But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.   Acts 1:8 HCSB

We’ve all seen these courtroom scenes where a person is put on a witness stand and the attorney for the opposing side tries to attack that witnesses credibility. Credibility is the ability of someone to make others believe them or to be believable. When someone is considered to be trustworthy or of good character, they are deemed to be credible witnesses.

Integrity is another term that is important, when someone is said to have integrity it is someone who is considered to be honest and of good moral character.

Now let’s just say that you were falsely accused of a crime and you were really counting on this one particular witness to convince the jury of your innocence. What if this witness got on the stand and the prosecution had all this dirt on your witness and was able to destroy their credibility? Not good, right?

In our scripture passage today, Jesus is speaking with His disciples just before ascending into heaven. He is telling them that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them and will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. If you profess to be a Christian, a Christ follower, or a disciple of Christ then you must understand that you are His witness. It’s important that you be a credible witness. It’s important that your integrity or your moral character is not called into question.

If you took the witness stand, professing to be a Christian, how hard would it be for someone to attack your credibility? As you ponder the answer to this question, remember our scripture passage. Jesus is telling them that the Holy Spirit will come on them. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we act much differently than when we are not. So, let’s look at some scripture that describes what being a good Christian witness looks like. Matthew 5:16 says that we should let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to God the Father who is in heaven. Colossians 4:6 says that our speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each person.  We are told in 1 Peter 3:15 to honor Christ in our hearts as holy and to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us why such hope is found in us, but we are cautioned to do so with gentleness and respect.

Witnessing for Christ is different than witnessing in a trial in that we are all sinners, we are all guilty of sin. We all start out as miserable, unrepentant sinners, but we don’t have to stay that way. We can draw near to God and accept the gift of salvation offered to us. Once we are saved, then we want the same for those around us. We want our friends and our loved ones to also share in this great gift. One way to share the peace and joy that you have found in Christ with them is through your witness.

We witness not only through our words, but also our actions. Those around you are watching how you treat others. They are listening to your speech and the tone of your voice. So, again I ask are you a credible witness?

If you have been saved then it should be obvious to everyone who comes in contact with you. Is it?

Maybe you are thinking about this and thinking that you haven’t been such a good witness for Christ lately. Well, you can rectify that. You can tell Him that you are sorry and ask for His forgiveness, and most importantly you can start doing your best to imitate Him. None of us are perfect, but we can be forgiven.

Have a great day!