Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that they would be his witnesses after they received the Holy Spirit.
Act 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Jesus told the disciples to wait until the Holy Spirit was poured out on them before they did anything. The promise of the Holy Spirit was in fulfillment of the OT prophesy of Joel 2.28. The disciples met in a room after Jesus ascended into heaven in obedience to what he had told them to do, simply to wait. For 10 days they sat waiting, searching the Scriptures, talking among themselves about what it may mean to have the Holy Spirit come upon them. They probably thought about the stories of the Spirit falling upon certain men like Saul, Samson, Elijah, Elisha and the other prophets especially. I imagine there was great anticipation and wonder as to what would happen when the HS was given. What could this mean? Perhaps they reflected on the teachings of Jesus on the coming of the Holy Spirit who would lead them into all truth, be their teacher and guide to replace the physical Jesus they had known for 3 years. Jesus had told them that it was expedient that he go to the Father in order that the Holy Spirit would be sent. It is difficult to know if they remembered these teachings of Jesus at the time but this time of waiting must have been exciting. Jesus did not tell them how long they would have to wait so it is probable that after a couple of days they may have become a little anxious or even doubtful if anything would happen. The one thing they did try to do was appoint someone to take Judas’ place and even then they resorted to casting lots to determine who they thought would be the right person. Matthias is not mentioned after he was selected so you have to wonder if he really was the person God wanted in that position. Eventually Paul filled that role. The 120 in the room were playing the waiting game.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
When the Holy Spirit fell upon them it was evident to everyone. The power was supernatural. There was no guessing if this was real, everyone knew that the sound of the rushing wind and the cloven tongues of fire falling on them plus the ability to communicate in a language they did not know was proof that it was the fulfillment of what Jesus said would happen.
The Purpose
The results of the impartation of the Holy Spirit was that they were witnessing to the masses about Jesus. The word witness in the Greek is martus from which we derive the word martyr. History records that the apostle truly became martyrs because of their witness of Jesus. He was the focus of Peter’s first sermon and as a result 3,000 people got saved. This was huge and the ongoing impact of these 3000 sharing what happened helped multiply the number of believers rapidly.
The witness of the 12 disciples as well as others who walked with Jesus was based on first hand experiences. The apostle John wrote:
1Jn 1:1-5 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
When Peter was talking to Cornelius, the Roman Centurion and his family about Jesus he said:
Act 10:37-43 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
The Apostles were witnesses of what they had seen, heard and touched regarding Jesus. They were first hand witnesses of the existence of Jesus and the things he did, his teachings, his death and resurrection. Even though they had been with Jesus they needed the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. The Holy Spirit helped them remember and understand the teaching of Jesus. He is the Spirit of Truth and in order to be an effective witness they needed to know the truth and be able to communicate it clearly and consistently in order for their testimony to be valid.
Throughout the book of Acts we read of how the believers continued to be witnesses wherever they went. They were willing to travel, undergo persecution, be thrown in jail and even put to death for their uncompromising message about Jesus. The Greek word for witness is martus from which we get the word martyr.
We like the disciples are called to be witnesses that are so convinced of what we believe about Jesus that we are willing to go anywhere, anytime, to anyone even if it means we may be martyred. To deny being a witness to the Truth is to deny Jesus who claimed he was the Truth. More than ever we need to know Jesus and communicate to this fallen world who he was, what he taught, how he lived and what was accomplished through his life. The world has a very distorted image of Jesus mainly because they are ignorant of the Scriptures but also they look at people who claim they are Christians and do not like what they see especially if they have an understanding of who Jesus was. Unfortunately throughout history many horrible things have been done by people who claim to be representing Christ and this has damaged the image of Christians. When our character and actions do not match us with the teachings of Jesus our testimony is discredited and people turn away from becoming believers.
Just as when Jesus walked on the earth, there are people who really want to see Jesus as he really is. There is a hunger to know him when he is presented as he really is. There is a book entitled, “Jesus before Christianity,” by Albert Nolan, a strange title for many but it presents Jesus as he really was and not as how some in Christianity have depicted him.
In the gospel of John it is recorded that one time a group of Greeks were attending a festival and wanted to meet him.
John 12:20, 21 now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
They wanted to see him for themselves. They had probably heard many things about him but second hand knowledge was not going to satisfy their curiosity. They wanted to meet him personally.
I think this is the cry of people today, they want to see the real Jesus and we are the ones who can help them see him as he really is. We need to talk about Jesus, talk about his life on earth how he lived among the people, how he loved the unlovable, the outcasts, the prostitutes, the widows, the children, the bereaved, the poor, the lame and sick and how he did miracles among them. We need to talk about his love and compassion for people and his opposition to religious people who did not know the truth but claimed they did. We need to reveal the real Jesus to a world that does not understand where he came from or who he was. Sometimes we focus our witness on many things that are part of our faith but how much to we testify and witness to the truth of who Jesus was and what he did? How well do we share his life with others? I believe there is an attraction to Jesus that is revealed in the gospels. His life speaks volumes to people. This is why it is so important for people to get the Word of God in their own language so they can have a personal encounter through the Word with Christ.
Our conduct, character and communication are the witnessing tools we have to offer. All three are critical to being an effective witness and we have the Holy Spirit working in us to help us in all three areas. In fact without him we will not be the witness God has called us to be.
Witness by our Conduct
How we conduct ourselves among the unsaved is critical to their reception of the gospel message. I once read a message by Jim Baker in which he said the three things people need are love, acceptance and forgiveness. This message has stuck with me for more than 30 years. Jesus modeled these in his life and taught his disciples the importance of them. How well do we love those who hate us, oppose what we believe and even beat or kill our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Does the love of Christ compel us to seek them out, to demonstrate love to them or do we pray that they will be taken out to make life more comfortable for us? It is said that Idi Amin who was the former Dictator of Uganda came to visit the USA. He entered a restaurant and a man who claimed he was a Christian spit on him. How this demonstrated the love of God is beyond me. Who knows what may have happened had there been a true demonstration of love. Amin returned to Uganda and began his reign of terror putting to death thousands of people.
Do we accept people as they are even when they are way different than us? The homosexuals, lesbians, racists, the arrogant and proud, the beggar, the thief, the cheat, the adulterer, the abuser, the drug addict, the religious person and the list can go on. The agape love of God includes all of these in His circle of love. What about us? Do we go out of our way to accept and befriend them or do whatever we can to avoid dealing with them and spend our time judging them?
Forgiveness according to Jesus was not an option at least if we too want to be forgiven. Holding grudges, shunning people, mistreating them because of things they have done against us has to go. Unforgiveness holds us in bondage and serves only to develop bitterness with in us. We should be quick to forgive if nothing else but to free us from the potential damage it will do to us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I remember a story told by Paul Olson an evangelist from my home church who related an incident that happened when he preached a message on forgiveness. At the end of his message he invited people to come forward to receive and extend forgiveness to those who had offended them. A young girl came forward weeping. Her face was horribly scarred and burned. She had come forward to forgive her mother for pouring battery acid on her face when she was a child so she could receive more money when she was begging. When she uttered the words of forgiveness as hard as that was, she was immediately released from bitterness toward her mom. She was a different person after forgiving her mom. There is such power and freedom in forgiveness.
Witness by our Character
Our character is also part of our witness and is closely tied to our conduct. Many times our character is revealed when we are alone, when no one is watching. I was listening to a man who is the head of a huge mission organization speaking about his character flaw being revealed when he was alone. He struggled with pornography when he was young and he thought he had overcome it. But one day he was walking in the woods and he saw a porno magazine hanging from a tree. How strange that it would be there but nonetheless he walked over to it and began to read through it. Afterward he felt dirty and ashamed for what he had done and it revealed a flaw in his character that needed to be healed. We all have our little secrets of things we are ashamed to admit we do or think. We need the Holy Spirit to constantly refine our character to make us more like Jesus.
In the news last week was the death of Chuck Colson and man who at one time in his life wielded a lot of power with President Nixon but was convicted of obstruction of justice and sentenced to prison.
Christianity Today summed up Colson’s life and legacy thusly:
Before his conversion to Christianity, Colson was described as an aggressive political mastermind who drank heavily, chain smoked, and smeared opponents. He served as special counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 before he was indicted on Watergate-related charges, which led to a 7-month prison term. After his conversion experience, he published Born Again, helping popularize the term many evangelicals use to self-identify.
He found the Lord in prison and his character was radically changed. His mission in life after he was saved was to minister to those in prison as well as the families of prisoners. He lived his life for the Lord and was a tremendous example of godly character. There was also an article in the news last week of the death of a man who was the executive director of Voice of the Martyrs for 30 years.
The Voice of the Martyrs statement concerning the death of Tom White:
The events of the last week are tragic. On Wednesday we learned that Tom White, VOM’s executive director, had died.
Allegations were made to authorities this week that Tom had inappropriate contact with a young girl. Rather than face those allegations, and all of the resulting fallout for his family and this ministry and himself, Tom appears to have chosen to take his own life.
Something happened to his character that enabled him to fall into this sin. We have to allow God access to our lives to bring about the changes in our character to accurately reflect Christ in us. Peter summarized well the character that we need to represent the Lord
2Pe 1:3-10 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
We also need to be open with trusted believers to share our struggles and seek help so that we do not become a laughingstock among nonbelievers and hinder them from coming to Christ. Godly character is a powerful witness.
Witness by our Communication
Finally we are witnesses through our communication. Our words have the power to heal or destroy.
Pro_18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
What we say and how we say it has a tremendous impact on people. Our verbal communication of the gospel must be clear, truthful and full of grace.
Eph 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ
We are not trying to win an argument but win a soul to Christ by presenting Jesus as he really is and explaining what he has done for us because of his great love. If we intentionally offend people with words of condemnation and judgment we can drive them away from the Lord. We need the Holy Spirit to help tame our tongue and be sensitive to what he wants to communicate through us.
One of our teachers in our DTS teaches on Supernatural ministry. One of the concepts he stresses is that we need to look for the gold in other people. We need to ask God to show us positive things about the person we are witnessing to and allow the Holy Spirit to communicate to us what God sees in that person.
We are called to be witnesses and to testify verbally what Christ has done for us and in us. Our experiences with Christ are powerful. Often when I am talking with someone I relate to them some of the things Christ has done in my life. One of my friends is an evangelist and conducts huge crusades in India and Haiti. He makes it his goal to witness to someone every day. One of the techniques he uses is to simply ask the person he is talking to:
"What would you say is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you?" The person will then share something afterward he asks them, “Can I tell you the most important thing that has happened to me in my life?” If they say yes, he shares about his salvation experience and if they say no, he does not say anything.
Our witness must include verbal communication. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, through the preaching of the gospel message.
Rom 10:14-17 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
If you say you cannot share your faith verbally, then you are living in unbelief that God is not able to give you the power to do it. He gave us the Holy Spirit in order that we will be his witnesses. To remain silent is to deny the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work through you to touch lives for eternity. You may have fears about speaking in public but we have the Holy Spirit living in us to be our helper and he will enable you to do it because of his great love for people and desire that they know the Truth.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin and bring people to repentance and faith in Christ. Our job is to simply be the witness of what Jesus has done for us and for a lost world. Be a bold witness for him in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let your conduct, character, and communication be an effective witness every day of your life. Make it your goal to take advantage of every opportunity God gives you to be a witness of his love. Make it your lifestyle not just a special event.
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