Faith & Insight: We follow Christ

Have you ever been a witness or given testimony in a court? I had to testify to something a few years ago and it is a unique experience. I really felt that my testimony was spot on, but the attorney questioning me was doing his best to make it sound doubtful. Nevertheless, I was an eyewitness. I was there, and he wasn’t. It’s hard to argue with that.

The Apostle John starts his first letter with “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the word of life.” He, and the other Apostles, were eyewitnesses. He was sharing what he had seen and heard and touched. We can trust him as a witness because he was there.

The Apostle is writing in response to false teachers that believed you can live out your “fleshly” desires and still call yourself a follower of Christ. The Apostle states: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin.”

Walking in the light does not mean that a person never fails. It means that when we do fail we recognize it for what it is, turn away from it and back to God.

As Christians, our nature is being changed. We are becoming more like Christ every day. We are in the light because we are not trying to hide who we are. We don’t follow culture, we follow Christ. Sometimes it’s unpopular, often it is lonely, but it is the road God has called us to walk.

Let your life be a witness for Christ.

Captain Mark Cyr is pastor of The Salvation Army, 911 E. Second St. Carson City, NV 89701. For information go to carsoncity.salvationarmy.org