“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ”- Acts 5:42 (NIV).
All over the world judicial systems thrive on witnesses. In order for evidence presented before court it must be corroborated otherwise it is just hearsay. This is where a witness becomes handy. Indeed, one of the jobs of a defense attorney is to cross examine a witness on the stand, and find if his recollections holds water. Sometimes false witnesses are thrown out of court because their testimony is dubious.
If a witness is called to take a stand and refuses to speak; the judge will most likely throw him out. A witness must talk. Further, a witness cannot be forced. He must do so willingly; if court finds testimony was given under coercion it is bound to ignore it as lacking authenticity. If a court system later finds that one’s being witness was based on the promise of some reward, that might also jeopardize one’s testimony.
In Christian life we find many of those principles holding as well. First, all believers are called to be witness of the savior Jesus Christ. One of Christ’s commands to his disciples was, “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).
You cannot be a witness for Christ without going out to share the truth, as is the case with the court system. Further, your testimony can also be attacked, which is to mean that every Christian witness must be firm with the truth he holds.
However, unlike our courts, for Christians, God has clearly in advance promised a reward for those who go out and witness their salvation in Christ. Luke 12:8-9 says, “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.” The point here being we should never be shy of being witness for Christ, of which a huge reward awaits us.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, how I thank you for the call of being a witness to the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ, of which I pray you enable me to do so ever joyful through the power of the Holy Spirit, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
Related upcoming events
-
18/05/2024 - 19/05/2024 All day“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)
Perhaps one of the most inspiring passages in the Bible with enduring lessons is where Moses pleads to Pharaoh to let the Jews go. Instead Pharaoh dared Moses if he had the power as that of a king. Challenged to “perform a miracle” Moses turned to Aaron who threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs (Exodus 7: 9-12).
What we see here is the presence of occult powers in high places, as is true even today. A common mistake by some is to deny the existence of the occult behind certain thrones or power centers, especially in instances where we find those putting on a genteel manner of social respectability. There are also those who through their education and confined exposure to the spirit realm of things, doubt the existence of occult powers. The reality is that in the world we live in the enemy is much at work. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
In this passage we see that while Pharaoh did release his snakes the staff God had placed in the hands of his messenger, Moses, was far greater and swallowed all. Here is the point. As believers we do have a far greater and mighty power to protect us from any attacks of the enemy. It is the blood of the lamb. As it is written, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...” (Revelation 12:11).
Today whatever snakes you may encounter from anywhere be assured that you have a far greater power than of the enemy. It is the blood of Jesus. As His word says, “call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalm 50:15).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for protection from the attacks of the enemy by the blood of the lamb, this I pray in Jesus’name.
