Month: February 2023

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. (20) For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

It is His Holy Spirit who empowers us to speak His words.  Peter and John were so conscious of God’s work that was happening through them and they were full of the power of His Holy Spirit speaking and witnessing Christ through them.  Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Apostles were so full assurance as to who they were and to their witness.  I John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— (2) the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— (3) that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

The purpose of their witness was that those who were impacted through them should have the fullness of joy or experience the Shalom of God.  I John 1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

What is the substance of our witness? 

It is His Holy Spirit who enables us to be His witnesses and we witness His resurrection power operating in us.  Romans 8:10-11 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Our witness is not by words alone but it is by power.  What is the power that we are witnessing?  We are witnessing the resurrection of Jesus in us, which His Holy Spirit makes into a reality in us.  

This work of His Holy Spirit operating in our mortal flesh is the reality of His righteousness that we witness to the world. Romans 8:4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  We, therefore, witness the righteousness of God revealed in mortal flesh through His Holy Spirit.  We cannot be made righteous by our flesh but this is possible only in His Holy Spirit and this is our witness.  

Constantly, we are witnesses of His resurrection.  The Apostles affirmed this repeatedly. Acts 2:32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. / Acts 3:15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. / Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

This witnessing in the power of His Holy Spirit, causes people to turn to Christ.  Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. / Acts 4:4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Not only is there the impact of people turning to Christ, but this witnessing in the power of His Holy Spirit also raises many others to be witnesses.  

Luke, the beloved physician, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, was impacted by the powerful witness of the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, in the lives of many others.  He in turn raised many others, including Theophilus, to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus.  

Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, (2) just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, (3) it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, (4) that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed._

May the Lord make us just like Peter and John, who were so full of the confidence of their witness.   It was not about them but His Holy Spirit who was witnessing through them the resurrection of Jesus.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Co09v4CTD6arCXOySq4bH5Z4SB3KSR3Q/view?usp=share_link

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. (20) For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John could not but speak of Jesus.  This was because they were the children of God.  As His children, they were led by His Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

In being filled and led by the Spirit of God, they did and spoke as they were led by His Holy Spirit.  Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It was the Acts of His Holy Spirit in the life of the Apostles. They were compelled and driven by His Holy Spirit. Acts 18:5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

For all of us as His people, ought to have the same testimony as that of the Psalmist. II Samuel 23:1-2 Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel: (2) “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.

Our tongue must be yielded to God so that the Holy Spirit can always communicate His message through our tongue.  We must ask the Lord to so bless us that we can continuously yield our tongues to His Holy Spirit.  

Imagine, if this would happen among us in His church.  Imagine the change in our conversation, our responses, our reactions, the views that we present and our sharing with one another.  The change would be so dramatic and phenomenal that all of us will experience God’s wonderful presence and ways amongst us.  

It is very important not to resist God when He chooses us and assigns us the task to speak. Jeremiah 1:5-7 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (6) Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” (7) But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

When the Lord places His message and His words we must obey.  Let us not look at our limitations.  The Lord does call us to speak but when we stay adamant and do not become God’s instruments to speak what He has given for us to speak, then the Lord will pass us by and choose another person to do His bidding.  

When we are led by His Holy Spirit and we speak out God’s word in every situation, let us be warned that there will be opposition to God’s word through us.  The Lord has promised that those who oppose us shall not prevail against us, for He is with us.  Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. (18) For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land—Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land. (19) They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, “to deliver you.”

Jeremiah the prophet could not hold back God’s words which God had placed in His heart.  Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.

We must know that when we speak out the words God has put in our hearts to speak, there is great strength in His words. Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.

Let us with boldness, speak the message that God has given us to speak as His church for our times.  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ceg91iHwhUf4odOR7L8EV1_uC7XqS57n/view?usp=share_link

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. (20) For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John’s position was very clear.  Their life had no meaning or relevance without Christ.  He was their all in all.  There was no option for negotiation here.  

What is our life?  Is not our life all about our walk with God?  We do not come to God to meet our ends.  We come to Him for without Him we can do nothing. John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

We do not juggle between doing our will and the will of God.  Our life is entirely to fulfil His will. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28 *for in Him we live and move and have our being*, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

God is our habitat.  Our breath and our sustenance are in God. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Our relationship with God is a breath-to-breath relationship with God.  We are in constant breath-to-breath communion with God. 

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

God has shown us what He requires of us.  Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? We walk in humility with God in doing so we become those who live justly and with mercy.  These are a part of us.  

The Lord has set before us life and death. Deuteronomy 30:15-18 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, (16) in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. (17) But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, (18) I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.

The leaders of this world may threaten us and may also take our lives as they have done in several cases.  What is our stand on these matters?  Our answer to all those who are against us is simply this, our life is in Christ.  II Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Though we live in this world, our eyes are not on the things of this world but are on our eternal abode with God. We are not permanent here.  Hebrews 13:14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.  

Therefore, we await and prepare ourselves for our eternal habitation with God.  Till this time, we declare the love of Jesus to people that they should not perish but have eternal life. Hebrews 11:10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Since we as His people are receiving an eternal kingdom, we serve God here on earth with freedom, reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (29) For our God is a consuming fire.

Let this be the singular voice of His church.  Our life is in Christ.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CYBcZf_2fjSVgDQxCwYyKjFBx1CTD7mx/view?usp=share_link