Credible Witnesses
Today’s Verse:
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
A credible witness is someone who gives an accurate and truthful description of something they saw. “Witness” is also a term that describes a spectator who sees an athletic event that he enthusiastically talks about. In the Greek language, the word for witness is an even stronger word. It means to be someone who proves the sincerity of his faith in Christ by even dying for the testimony he gives. We get our word “martyr” from this Greek word for witness. Jesus uses the word “witnesses” to describe that all of God’s saved people are commanded to be witnesses.
We see the command.
The first thing we see is that Acts 1:8 is a command from the Lord. A command is an order to be obeyed. In the closing verses of the four gospels, as well as in our Scripture this morning, every believer is commanded to be a witness of the death and resurrection of our Lord. It is a command that describes our priority. It is also a command that is accompanied with a promise. It is a command that demands that we are proactive and productive in our efforts.
We see the capability.
Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Most of us are too scared to witness to another person. Most of us are not very good at talking with people. None of us have the ability to win a soul to Christ! We need the power of the Holy Spirit to be a soulwinner. The power of the Holy Spirit comes from much prayer and complete dependence upon God. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us courage. The power of the Holy Spirit helps us to think of the verses and gives us the words to say. The power of the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sin. The power of the Holy Spirit does the saving.
We see the capacity.
This tells us the scope, the reach, and the extent of our witnessing. In v. 8, it says that we are to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judaea, in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. It can be viewed this way: Our city and neighborhoods, our county, our state, and our world. I’ve seen people saved in every city of Alameda County, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Richmond, China, the Philippines, South Korea, and New Zealand. We are to witness everywhere!
We see the commodity.
This refers to the product, or results, in witnessing. Why do we witness for Jesus? To see people saved! As a church, we are to be evangelistic: this means we make an emphasis on seeing people saved. As Christians, we make an effort to win people to Christ. Psalm 126:5-6 tells us, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” There is rejoicing when a sinner gets saved! There is a rescue from the condemnation in Hell when a sinner gets saved. We should want to see Heaven populated with sinners who accept Christ as Saviour because of our efforts.
As we start a New Year, make witnessing a high priority. Start with those closest to you and branch out into talking with others you meet. Let the Holy Spirit empower you for this great endeavor.
Have an evangelistic God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Genesis 30-31