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Lutheran Life 9 The aroma of Christ smells like Christlike love. In the fi- nal instructions Jesus gave His disciples before He was arrested and taken away, He told them that what would make them different—what would make people take no- tice—is their love for one another: A N E W C O M M A N D M E N T I G I V E T O Y O U , T H A T Y O U L O V E O N E A N O T H E R : J U S T A S I H A V E L O V E D Y O U , Y O U A L S O A R E T O L O V E O N E A N O T H E R . B Y T H I S A L L P E O P L E W I L L K N O W T H A T Y O U A R E M Y D I S C I P L E S , I F Y O U H A V E L O V E F O R O N E A N O T H E R . ( J O H N 1 3 : 3 4 – 3 5 ) The aroma of Christ is marked by love. Does your life smell like Christ? Unfortunately, well-meaning Christians sometimes think they have only to smell like Christ to give a wit- ness. But a witness is one who attests to the truth. It re- quires we open our mouth and speak the Word of God. How are people to call upon Jesus and believe in Him if they've never heard of Him? How will they hear if no one tells them? Paul answers these wise questions with the simple truth that faith comes by hearing, that is, by receiving the Word of Christ (Romans 10:14–17). You see, the Gospel is impossible to preach without words. Or, more accurately, the Gospel is impossible to preach without the Word, that is, Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14). If we don't identify Jesus as the source of our witness, then people may attribute our good deeds of thoughtfulness and care to our following Allah or seeking good karma or just trying to make the world a better place. It's not until we share the message of our salvation in Jesus that we can fully witness to the truths of who Jesus is and what that means for our lives. w Scripture: ESV ® B U T T H A N K S B E T O G O D , W H O I N C H R I S T A L W A Y S L E A D S U S I N T R I U M P H A L P R O C E S S I O N , A N D T H R O U G H U S S P R E A D S T H E F R A G R A N C E O F T H E K N O W L E D G E O F H I M E V E R Y W H E R E . F O R W E A R E T H E A R O M A O F C H R I S T T O G O D A M O N G T H O S E W H O A R E B E I N G S A V E D A N D A M O N G T H O S E W H O A R E P E R I S H I N G , T O O N E A F R A G R A N C E F R O M D E A T H T O D E A T H , T O T H E O T H E R A F R A G R A N C E F R O M L I F E T O L I F E . (2 Corinthians 2:14–16) Witnessing Christ is supposed to be part of our way of life. We are given our greatest gift from Jesus Christ and called to share it with all whom we meet. Be encouraged to live as a disciple of Christ, formed and shaped by God's Word. Find this title and others from this magazine at cph.org/llresources. 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO WITNESS CHRIST

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