FALSE WITNESSING

    Being a witness for Jesus is not a Jehovah Witness's thing. All Christians are to witness to believers and non-believers alike. A witness must testify to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). I too am like the disciples, I feel the witnessing inside me ready to spill over, As for us we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:8).

So many Christians think that being a witness is simply telling people about Jesus. It is very true, that is the essentials of witnessing. However, it is a lazy attitude. There is so much more to it. It is a daily walk in faith. It is what has to occupy us. We ought to occupy with the things of God until He comes.

A witness can be symbolic. When I studied in Scotland I built an altar that was to honour my visit there. It gave witness to God keeping a promise to get me there. It also testified that I prayed and claimed Scotland and the rest of the UK for Him. Hallelujah! When you visit a country do you lay hands on the soil and pray for the country? You are a living representation of Christ. Just as you lay hands on the sick, lay hands on that land.

In a legal setting you testify before a judge (Deuteronomy 19:18-20) and sometimes it a contractual arrangement  as a witness to a sale (Jeremiah 32:10). This is explained in a previous blog on opening our mouth and by having a willingness to prove God's word. 

This blog will be about giving false witness. Being a false witness is a very serious crime in our walk of faith. The devil is a deceiver who manipulates and spreads lies. His lies are aimed at stealing, killing and destroying life. We have to be weary of aiding and abetting him. 

Sometimes we are giving a testimony or so eager to do our part, we end up botching it up. By that I mean we give more of the I in the account than Him. Our ego or our unresolved issues are more obvious than Jesus in us. 1 John 4 teaches us to test the spirit and works as a test to one's testimony. This is important to ensure that the right message is being given to represent God. This is how it works:

• does it show the love of God? 
• is there unselfish love in the message?
• does it clearly show that Jesus is real and He came in flesh?
• can you apply the scripture to show truth?
• does it say that Jesus is the saviour?
• does it demonstrate that there is an everlasting life?
• Is there a forgiving heart in it?
• does it offer forgiveness through Christ?
• is there hate? (this means it is not an appropriate message) 
• does it give assurance in Christ for the after life or does it cause fear? (we should only fear God)
• is sin shown to be rewarded with punishment? (I will add this based on experience)

Put me in remembrance of my word. God Himself is saying that He will not bear false witness against us. Wow! What a God to serve. Put me in remembrance; let us plead together; that thou mayest be justified (Isaiah 43:26).

He emphasises His stand on false testimony or false witnessing by putting it in the ten commandments. This has carried over into practically every legal system and forms the foundations of marketing and accounting procedure. I cannot give false witness. You shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another, neither defraud (Leviticus 19:11,16). These are all acts that work together with bearing false witness.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16)

One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity. (Deuteronomy 19:15-21)

It is ironic that we have to witness of Jesus and the attack used against Him on the earth came by using false witnesses (Matthew 26:59-60). This attack of the enemy should speak to us directly as Christians as to how the enemy operates and how serious it is for God. 

I pray you guard your testimony and your witness for Christ. To identify with Christ you cannot be guilty of false testimonies, lying or false witnessing. Just as important in giving a testimony be careful to present Christ and not yourself. Blessing to you in Jesus name.

If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour, you can pray this prayer of conversion:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. In Jesus name I pray. Thank you.

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BEING A WITNESS FOR GOD (NOT JEHOVAH'S WITNESS)

    God has a sense of humour. I will give an example. On May 14, 1948 Israel was recognised as a nation. By May 15th, five countries attacked them to take the country from them. During that war a discovery of an inscribed circular stone was made by the East Gate. That stone was historical evidence of the existence of Judea as a separate state under Roman command outside of the Bible. The war was said to be about reclaiming the land that belonged to the Arabs because Judea did not exist. Do you get it?

Judea is listed as a separate state of Rome

    As we see the amazing things that happen after our spoken word we tell others. We declare, affirm, and testify.  Jesus gave the word and then the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 happened. The word was activated. But it also works the other way around too! 

We have to be willing to see the word in action. It doesn't just happen though. It comes from knowing God's word and having revelation and relationship with God. Jesus said He came to fulfil the word. We have to give witness of the fulfilment of the word. We have to be like a child looking to see the wonders of the world and make discoveries. The Bible is filled with so many nuances and mysteries. It is so incredibly rich that there is much to understand and to prove.

It drives me nuts when Christians allow others to undermine the historical value of the content in the Bible. The word of God is not a book of stories. It is important to understand this. There are many lives and people who depend on the Bible as a historical document. It records accurately what others distort, destroy or loose. 

Validation for Israel's right to exist as a nation is through the proof of the Bible. It is a demonic attack on both Christians and Jews to discredit the word of God. Remember by agreeing to this way of thinking  you are saying Jesus did not exist and Jesus is not the truth nor is the Bible accurate and credible. 

I don't just see God but I experience God through relationship. Many Christians are afraid to extend faith. They are afraid to stand on God's word. They are afraid it would not prove to be true. Sometimes when we talk about the Second Coming of Christ we are met with derision. That is ok. Noah endured this for many years.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1: 16

Our commitment to Christ is to prove the fulfilment of the scripture in our lives. That is our testimony. Through living in Christ our hope we are able to do as the disciples did. Jesus this humble man would not be accepted as Messiah because they were expecting a man in splendour. Yet the disciples said they saw his majesty. Through revelation and relationship we will see His majesty.

I pray that you feel energised and able through Christ in Jesus name. With a willingness to have relationship with God, read the word and live it. I promise you life will look very different. 

If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour, you can pray this prayer of conversion:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. In Jesus name I pray. Thank you.

WITNESSING IS CONTINUOUS AND IT STARTS WITH ME

         

This is my first blog on what I see as proving the Bible. As a Christian I am commissioned to bear witness. There is a lot of responsibility as a witness in this era. The era I speak of is the end of days or end times. It started with the birth of Christ. The Bible is the word of God. Jesus is the word. Jesus proves the word and is the  living embodiment of it. It is a historical document. It is still being proven to this day. 

Rich in textual and contextual messages. Books and movies have been written about it. Codes and literary tools are found in it. It is numerical, artistic, creative, historical and scientific. It is dimensional in time and in messages as it crosses both literary and symbolic boundaries both diverging and converging at the same time sometimes. It is both a literary work as well as a practical application. Here we explore witnessing as a a continuous practise.

Often the oral traditions are a testimony to an event and helps us to remember it. Similarly, festivals are used to commemorate events or moments with symbolic meaning. But the act of celebrating and remembering are to give witness that the event is real or it happened e.g. The Passover. In a sense the case is brought forward to us (1 Cor 15:2-8) through continuation. When we continue the practises we continue as a witness.

1 Corinthians 15:2-8

Another way to give witness to Christ is to practise the word in our life. Most of us as Christians and therefore believers, try to understand and practice the word as followers of Christ. For us the evidence is the Bible and how our life is impacted by it, our testimony. But that means once we read it we have to practice it and then we have to speak of it, testify. 

Witnesses in the court have to swear by the belief they hold themselves accountable to. We swear by the Bible. As a witness of Christ, who is the word we have to do the same. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. When we speak or witness to others of the active word in our lives then we are witnessing. 

We have to speak it and hear it spoken. Testimonies of the word coming alive in our lives or giving revelation through the teaching of The Holy Spirit, work in different ways. Not only do we help others to build faith by our testimony but by speaking and sharing we build our own faith and make affirmations over our lives. 

When it is seen actively practised in our lives and working, it gives testimony to the realness or authenticity of the word e.g. I have tried to teach the children in my family to command the rain to stop. When they do it in Jesus name, it is an amazement to them and they believe. They see that there is power in God's spoken word.

Power in the word or faith in the all powerfulness of God, works in another way as well. If I believe in my God and He is powerful, then I should be willing to declare it. I have confidence in Him. I give witness that my God is able to do what He says He will do, so I make declarations over my life. Even the unsaved make declarations aloud of success and wealth accumulation. Declare God's word in you life!

At the start of Jesus' ministry He taught the beatitudes. The Bible records (Matthew 5:2);

And He opened His mouth and taught them... 

He came to fulfil the word and to establish it all at the same time. He brought grace and the practical application of grace for us is established because He spoke it. He set it into the atmosphere establishing it. Some of us refer to this as spiritual principles. We have to establish the word into our reality. Into our time and space to activate it. This is to create opportunities for our witnessing. Open your mouth.

I pray that you have the courage and boldness to open your mouth and speak the word of God over your life and that of others in Jesus name.

  

If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour, you can pray this prayer of conversion:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. In Jesus name I pray. Thank you.