Jesus’ Witnesses

Jesus’ Witnesses

“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.” Acts 1:8.

They needed power to be witnesses for Jesus. Jesus conquered powers and principalities and made a public spectacle of them on the cross. He crushed the serpent’s head. He came to free captives and set at liberty those who were afflicted; this is what we should be a witness to. Jesus says, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin . . . Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34, 36. From this we realize that someone who commits sin cannot be a witness to the fact that Jesus frees captives. To be a witness for Jesus means that we overcome evil with good in all circumstances. When we consider people in these days, it is difficult to believe that Jesus has crushed the serpent’s head so that He can set at liberty those who are afflicted. On the contrary, what we see is that people are bound by the serpent and afflicted by sin. We see how anxious they are for the things of this world and how anger, a hot temper, envy, jealousy, and malice afflict them, so that many of them end up in a mental institution. Who can be Jesus’ witness? This is where we need power. This is precisely what we are called to: to witness to the fact that Jesus is mighty to set a person free from anxiety, anger, a hot temper, backbiting, and all malice. We are called to be a witness to the fact that it is possible to overcome evil with good in all circumstances. If this is to occur, then the flesh with its passions and desires has to be crucified. Gal. 5:24. For this purpose we receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us.