of old men living in a plush monastery somewhere in the state of New York? Perhaps they don’t like his style of leadership.
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