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.
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