Message
In , Jesus said that you will receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon you, and you will become a witness. A witness produces proof. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you become someone who can produce proof that Jesus is the Saviour, the Healer, and the Deliverer because He will reveal these divine attributes through you.
Your lifestyle must reflect that Jesus is in you because He said that people will be known by their fruits (). Being a witness means showing what it means to be a genuine child of God. All parties involved in a court case are expected to invite witnesses who would make statements in their favour. The testimonies of the witnesses are expected to strengthen the argument of the parties that invited them. Your lifestyle as a witness of Christ should strengthen the faith of others, not weaken it. Your life should draw unbelievers to Jesus, not push them away from Him. Your primary task as the Lord’s witness is to follow Him sincerely and use everything He gives you to lead others to Him. Don’t be the reason people vow never to follow Jesus because, as a witness, your life has told lies about God's nature and personality. Whenever your words and conduct speak lies about Jesus, you become a false witness.
While false witnesses tell lies about what they have seen, another set of people, whom Paul called false brethren, claim to have seen things they have not. They act as witnesses when they haven’t seen anything.
Paul spoke about the dangers he faced at the hands of false brethren (). Some of them came into the Galatian church and wanted to enslave the true believers there (); they came with high-sounding opinions that were contrary to God’s will. You must beware of false brethren because they carry a contrary spirit. They twist the message of Christ and turn the grace of God into a license for immorality (). Such fellows say that once you have received Jesus, you can live anyhow because the grace of God covers you. They also feign godliness for their personal gain. Paul warned that we should withdraw from such people ().
Beloved, as Christ’s witness, you must be careful that your life doesn’t speak lies about Jesus, and you must also take care not to fall into the trap of those who profess to be witnesses of Christ but have never met Him.