Witness

As I shepherded a new believer, his sharing on how he was inspired by a political leader of different faith doing so well with a global appraisal and a national applause, which even brought him to reconsider his newly found faith. Here is the need for stability in faith in Christ Jesus, at the same time, there is also an urgent need for a living witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. This made me consider the word "witness" in the light of the Scripture, and thus is this article.

Acts 1:8

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Witnesses: Lit., martyrs; those who bear a living testimony of the resurrected and ascended Christ in life, differing from preachers who merely preach doctrines in letters. In His incarnation Christ carried out His ministry on the earth by Himself, as recorded in the Gospels, to sow Himself as the seed of the kingdom of God only in the Jewish land. In His ascension He would carry out His ministry in the heavens through these martyrs, in His resurrection life and with His ascension power and authority, as recorded in the Acts, to spread Himself as the development of the kingdom of God from Jerusalem, as a beginning, unto the uttermost part of the earth, as the consummation of His ministry in the New Testament. All the apostles and disciples in the Acts were His martyrs, His witnesses, of this kind (reference 8c). See notes 113 in ch. 23 and 161 in ch. 26.

A normal Christian life is a life of "My witnesses", bearing a living testimony of the resurrected and ascended Christ in life. Any living falling short of this is abnormal. "My witnesses" is Christ's witnesses and a Christian life is such. Whatever one is, wherever one works, he must be a witness. Christ, the Head, has placed each member of the Body according to His sovereignty. And He also has given gifts according to the measure of each one. Without any envy or striving, one must diligently live the Lord and function according to His measure. Then the Lord has a way to fulfill His purpose on this earth; this is the very meaning of our existence.

The word "Witness" means so much to me. It can be a witness of the Lord or even witness of anything else too. The hue and cry of these days politicking in India does have serious impact on the minds of people. If one is not solid and stabilized in his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, witnesses of other faiths does affect them. The mere pomp and show of some leaders in different religious faith keeps the novices wonder if those too were of the living God. In fact, it is, but not necessarily a matter of faith attached to. God gives rain and shine to all. He appoints leaders which we are urged to pray for, even gentile kings. They may not be believers but God uses them to display His multifarious wisdom. King Cyrus, the Prince of Persia, was used by Jehovah to trumpet the return of the Israelite diaspora to Jerusalem to rebuilt the ruined temple. That does not necessarily mean king Cyrus was a believer in Jehovah; may or may not be, only God knows. But the danger is in attaching "witness" to king Cyrus rather than the invisible God behind kind Cyrus who made him a harbinger of such a herald.

Having observed thus, I do pray that the Lord may raise up many of His children to be on the level of "king Cyrus" in status and position, and at the same time be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. To me, such is also effective in reaching out to all, especially among the gentiles. A Christian should have a good testimony before God and man; in all fields, be it academic, professional or business. Even to this regard, I pray, if the Lord wills, I would pay any price for such, trusting the Lord's grace and blessing.

To be "My witnesses", of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the nation!