…definitions
Words are crucial to communication. If two people do not hold the same meaning to the words they are using in a conversation, there is no communication. Therefore, I am going to biblically define some of the most important words that we will be using so that true communication can happen.
1. Witness
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 KJV)
I have checked the meanings of the words testimony and witness throughout the Bible and they have always been legal terms, just as they are today. They mean to tell what one knows to be true about a given incident or person. In the above verse, Jesus says that we will be witnesses unto Him. That means we will tell what we know to be true of Jesus. The man blind from birth (John 9) told the Pharisees, “I was blind. A man put mud on my eyes and told me to go wash in the pool of Siloam. I did and now I can see.” That is a witness. Today a person may say, “I was an addict. Jesus said to trust Him. I did and now I am free.” That is a witness.
Interestingly, the word witness in this verse in the Greek is “martus,” the same word from which we get the word “martyr.” A witness is a person who is willing to die for that to which he is witnessing! Is it any wonder that Jesus first said we would receive power?
2. Answer
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1 Peter 3:15 KJV)
The Greek word here is “apologia” from which we get the word apologetics. Apologetics is defined as “systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine.) In context, it means to defend your belief in something. In this case, what is the reason for the hope you have? And, by the way, “because the Bible says so,” is not a defense. You must know what the Bible says and where it is said.
3. Preach
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:2 KJV)
The word preach in Greek is “kerusso” and means to herald (as a public crier), proclaim or publish divine truth — the gospel. As Southern Baptist, when we hear the word “preach,” we think of a man who stands in front of a congregation and expounds on a passage from the Bible for 20 to 45 minutes. But there are times when we, as women, will find ourselves compelled to proclaim - preach - the gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. Contend for the faith
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3 KJV)
The phrase “that ye should earnestly contend for” in Greek is one word,“epagonizomai” and means to struggle for. The word “faith” is “pistis” and not only means our persuasion or conviction of the truth of gospel teaching, it also means, as the context here suggests, the system of gospel truth itself.
The book of Jude is all about recognizing false teachers, disgruntled church members who are not true believers, and socialites who care nothing for the things of God. In order to “contend for the faith,” we must first be fully versed in the doctrines we are fighting to keep pure. I will not be addressing this word in this book.
Over the next few days I will be sharing the testimonies of several of the women from the church I attend. Some of them are a bit long but I think this is the simplest way to share the stories of these women whom I greatly admire. Each story is unique from the others and yet all tell the same story - God’s Story!