Feb 17
25
Witnesses of Christ
Acts 1: 8
It is the privilege, responsibility and honor of every believer to accurately and honestly relate to others that which he has heard with his own ears, seen with his own eyes, and felt and experienced in his own heart (I John 1: 1-3). Therefore, let us be sure that our testimony truly is, “Salvation is of the Lord.”
1. We are witnesses by believing the Lord Jesus Christ is able to save (Acts 1: 4.) The disciples had just seen the religious mob beat their Savior till he was unrecognizable. Returning to Jerusalem was witness that they trusted the power of their Lord to keep them.
2. We are witnesses by waiting on the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 4-5.) The disciples had no more ability in themselves to strengthen their own hearts, to preach Christ or to quicken dead sinners than they had ability to keep themselves assembled after Christ’s death. They were witnesses of Christ by waiting on the Holy Spirit.
3. We are witnesses by trusting the progress of the work to our all-wise God (Acts 1:6-7). The disciples asked this question only once; they were satisfied with the answer. God “hath appointed a day”; that is enough for Christ’s witnesses (Acts 17:31; I Co 3: 5-7; compare Acts 1: 5, 7 with Luke 3: 16, 17.)
4. We are witnesses by proclaiming Christ and by proclaiming Christ crucified. The one thing that separates true witnesses from false is, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Corinthians 4: 5; Acts 2: 36; 1 Corinthians 1: 23-25.)
Clay Curtis.
Our believing and embracing the true and living God is not caused by man’s boasted, so called “free-will” (Psalm 65:5). Man’s will is like his depraved and God-less nature which is always selfward and downward, never God-ward and upward (Eph. 2:3). All who proclaim and promote free-will works religion promote the mind-set of Satan, for he is the author of it (Isaiah 14:12-15). Our believing is the result of our Lord Jesus Christ making an effectual blood atonement for our sin (Heb.9.12). Our believing is the result of irresistible grace. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit calling in mercy and giving faith and spiritual life to dead sinners (Eph. 2: 1; Jn. 17:2). Tom Harding.