Dare To Be A Witness
BRD REFLECTIONS
Acts 1:1-11 and Psalm 81 (NIV)
(Tony Tng, Chairperson, Missions Committee)
READ:
Acts 1:1-11 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. A very familiar verse to us. I note that the sentence is more than an instruction, it is a declaration by Jesus and a fact declared by Him in the future tense. It is therefore declared not only for the disciples during His time on earth but for all Christian disciples until the age to come. The narrator began this narrative by linking it to the Gospel of Luke and carrying forward to develop the many theological themes introduced in the Gospel, one of which is the story of communities that were formed after the death and resurrection of Christ.
What are we to witness? To understand this declaration, here are a few things to note:
1. v3 recorded that in the 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus spent the time confirming to His disciples that He is the Son of God and taught them about the Kingdom of God. If Jesus spent His remaining time on earth on these 2 matters, they must be very important for us to be witnesses to them.
2. v4 was an instruction to the disciples to wait until they had received the gift of the Holy Spirit as promised by the Father before leaving Jerusalem to be witnesses. God always keeps His Promise and they are to wait with anticipation. Only with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will we be effective witnesses.
3. v8 wrote that the Holy Spirit will clothe them with the power to become effective witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. We know that was what happened when the disciples witnessed in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), the dispersion of the disciples because of persecution brought the Gospel further to the surrounding regions and Samaria (Acts 8-12) and finally through Barnabas and Paul, the Gospel message was brought to the rest of the Roman Empire and further to the ends of the earth (Acts 12-28).
APPLY:
The declaration of Jesus is for me, and you, to be His witnesses. I, and you are to bear witness that He is the Son of God and that only in Jesus will there be hope of an eternal life (John 3:15). I, and you are to teach about the Kingdom of God and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19a). It is a tough job but a command necessary for us to obey as disciples of Christ. Jesus said that when we become witnesses to the Truth, we will face persecution but “Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12). And, I take heart that Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to make me an effective witness and the power that comes with Him will produce pure joy (James 1:2). I cannot do anything without the help of the Holy Spirit for we are not wrestling with flesh and blood and only with the power that clothes me will I be able to battle against principalities, against powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12). So do not fear, go and be His witnesses for God said in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Dare to be a witness? Come, let’s be an intentional disciple and partner God in His Missio Dei.
DO:
I will make it my daily prayer that I can witness, with the help of the Holy Spirit, for Jesus at every opportunity that God places in front of me. I will pray that God will raise more witnesses from WesleyMC to be missionaries for His mission.
PRAY:
Heavenly Father, my God and Lord. I surrender all things into Your hands. Without You, I will have nothing. With You, I can have the hope of eternally dwelling in Your presence. Help me to share this Good News with those who have yet to hear of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give me good courage and wisdom to share the hope found in Jesus with others. Raise more workers in Wesley for Your harvest fields where the harvest is plentiful but workers few. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
