Are You a Faithful Witness?
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
ACTS 1:8
Is Christianity relevant? What is the first message of Christianity? What is the church and what is God’s expectation for the church? These are questions that will be answered as we study the book of Acts. Truth matters and God wants us to know the truth so we can help others.
The Book of Acts is about the continuing work of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles and His people. We can outline this book as follows:
| PHENOMENON | The Church is Born and Builds Up | The Church Bursts its Borders | The Church Goes Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | Jerusalem | Judea and Samaria | To the remotest part of the earth |
| PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS | Peter | Philip | Paul |
| PASSAGE | Acts 1:1 – 8:4 | Acts 8:5 – 12:25 | Acts 13:1 – 28:31 |
| PERIOD | A.D.33-62 (29 years) | ||
This book does not have an ending - it is still being written today by God’s people all throughout the world. God calls us to be witnesses in our Jerusalem (home, community), Judea (our sphere of greater influence), and to the remotest part of the earth.
ARE YOU A FAITHFUL WITNESS?
The word “witness” in Greek is ‘marturos’ where we got the word martyr. In the early church, to be a faithful witness meant being willing to die for the truth. Their message was simple — Jesus died for our sins, He rose from the dead, and He is coming again. They were so passionate about this message that they were willing to lose everything, even their lives. What will make us do the same today?
REAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
Jesus made sure that He appeared to His apostles after the resurrection so that they will believe without any doubt that He died and rose again (Acts 1:3). He spoke to them about the Kingdom of God – a real and literal kingdom that will last for eternity. He is coming again! We do not need to know when but we need to be busy doing what He wants us to do (Acts 1:6-7, 11). We need to tell people about what God has done for us and be faithful witnesses.
EMBRACE THE MISSION
If we really know Jesus, we will love and serve Him – we will align our lives with His mission. Judas is an example of someone who did not embrace the mission (Acts 1:16-17). He walked with Jesus up close and had all the privileges of intimacy with Him. He looked and sounded spiritual but his heart was not right (John 12:4-6). Jesus was just a means to his personal gain. The sad reality is many of us may be like him, living double lives. He is a picture of death and waste, and he left no legacy (Acts 1:18-19, Psalm 69:25, 109:8). He did not realize the ultimate cost of his decision. Peter, on the other hand, denied Jesus but repented. The choice is ours. We are free to choose but we cannot escape the consequences of our choices. Perhaps the greatest cost of not following Jesus is not knowing what we have missed. God gives special recognition to those who are faithful to Him (Revelation 21:14). Let us choose to embrace God’s mission.
EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
We will never be alone for God the Father promised the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Jesus (Acts 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:13). It is the Holy Spirit who will empower us to become faithful witnesses in word and in deed. It is not our role to change the hearts of people. Our role is to share the gospel and let the Holy Spirit change their hearts just like what happened to the believers in Corinth who used to live immoral lives (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). If we allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, we will have the fruit that Galatians 5:22 enumerates — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Are these evident in our lives?
We cannot live the Christian life in our own power. But before we can let the Holy Spirit control us, we need to surrender every area of our lives to Him. We must be willing to give up sin for it cannot reign together with Christ in our hearts. When we allow Him to take over, we will never be the same. As D.L. Moody said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who is wholly yielded unto him.” Will we be that man or woman?
- from 4W's