It was a beautiful autumn morning and Chloe’s Mom was driving her to school. They were stopped at a red light. A van sped passed them in the lane next to them and ran the red light. Chloe and her Mom saw the van plow into the side of a truck that was legally passing through the intersection. Chloe and her Mom were witnesses to the accident. They told the officer when he arrived what they had seen.  

Testimony

   The statement Chloe and her Mom gave to the officer concerning what they saw is called a testimony. If they are called to court concerning what they saw, they will be called as “witnesses” because they saw the accident with their own eyes. They will testify before a judge concerning what they saw. This means that they will tell him what they saw.

“Witnessing” and the Bible

1. The Apostles were “witnesses” concerning Christ. Tell in your own words how the Apostles were witnesses of Christ. What is their testimony?

It is important that we always use Bible terms in the same manner in which they are used in the Bible. If we give Bible terms new meanings that are not found in God’s Word this is a form of teaching error and God tells us not to do that. For instance, people of various denominations today will say, “I got baptized”. One person from a denomination who says, “I got baptized” will mean that he had water sprinkled on his head and that was his “baptism”. Someone else of a differing denomination adds, “Well, the minister poured water on my head and that was my baptism”. Both individuals used the word “baptism” to describe what happened to them. Were they both using the term “baptism” the way it was used in the Bible or had they both given the word “baptism” a new meaning? There is more than one way to find out the New Testament meaning of the word “baptism”. We can look up the word “baptism” in a Bible dictionary which gathers its meanings from Greek, the original language the Bible was written in. The following is one of those sources:

baptisma "baptism," consisting of the processes of immersion, submersion and emergence (from bapto, "to dip"), is used

From this resource we learn that the New Testament usage of the word “baptism” means to dip or immerse under water. Therefore “sprinkling” and “pouring” are “new meanings” and they are false.

2. Another way to determine the meaning of Bible words is to look at the context. Often this will reveal the true meaning. Read the following passage and from the context describe baptism: Romans 6:3-5.

A Misconception About “Witnessing” and the Bible

Another word to which people often give a new meaning today is the word “witness”. Someone might say to you, “I want to witness to you about the Lord”.

3. Family Discussion/Challenge question:

Discuss why “I want to witness to you about the Lord” is a new, or a different, meaning from the New Testament use of the word “witness”. Hint: Did the Apostles see Jesus? Did Jesus see His Father? Did the Father see the Son? Did you see Jesus?

Now that we have established the meaning of some of the words in our lesson text today, let us take a look at how they are used.

   4.  How many times can you find the words “witness/witnesses” and “testify/testified/testimony” in the text below?

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Using our lesson text, find the answer for the following questions:

5. Which of the following did Jesus NOT name as a witness of who He is: John, the Father, His works, the Scriptures, Moses, and Mickey Mouse?

6. Jesus described someone as a “burning and shining lamp”. Who was he describing?

7. Find and name two things Jesus said that these Jews did not have in them. Should we have these two things in us?

8. According to Jesus, why were these Jews searching the Scriptures?

9. What were they not willing to do in order to have eternal life?

10. Who did Jesus say accused them?

11. Who did Moses write about?

Below you will read some stories about people who “witnessed” something. They saw it with their own eyes. Name the witnesses you find in each story below.

12. John and Greg were shopping at Walmart. They saw a woman put some jewelry in her purse without paying for it. They told security and she was caught. Later they told their Mom about what they saw. When Dad came home, Mom told Dad what the boys had seen. Name the witnesses. What was the testimony given by the witnesses?

13. Mary and Lisa climbed up into Mary’s tree house. From their perch they were able to see a man break into their neighbor’s house and steal a tv. While they were watching, Mary’s brother, Luke, climbed up into the treehouse with them. He saw the man coming out of the house with the TV. Luke ran into the house and told his Mom. His Mom called the police. Later Mary’s and Luke’s Mom told the neighbor what had happened. Name the witnesses.

14. Andy had planted pumpkins and two of them had grown very large. He planned to enter them at the state fair. A thief came and took the pumpkins while Andy was in school. When Andy’s sister, Anna, came home from school she ran outside to play. She immediately noticed that Andy’s pumpkins were missing and she went looking for him to tell him. Andy’s best friend, Bill, also noticed that the pumpkins were missing when he came over to ask Andy to play ball. Mom ran out when Anna told her and she saw that the pumpkins were missing. Name the witnesses who saw the thief take the pumpkins.

15. Trey and Eric were outside playing when they noticed fire burning in a trash pile in an empty lot. The wind was blowing and they could tell the fire was heading for their neighbor’s house. Eric ran inside and told his Mom and she dialed 911 after she ran outside and confirmed that the fire was getting out of hand. The firetrucks came and the firemen put out the fire. Later Eric’s grandparents came over and he told them about the fire. Aunt Betty dropped by and he also told her. Who witnessed the fire?

In our lesson today we learned about some pretty important witnesses. The Jews did not believe Jesus' witnesses. It is important that we believe them. Those witnesses saw Jesus and confirmed who He was. The witnesses are: God the Father, John the Baptist, the Scriptures, the works of Jesus, and Moses.