Living Witness
John 12:1–11
On account of him many [were] believing in Jesus. John 12:11

Many, we are told, believed in Jesus because of Lazarus. Here was a man so much alive because of Jesus and so identified with him in discipleship that others believed on Jesus just because of him. The application is obvious. Has anyone believed on Jesus because of you? Can it be said of you, “On account of him (or her), many put their faith in Jesus”?

One year the missionary conference of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia was attended by four veteran missionaries. Two were a couple who had given more than thirty years of their lives to working in unevangelized fields in Africa. Another, together with her husband, has done pioneer Bible translation work in Mexico. The last had spent over forty years in Spain. These presented their work to the church and then eventually returned to their fields. After they were gone, I received this letter from a woman who had been a member of the church for many years and had attended the conference. She wrote, “In 1936, I started attending Tenth Church while in college and have followed ever since then the work of these three missionaries, who had just then left for missionary service. The Wolls have evangelized Kenya in that time. They have trained and sent out workers. They have established churches and Bible schools. Maria Bolet in that same time has been training Spanish missionaries in a Bible school and has sent those trained throughout Spain. She has operated summer camps. She has been persecuted, several times been put out of Spain, and then allowed to return. Now the children of her earlier converts are attending camps, and the mothers are crying out for more camps. In that time the Lathrops have reduced a language to writing, have translated the New Testament into that language, and have evangelized the entire Tarascan area of Mexico. They have established an indigenous church there. I have pursued my profession at home and overseas and have a few years remaining, a satisfying career. But who will greet me in heaven when I arrive there and say, ‘I am here because you gave your life to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ’? Who will count me such a blessing?”

I know this person well enough to know that she has been a blessing. Quite a few have come to know and trust in Christ as a result of her testimony. But the question still stands—for me and for you. Have you been brought to spiritual life by Jesus? Can others tell that you have been with Jesus? Have any believed on Jesus because of your testimony? God grant that this might be true of each of us, or that we will allow God to make it true as we spend more time with him.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.