John the Baptist was born as a witness for Christ but he is not the only witness. Everyone who knows Jesus is born again to be a witness. The most important quality of a witness is that they know what they are talking about. Do you know the power of Christ’s forgiveness in your life? Do you know who Jesus is? Then you can be a witness for Christ. Truth is, you will be a witness. What is in question is what kind of a witness will you be, one who honors the Lord or one who does not.

For us to be a good witness for Christ, we need to realize that Jesus is more important than we are. John the Baptist was an impressive character. People came out to see him in droves. Billy Graham is a famous and well-regarded person and people listen to him by the millions. But Dr. Graham says that he is not important—Jesus is. John the Baptist said of Jesus, "He must increase and I must decrease." Are we more concerned with what people think about us or what they think about Jesus? Much of our difficulty in telling others about Jesus is our focus on our self-image rather than the glory of Christ.

Our witness for Jesus must be verbal. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the gospel to all. If necessary, use words." This means that we are to live our lives in a way that shows Christ is present. St. Francis gave his entire life to preaching the gospel and working among the poor. It was his expression of love for Jesus. His life was lived in a way that preached the gospel. But his saying does not meant that we should not use words to tell about Jesus. The truth is, words will be necessary because people often misinterpret what they see.

After all God used words in the Bible to communicate his grace and love to us. All that is written in the Book of John is so we would believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing have new life in his name. We are to be ready to tell the reasons for our faith that others may know Jesus. But in your hearts, set apart Jesus Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously about your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (I Peter 3:15-16).

What is the message we are to give? It has three parts. One is telling who Jesus is. He is fully God and fully human. He is the Lord and the Savior. We also tell what Jesus has done. The most importing thing in the gospel is that Jesus died for our sins and rose again for us to have new life. This is what John was saying when he called Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The third part of our witness is telling how a person can personally know Christ and his life changing power.

When we receive Christ as our Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit. God himself dwells in us so we personally know his power, presence and guidance. This is what John was talking about when he said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to our hearts when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord. It is with the present Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) that we can have a personal relationship with Jesus.

How does this all happen? This is what we have to tell those who want to know Jesus. The answer is that it happens by faith as we receive him. We open the door of our heart, the control of our lives, to his knocking. This is what John was talking about back in verse 12, For as many as received him, to those who believed in his name, to them he gave the right to become children of God. In Revelation, Jesus says this to one of the churches, Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hear my voice and open the door, I will eat with him and he with me. There are two parts to this. First we hear Jesus’ voice (we believe in him) and then we open the door (we receive him as our Lord).

We do this in prayer, humbly bowing to God and acknowledging him as the boss. We pray, "Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and I need the salvation that you have promised to give those who trust in you. I open the door to my life for you to come in and be my king. Take my sin away. Change me and rule my life forever. Amen." It is a definite act that we need to do.

Have you ever done that? If not, you have not received the salvation that God offers in Christ. It is not enough to just know about Jesus. You need to have "property of Jesus" stamped on your heart. On the other hand, if you have done that, then you know what this new life in Jesus is all about. Have you ever invited someone else to make the same commitment? Few joys are like being present when someone receives Jesus.