Acts 1:4-8 (NKJV) 4 And being assembled together with [them,] He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” [He said,] “you have heard from Me; 5 “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
A. Who is a witness? V8
The witness is someone that has seen something take place and is there to tell of all that he/she saw, heard, and experienced.
Likewise, Christians are called to be witnesses for Christ who present a testimony about the truth that we have experienced and heard.
What it is to witness?
1. By living our lives to become a witness of Him.
2. People would see Him in us as we become more like Him. This means –
a. Loving as He is loving – John 13:34, 35; 1 Peter4:8
b. Forgiving as He is forgiving – Matthew 6: 14-15; Colossians 3:13; Luke 6:37
c. Tenderhearted as He is tenderhearted – Ephesians 4:32, 5:1; 1 Peter 3:8
d. Kind as He is kind – Galatians 6:9, 10
e. Pure as He is pure – 1 John 1:9; 1 Peter 1:16-22; 2 Timothy 2: 21-22
3. The scriptures tell us that Jesus was a true and faithful witness of God. He is our model to become a witness for God.
a. He was able to say, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9.
b. Paul said of Him that He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15-17, and the book of Hebrews said He is the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3).
B. We cannot be His witness without the Helper. To be a witness for Christ we must have received His Promised Gift – the Holy Spirit who will teach us more about Him, and lead us in His ways. (John 16:13-15).
The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit living and working in us. He is God’s Power given to us – Dunamis (Dynamite or Dynamic power to do supernatural things. Without Him, we cannot do anything supernatural for God.
We witness Christ by our works – signs and wonders (John 14:12)
C. We are Chosen to Witness – to make known His name and reveal His power
Isaiah 43:10-12:
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.”
1 Peter 2:9-10 brings this calling from all scripture together so beautifully:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
Conclusion:
Being a witness for Christ is not limited to simply evangelism (though is an integral part of it) but also includes the aforementioned, and more. To be like someone, you must have accepted and do believe in that person. Something about them caught attention and gripped your heart to confess that this is who I desire. Thus, we cannot be effective witnesses for Christ without a personal relationship with Him.
Have you given your life to Jesus?
Do you desire to be like Him?
Are you a witness for Christ?
Can your neighbors attest to your witnesses?
I pray the Lord help us all to be good witnesses of Him. God bless you.
Shalom.
Rev James Adeyeye
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