And You Shall Be My Witnesses
Acts 1:8-NKJV-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 ends of the earth.”
As you look at the word witnesses you have to ask yourself what exactly does that mean. We know what a witness is in the legal sense and it can be accredited to this verse, but that is a weak interpretation of the true meaning.
In the original the words is “martis” which is also translated martyr in various other verses. Luke uses this word “martis” when talking about Stephen before he was stoned. Before he was stoned he was a witness, “martis” to the revelation of Jesus and after he was a stoned he was a martyr, “martis.”
Three things I think we can take from this word “martis” as it pertains to the above verse and our being witnesses, “martyr”. We as Christians must:
Open our eyes and “martus” (see) the workings of God around us.
God is working around us and through us all the time. We can only witness to the things that we have seen and experienced.
Open our mouths and “martus” (attest) the Good News to our neighbor.
We must be aware that God places opportunities to share what he has done for us and through us every day. One of my favorite quotes says, “the person with an argument is at the mercy of the person with an experience.” You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to share what God means to you.
Open our hearts to the possibility of becoming a martus (martyr), socially, financially, or physically.
We must say as Paul said in Galatians 2:20-NKJV-”I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” We may hope that we never face death for the cause of Christ, but we have to make it a possibility and know that with the power of the Holy Spirit working through you that you can be a “martis” a witness and if it so happens also a “martis” martyr for the cause of Christ.
Remember that “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.”
One last thought from Matthew 5:16-NKJV-
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
