Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Being the Key Witness
Betsy Mathew
Epiphany MTC, NY
8 But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
I'm a fan of practically any of the dozens of crime shows on TV. It started with loving the show "Law and Order". In the beginning of every episode is a crime... And then the struggle to figure out and defend the truth. The investigation usually leads to a key witness who saw something - even if it was something seemingly small - and that breaks the case! But there's one more thing - that witness needs to say what they saw in a court of law. In the most satisfying episodes, among other convincing proofs, that witness' statement brings the criminal to justice and protects the innocent.
So that is what a WITNESS is- someone who has seen something and then stands up and speaks the truth about what they saw. Jesus calls us to be witnesses. First that means we have to see something - to experience the person of Christ. Acts 1:3 says "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." Then He gave them the Holy Spirit. Jesus did the work of giving the disciples a genuine experience of Him. If you are not experiencing Christ in your life today, first ask Him to answer your questions and to give you "many convincing proofs." Ask God to give you His Holy Spirit and give you a genuine experience of Christ.
If we are already experiencing relationships with Christ, then we have to do the second part - TESTIFY! That means to stand up and speak the truth about what we've seen or experienced about Christ and His character. If there's one thing I've learned from watching "Law and Order" it's that the witness is pretty much useless if they're not willing to testify about what they've seen. In a world where the existence and/or character of Jesus is continuously on trial - are we willing to say what we've personally witnessed about Jesus? Are we willing to bring His forgiveness and hope to those who are still struggling to figure out the truth?
When Jesus comes again the case will be closed. But until then God chooses to use the Christian witness to bring His good news to the ends of the earth!
I'm a fan of practically any of the dozens of crime shows on TV. It started with loving the show "Law and Order". In the beginning of every episode is a crime... And then the struggle to figure out and defend the truth. The investigation usually leads to a key witness who saw something - even if it was something seemingly small - and that breaks the case! But there's one more thing - that witness needs to say what they saw in a court of law. In the most satisfying episodes, among other convincing proofs, that witness' statement brings the criminal to justice and protects the innocent.
So that is what a WITNESS is- someone who has seen something and then stands up and speaks the truth about what they saw. Jesus calls us to be witnesses. First that means we have to see something - to experience the person of Christ. Acts 1:3 says "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." Then He gave them the Holy Spirit. Jesus did the work of giving the disciples a genuine experience of Him. If you are not experiencing Christ in your life today, first ask Him to answer your questions and to give you "many convincing proofs." Ask God to give you His Holy Spirit and give you a genuine experience of Christ.
If we are already experiencing relationships with Christ, then we have to do the second part - TESTIFY! That means to stand up and speak the truth about what we've seen or experienced about Christ and His character. If there's one thing I've learned from watching "Law and Order" it's that the witness is pretty much useless if they're not willing to testify about what they've seen. In a world where the existence and/or character of Jesus is continuously on trial - are we willing to say what we've personally witnessed about Jesus? Are we willing to bring His forgiveness and hope to those who are still struggling to figure out the truth?
When Jesus comes again the case will be closed. But until then God chooses to use the Christian witness to bring His good news to the ends of the earth!
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