The Making of A Witness
The journey from following to witnessing
Dear #DailyFollower,
Introduction
The 120 in the upper room—the 11 apostles, 72 (or 70) other disciples, and 37 (or 39) Jesus followers—had spent more than three years in the School of the Spirit, where our Lord Jesus was their teaching priest.
Yet all that time spent didn’t make them witnesses God could count on to fulfil His mission of taking the Good News to the ends of the world.
A critical lesson I’ve learned in my season of actively following Jesus is:
Being near Jesus or identifying with Jesus does not make me (or you) a witness that God can partner with to execute His counsel on earth.
I spent almost two decades identifying with Jesus, even being used in His service, yet I hadn’t become a witness that God could completely count on me to execute His purposes on earth.
Time Is NOT The Key Factor
I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and for many years, I evangelised, prayed with people to receive the Holy Spirit, and taught others about God, but I was not wholly given the demands of becoming a witness God can count on.
You can imagine how I felt when God’s Spirit showed me this truth about myself.
It wasn't easy to take, but I paid attention.
It led me to ask questions that opened me to accessing Scriptural insights describing witnesses God can count on.
So, Who Is A Witness God Can Count On?
We know the length of time we walk with God isn’t a factor in becoming an effective witness God can count on to fulfil His purpose on earth.
So, what’s the factor?
John shares an insight in 1 John 1:1-2, EXB that I’d use to describe the kind of witness God has been working (a continuing work) to create in me.
1 We ·write [announce/proclaim to] you now about what ·has always existed [was from the beginning; Gen. 1:1; John 1:1], which we have heard, [which] we have seen with our own eyes, [which] we have looked at, and we have touched with our hands. We ·write [announce/proclaim] to you about the ·Word that gives life [Word of life; associating the logos or “word” with Jesus suggests he is God’s communication with humanity; John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6]. 2 ·He who gives life [The life] ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. We saw him and can ·give proof about [testify/witness to] it. And now we ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you ·that he has life that continues forever [the eternal life]. He was with ·God the Father [the Father] and ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us.
Witnesses God can count on to advance His agenda in any age are those who have yielded to the training of the School of the spirit, tarrying (in their upper room, like the 120 disciples in Acts 1:15) until God’s Spirit comes upon them to transform:
The message of Jesus they have heard into the Word of Life with the power to draw about 3,000 souls to Christ with one message (Acts 2:41),
The works of Jesus they have seen into the Workings of the Spirit of Jesus with the power to transform lives, as we saw in the encounter between the cripple man and Peter and John at Gate Beautiful (Acts 3:1-10)
The knowledge and experience of the ascension of Jesus that they watched [looked at] intently (Acts 1:10) into an elevation of their spiritual understanding, opening access to the deep things in God that enable them to speak to the needs in people’s lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them as He did with Peter and John to bring another 5,000 souls to Christ with just one message (Acts 4:1-4), and
The body (and blood) of Christ that they have touched into life-giving power, dispensing the Life of Christ to the communities around them in a way that fosters unity, selflessness, and generosity (Acts 4:32-35).
When our knowledge and experience of Christ transform us into vessels that God can partner with to do the three things listed below, then God has transformed us from regular followers into witnesses:
bring many to the knowledge of His truth with powerful expressions of the Working of His Spirit,
disciple those who have come into the knowledge of His truth so that they get on track to become witnesses for Christ and
transform society, bringing realities that foster unity, selflessness and generosity.
Conclusion
Yes, God calls us to follow Him daily. However, His ultimate goal is to transform us from followers into witnesses.
We see this in His journey with His earthly disciples, and one thing that stands out in this journey is the importance of tarrying.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some thoughts about the transforming power of tarrying and how it helps daily followers gain deeper spiritual insights that are valuable for our call to witness the Good News to our world.
The journey starts with following daily, but the goal is to become daily witnesses. We must commit to the process; when we do, we demonstrate our willingness to pay the price to be the ones our God can count on.
Yours faithfully,
John, a #DailyFollower
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