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You Shall Be My Witnesses
by Bro. Peter Rahme
 We are living in an exciting time as the Spirit of God moves mightily across the earth. People of sundry “religions” are coming to Jesus in droves, healings are being manifest and miracles are taking place daily. But victory doesn’t come without a battle and Satan is doing everything in his power to deceive and distract – sadly, even the elect, God’s children.
My prayer is that the Church will get back to the basics:
- To recognize sin as sin and deal with it
- To seek God first and not the opinions of men
- To live our lives according the Word of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit and not conform to majority thinking or popular belief
I was born and raised in South Africa; a country where at one time Sunday was observed as the Sabbath and not even sport was permitted on that day. Today, it is one of the few countries in the world where same-sex marriage and abortion are legal. Here in the United States, a presidential candidate unashamedly endorses these same sins. These are just two examples of the downward spiral society finds itself in.
Brethren, the alarm is sounding and we must heed the wake-up call. We must shake off the lethargy that has attached itself to the church. We must stand up and be counted as children and followers of the most-high God and not allow the fear of man to replace the fear (reverence) of God. A question that might immediately spring to mind is, “What can I do, I’m just one person?” Well, you’re one person who has been saved by the blood of Jesus and the most important thing you can and will ever do is share that salvation with a neighbor (a fellow human being, Oxford English Dictionary).
In this devotional I want to discuss some of the commands Christ has given us for being effective witnesses. There are three major commands the Lord has given us to fulfill the Great Commission.
- Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15)
- Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (Matthew 28 18-20)
- You shall be my witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations.
The reason we are given this Commission is “…repentance and remission of sins should be preached in  His name among all nations.” Luke 24:47. The gospel of Christ must be proclaimed not only in every nation, state, city, or street, but to every person who is born on this earth. Jesus came here to save every man, woman, and child and nobody is to be left out. The Word of God says in Acts 2:21 that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. They have to hear the Word of the Lord before they can call on His name. According to the Word of the Lord, every person should have the opportunity to hear the gospel at least once, so that they can make the decision to accept or reject it.
Do not neglect your first love
“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.” Revelation 2:4
In our day-to-day life, it is so easy to become distracted and neglect to spend quality time with the Lord. These points are important to remember in pursuit of our relationship with Him.
- We have to keep our full attention on the one who enlisted us into His army and called us to be effective witnesses.
- We must continue to build ourselves up as good soldiers, taking orders from headquarters, from our commander-in-chief and obeying His every word and command.
- We should always keep our focus and our sights set on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, and run with endurance the race that is set before us - looking to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Satan is the master of deception and we must never forget that. He will do anything to divert our attention from our first love, Jesus, which in turn will cause our compassion for the lost to wane. The key to being an effective witness is to keep building our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, our first love.
The scripture below is the key to overcoming the strategies of Satan and illustrates where our focus should be as wise Christians.
The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men — he gathers and receives them for eternity]. Proverbs 11:30 (AMP)
We have been called to be servants and witnesses of the most-high God; His Son paid the price to redeem us from the slave market of sin. When you study the Word of God you’ll see that the rewards for witnessing are astounding. Here are a few promises from our God for being a witness:
- "And those who are wise - the people of God-shall shine as brightly as the sun's brilliance, and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever.” Daniel 12:3 (TLB)
- “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:43
- “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
 The work of the Lord is obedience to His holy Word and obedience to the call of God on each believer’s life. Every person in Christ is a workman of God, there are no spectators in His kingdom. Remember, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. We encourage you to share Christ wherever you go. You can make a difference in your family, friends, and neighbors’ lives. May the Lord strengthen you as you serve Him.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Bro. Peter Rahme
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