Jesus commanded everyone, who believes in Him and decided to follow Him, to be His witness. But what does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ? When are you a witness of Jesus Christ? How do you become a witness of Christ? And what do you need to be a witness of Jesus Christ in this world?
Jesus, the faithful Witness
Sien, I have given Him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people. Sien, Thou shalt call a nation that Thou knowest not, and nations that knew not Thee shall run unto Thee because of the Lord Thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified Thee (Jesaja 55:4-5)
Ek kan uit My eie niks doen nie: soos ek hoor, Ek oordeel: en My oordeel is regverdig (regverdig); want Ek soek nie My eie wil nie, maar die wil van die Vader wat My gestuur het. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of Me; and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light (lamp): and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hat sent Me. And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape (form). And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life (John 5:30-40).
Johannes aan die sewe gemeentes wat in Asië is: Genade vir julle, en vrede, van Hom wat is, en wat was, en wat gaan kom; en van die sewe Geeste wat voor sy troon is; En van Jesus Christus, wie is die getroue Getuie, en die Eersgeborene uit die dooies, en die Vors van die konings van die aarde (Openbaring 1:4-5)
Jesus came to the earth and was a faithful Witness of His Father and His Kingdom. Jesus was able to be a Witness of His Father, because He had laid down His own will and His own life and was fully yielded to the will of His Father.
Jesus loved His Father and spend a lot of time with His Father in prayer and in the Scriptures.
Jesus spoke the truth
Jy mag geen valse getuienis teen jou naaste gee nie (Eksodus 20:16, Matteus 15:19, Merk 10:19, Lukas 18:20, Romeine 13:9)
'N Getroue getuie sal nie lieg nie: maar 'n valse getuie sal leuens uiter (Spreuke 14:5)
Jesus was a faithful Witness, who didn’t speak lies and didn’t compromise in order to be liked and be accepted by the people and gain followers, but Jesus spoke the words of His Father and did what He had seen with His Father (John 8:38).
Jesus spoke the truth and didn’t speak lies, which was not always appreciated by the people.
Many people followed Jesus for the signs and wonders and became His disciples. However many didn’t like the words of Jesus. They considered His words hard and were not able to bear His words. The words of Jesus made them uncomfortable and therefore they left Him (John 6:60-66).
And so everywhere Jesus came, Jesus caused a commotion. Because everywhere Jesus came, Jesus witnessed of His Father and His Kingdom and the signs and wonders of the authority and the power of God’s Kingdom, followed Him and caused a change in the lives of people and situations.
Jesus, the faithful Witness, and Saviour of souls
A true witness delivers souls: but a deceitful witness speaks lies (Spreuke 14:25)
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house (Hebreeus 3:1-2)
Jesus the faithful Witness was sent by His Father and came to serve people, maar that didn’t mean that Jesus yielded Himself to them and adjusted Himself and the standards of God’s Kingdom to the generation of fallen man and became a wishy-washy and weathercock, who bowed for the lusts, begeertes, and will of the carnal man and allowed the people in their sins.
Jesus walked after the Spirit in the authority of His Father and was not intimidated by people and didn’t compromise and adjust His words, to what people wanted to hear, but Jesus stayed faithful to His Father.
Jesus kept preaching the truth and testified of the evil works and did all the works in the Name of His Father and delivered many souls, from the power of the devil, which led to persecution and eventually the death (John 7:7; 10:25, Handelinge 10:38, Hebreeus 5:7-8).
Wat het jy nodig om 'n getuie van Jesus Christus te wees?
Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, And said unto them, So staan dit geskryf, en so moes Christus ly, en op die derde dag uit die dode op te staan: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations, begin by Jerusalem. En julle is getuies van hierdie dinge. And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: maar bly in die stad Jerusalem, totdat julle toegerus is met krag uit die hoogte (Lukas 24:45-49)
Maar julle sal krag ontvang, after that the Holy Ghost is upon you: en julle sal vir My getuies wees altwee in Jerusalem, en in die hele Judéa, en in Samaria, en tot aan die einde van die aarde (Handelinge 1:8)
Jesus had spent much time with His disciples during His walk on earth and taught them about the things of God and His Kingdom. They knew the Word and they knew about the Kingdom of God. Egter, because they were not born again and therefore unspiritual, they didn’t understand everything Jesus taught them. But that would change when they would receive the Holy Spirit.
After Jesus was raised from the dead and spend 40 dae saam met Sy dissipels, Jesus spoke again about the Kingdom of God and gave them commandments (Handelinge 1:1-4)
Jesus promised, that He would send the promise of the Father.
After they would receive the Holy Spirit and because of that receive power, they would be able to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, die Seun van God. Just like Jesus after His doop was clothed with power when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and became a Witness of God the Father and began to preach the Kingdom of Heaven to the people and testified of their evil works and call them to repentance and remission of sins.
Although the disciples knew the Word, they couldn’t go out and be a witness of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, until they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Because without the Holy Spirit, they couldn’t walk after the Spirit, reprove the world of sin, geregtigheid, and judgment and would not be able to represent, preach and bring the Kingdom of God to the people and as witnesses of Jesus Christ they would not be able to persevere and stand when persecution would arise, but they would succumb, fall away or run away.
We saw this behavior when Jesus was arrested and everyone left Jesus. And when Peter denied Jesus, while Peter had said just a few days before, that he wouldn’t deny Jesus Christ and was even prepared to die with Jesus. But when the moment of temptation and testing came Peter didn’t have the power to bear the consequences of His relationship with Jesus Christ and when people confronted Peter with his relationship with Jesus, Peter denied Jesus three times and because of that he broke his relationship with Jesus and was (tydelik) not His disciple (Merk 16:7)
Ongelukkig, we see the same phenomenon these days and many deny Jesus Christ in order to please and keep their family members, vriende, Kennisse, colleagues, ens. satisfied and not lose them. They’d rather break the relationship with Jesus Christ, than breaking their relationship with them (Lees ook: Do you confess Jesus before man or do you deny Him?).
The birth of the new creation, who together are the Church
The disciples received the Holy Spirit and as a result, they spoke in other tongues and preached the gospel in boldness to the people, and called them to repentance.
They began in Jerusalem and preached to the Jewish people, who were assembled from all over the world to celebrate the feast of the firstlings. And although some of them considered the disciples foolish, about three thousand souls repented and were saved, after hearing the words of Peter and his testimony of Jesus Christ and the conviction of their sins by the Holy Spirit.
They immediately were baptized and received the Holy Spirit, and became also sons of God, who had received power to be able to be a witness of Jesus Christ and preach the gospel.
The persecution of the Church
But while the Church grew and thousands of people, who belonged to the Jewish people, repented and were born again and belonged to the Church, persecution arose and the (Godsdienstige) leaders of the Jewish people did everything they could to silence the witnesses of Jesus Christ; die kerk.
Some of the witnesses of Jesus Christ were taken captive and put in prison, put to silence, and/or found guilty and were killed. Ja, many were killed because of their testimony of Jesus Christ and became a martyr because of Jesus.
Maar omdat hulle Jesus liefgehad het en 'n nuwe skepping geword het en krag deur die Heilige Gees ontvang het, al die dreigemente, vervolging, en dood van ander het hulle nie geïntimideer en gekeer nie en hulle het aangehou en volhard en nie afgewyk van die gebod van Jesus Christus om Sy getuie te wees en die waarheid te verkondig en die mense tot bekering te roep nie, sodat baie siele gered sou word.
Alles het volgens God se plan verloop, selfs die vervolging van die Kerk. Dit kan moeilik wees om te glo en te verstaan in vandag se wêreld en vanuit 'n moderne evangeliebeskouing, aangesien die moderne evangelie leer dat alle negatiewe dinge van die duiwel is en dat hy alle dinge rig. Maar God is groter as die duiwel, wat deur God geskep is, and He allows things to the glory and honor of His Name.
When we read the Book of Revelation, then we don’t read all kinds of positive prophecies about the end times. The vials of the wrath of God and the seals, which were opened by the Lamb are not positive.
And the words, which Jesus spoke to the churches were also hard and confronting words, which called the churches to repentance. This is contrary to what is preached today and the false image that is created of Jesus, who approves and tolerates everything, including sins, which Jesus hates in reality (Lees ook: ‘What does Jesus hate?', ‘'n Vervalste Jesus bring nagemaakte Christene voort’).
Jesus called the churches to repentance and if they would not listen and obey His words but reject His words, then Jesus would a.o. verwyder die kandelaar en die Heilige Gees sou nie meer teenwoordig wees nie en die kerk sou verwyder word van hul posisie in Christus en nie meer aan Jesus Christus behoort nie, maar van Christus en die Vader geskei sou word.
Die vervolging van die Kerk was 'n voortsetting van die vervolging van Jesus Christus, Wat 'n getroue Getuie van Sy Vader en die Koninkryk van die Hemel was.
As gevolg van die vervolging, die getuies van Jesus Christus was gedwing om Jerusalem te verlaat en na die stede rondom Jerusalem en na die res van die wêreld te gaan, sodat die woorde van Jesus vervul sou word. Hulle het gegaan en van Jesus Christus getuig en die waarheid verkondig en baie siele gered.
And so the gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to repentance and remission of sin was preached by the faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ, who had laid down their will and their own life and loved Jesus and kept His commandments until their death.
The commandment of Jesus still applies
The commandment of Jesus Christ has not ceased, but still applies today. Egter, you do need the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness of Jesus Christ in this world.
Because without the Holy Spirit, you shall not be able to be a witness of Jesus Christ and shall not be able to preach the truth of God and witness of Jesus Christ and call the people to repentance and the remission of sin, so that souls be saved.
Without the Holy Spirit you shall not be able to reprove the people of sin, van geregtigheid, and judgment and you shall not be able to expose the lies and the works of the devil and bring them into the light and destroy them, and you shall not be able to stand and not give up, despite the resistance and persecution of people.
What does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ in this world?
Toe sê Jesus vir Sy dissipels, As iemand agter My aan wil kom, laat hy homself verloën, en neem sy kruis op, en volg My. Want elkeen wat sy lewe sal red, sal dit verloor: en elkeen wat sy lewe om My ontwil verloor, sal dit vind (Matteus 16:24-25)
As a witness of Jesus Christ, you have laid down your own life. It’s not about your will anymore and what you think, but it’s all about the will of Jesus Christ and what He thinks. Jesus is not interested in your opinion, but He wants you to become interested in His opinion and yield to it.
As a witness of Jesus Christ, you yield yourself to Jesus Christ and serve Him, just like Jesus laid down His own life and yielded Himself to the Father and didn’t live after His own will, but after the will of the Father.
You are not a witness of yourself, but a witness of Jesus Christ. Therefore you shall not preach yourself, but you shall preach Jesus Christ.
Jesus spoke what He heard and seen of His Father and did His works and so Jesus lived in His Father’s will. The same applies to every witness of Jesus Christ. Every witness of Jesus Christ should speak His words, do His works and abide and live in His will.
You are called and sent by Jesus Christ to be His faithful witness in this world and to preach the truth; the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone, who live in darkness and call them to repentance so that their sins may be forgiven, and by faith they be born again in Christ and be saved and reconciled with God and inherit eternal life.
‘Wees die sout van die aarde’
