Day 28: Testimony- Witness and Worship

I've been reading through some material on the relationship between Israel and the Gentiles.  In particular, did the ancient Israelites as described in the Hebrew scriptures seek out Gentile converts, or does their relationship to the world look different than how we evangelicals would understand a 'missionary endeavor?'  I ran across this quote by Harold Rowley in Yoder's "Theology of Mission."

They are not missionaries, seeking to win the nations to the faith of Jehovah, but rather [people] who are so moved with gratitude to God for all His goodness to them that they can think of no worthier way of acknowledging His goodness than to tell all [people] about him...But this was born of their sense of what they owe to God, rather than any compassion for the Gentiles (54). [sic]

I'll probably be contemplating this quote for some time, but I'll share a few of my initial thoughts.  The missionary activity of the church is similar to the call of Israel to be a faithful people.  It is through our fidelity to God's call for us to practice- to make visible- the Kingdom of God in our present location that others will acknowledge God's presence with us.  Or to put another way, as we learn to see and acknowledge what God has done for us, how God has transformed us, changed us, guided us, and made us a more grace filled people, we can't help but share that work with others.

In our Discipleship Clutch, we spend some time talking about the value of testimony.  We call the combination of witness (our story of how God is working in our life/community) and worship (the praise that it is God who transforms us/community) testimony.  Pastor Ryan reminds us, "Our testimony is sharing what God has done, is doing, and will continue to faithfully do into the future."