The Open Witness
When a soul has thus met the resurrected Messiah (Christ), it needs no persuasion, let alone coersion to share the Good News. It comes quite spontaneously. Having had their eyes opened fully, and their hearts ablaze with passionate awareness of their resurrected Master, Cleopas and his companion did the only thing which such born-again souls can do:
"They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Master (Lord) has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Yah'shua (Jesus) was recognized by them when He broke the bread" (Luke 24:33-35, NIV)
The sharing of meals together was regarded by the ancient Hebrews as sacred. It is for this reason that sacred meals figure prominently in the Christian life. We find the first believers not only frequently eating together in daily life in the Book of Acts but also continuing the sacred feasts called Pesach or Passover and chag haMatzah or the Fesast of Unleavened Bread. Thus the apostle Paul would tell the Corinthian believers:
"Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Messiah (Christ), our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival (Passover/Unleavened Bread), not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7-8, NIV).
This sixth aspect of opening concerns witnessing and sharing the resurrected Messiah with other believers. There is a degree and intimacy of knowing and being open that can only involve community - the Messianic Community or Church. We were not made to be solo-Christians but people in active fellowship. Cleopas was not alone - he had a companion - but once they knew, they had to share it with the other believers. Those who come to know Yah'shua (Jesus) just can't stay away from each other! The desire for intimate fellowship is infectious because a true believer knows something that no one else knows. Therefore they want to be with others whow as they do. They becomes, as it were, birds of a feather.
This was my experience at conversion too. I wanted to be around and with like-minded, like-hearted and like-spirited people. It's still my experience. That fellowship is infinitely precious, the next most precious thing after knowing and fellowshipping with Yah'shua (Jesus) Himself.
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