Talks

Bob’s talk focused on the Practice of Witness—sharing faith as a natural outflow of being rooted in Jesus. He started by explaining that Romans 1:16–17 is a good summary of everything he wanted to talk about. Emphasising that the gospel is God’s power to save and that followers of Jesus are called to testify to this truth.
Bob explained that a “witness” is simply someone who has seen something and they are willing to testify to what they have seen.  For Jesus followers, we have “witnessed” the power of God in our lives, and therefore we are called to simply tell people: “This is what I have seen!”  Sometimes we can overcomplicate or overthink speaking about God or sharing our faith, but what could it look like if we simply shared what we have seen Jesus do in our lives and in the lives of others.
Bob explained that often the key for us, is to recognise where God is already at work and partner with Him. Using examples from his work with “Rural Missions” Bob illustrated how simple acts—like sharing cake, moving a carol service to a pub, or hosting conversations over coffee—can become expressions of witnessing to others.
Drawing on the words of Jesus in John 15, Bob explained that remaining Rooted in Christ produces fruit effortlessly. Through the practice of witnessing to others, we actually find that our faith is strengthened and we draw closer to Jesus as we talk about Him and what He has done in our lives.