“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts of the Apostles 1:8 NLT
Acts of the Apostles 1:8, New Living Translation (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.…bible.com
Witness in the Greek (Martyr)
A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, “witness”; stem μάρτυρ-, mártyr-) is somebody who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a belief or cause as demanded by an external party. This refusal to comply with the presented demands results in the punishment or execution of the martyr by the oppressor. Originally applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs, it is now often used for people imprisoned or executed for espousing a political cause. — Wikipedia
The gospel?
It is amazing in this day and age of Christianity; we preach a gospel that has nothing to do with a person dying to self or how they will die as a witness for the sake of Christ. We sell them that God has a purpose and a plan for you. But we fail to tell them that they must die to come to him and will die for him. In America there’s no fear of physical death but you will be crucified for standing for truth and following Jesus. You will lose friends, popularity, and family members all for truth’s sake [2 Timothy 3:12].
“Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against — or two in favor and three against. ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Luke 12:51–53 NLT
That does not sound pretty or compelling, it’s very difficult to market that gospel; so we sanitize the gospel to make it palatable for the sinners and sweet for the saints. We sell people short of the real gospel. And anything short of the gospel is no gospel at all.
A true witness
A true witness of God is one who will be martyred or killed by the world or any religious institution or person that does not hold to the truth. The problem we see today is big-time Christian leaders are being accepted by the big-time world leaders and platforms. We seem to think that if worldly doors open up and if christians are getting worldly accolades, awards, rewards, and worldly acceptance, the favor of God must be present. No, thats not true. That’s judging by human sensuality and reasoning rather than judging correctly [John 7:24]. Correct judgment is what Jesus said (bible)
“The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” John 15:19 NLT
A true witness of God is one who will be hated by the world. The word of God says hate is another form of murder [1 John 3:15]. So prepare to be crucified (murdered) by anyone who holds a worldly worldview: doesn’t matter if they claim to be a Christian or attend church or not. If they have a worldly worldview and you stand for absolute truth, they will distance themselves or even hate you. See [John 3:20]
Why is this important?
Because this contradicts most of American preaching, books, and teachings. This truth causes us to realize that the gospel or the Christian walk is not man centered but Christ centered. Man centered teaching and books attract, sells, and pleases more. rather than christ centered books and teachings. A man cenetered gospel is another gospel. If Jesus was concerned about himself he would have never been crucified. Jesus said the most profound statement ever to be said concerning the human race relating to God; “Not my will but your will be done.” [Luke 22:42] If Jesus was trying to have his “best life now” he would have never came down.
Note
•How you believe is how you behave.
•You don’t want to come to Jesus falsely.
•Jesus is not into your “self.”
•You are to serve not to be served.
•You ought to prepare for suffering for Christ sake.
•Not to be lovers of pleasure more than a love for God.
•Count the cost before you join the cause.
Written By Lu-el Fantroy
