Fearlessly Courageous
From the Desk of Dennis Piller
7 27 2023
The Witness
Yesterday was my actual wedding date 25 years ago and honestly, I never thought in terms of wanting or needing a witness to my life. You know, we just live our lives as best we can and there will be people over the years who will be in our life, see our life and I guess you could call them witnesses.
But I never really looked at it in the sense that they were “Witnesses”
In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim”.
The information a witness gives in court is called a testimony.
When I married Dyan, I wanted not just to please her but to live a life that would make her proud of me. Which meant that she would see it all and be a witness to it all. I discovered that we all need a witness. To celebrate with. Cry with. Pray with. To be accountable to. To laugh and live a life bigger than one could ever live alone. (Two are better than one). Eyes that witness and words that will encourage and a love that lifts you above one’s failures and deficiencies. A witness to our faith in Jesus Christ. Studying his word with, help us keep the filter of our life pure and holy, so we together might be a more powerful witness for Christ. A faith that lays a foundation for being a greater witness for Christ through the power of the Book of Love.
It is the power of two or more gathered for his glory. Matt 18:20 The power of sending two disciples to minister together. Mark 6:7 The power of two is better than one.
Eccl 4:9 For when one falls there is one to pick you up. But it is impossible to do this in our strength.
Is the Holy Spirit a Witness?
Romans 8:16 says “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children,” or “The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children.”
But He is more…The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be witnesses. We see the Holy Spirit performing this role in the Bible when he gives the disciples words to speak at difficult times (Luke 12:11-12; Acts 4:8) and leads them to evangelistic opportunities (Acts 8:29; Acts 10:19ff).
Why is witnessing important?
Once you have come to know the Lord as your Savior, it’s important that you “Testify”… tell someone about it. Our Lord commanded us to “Go and Tell” the world about the risen Savior. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is given so we will be “His witnesses”.
We need to be aware that there are witnesses to everything we do and say. We need to care about what they see and hear. Our spouses, children, church, and neighborhood. These should all be witnesses to the truth of Jesus in our daily walk. They are coaches, cheerleaders, and friends who walk beside us as a witness to our life and more importantly to Jesus’s life.
I believe Christian families should be witnesses to God’s standards for living for our world to clearly see them. They should be the prism for loving God and our neighbors. And it begins with a relationship to be a witness of Jesus.
Jesus is a faithful witness. “Rev 1:5 He walks with us as a witness pointing eternally to the Father. Jesus bears witness to whatever he had seen and heard from the Father (John 3:11,32-33). He bears witness to the truth (18:37) He bears witness to the truth But he testifies against the world by saying that its works are evil (7:7).
We have God the Holy Spirit in us that gives us the power to be a witness. He gives us the discernment to be a witness
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
I was a man who started off his life as one who wanted witnesses for the sake of my glory. Witnesses for the sake of self-exaltation and recognition. But God kept changing me to one seeking humility as his witness…pointing eternally to Jesus.
(it is a lifelong process).
Seeking to give my life away by serving others as a witness
and being an example of his loving-kindness.
My spouse is a needed witness to my life, as you are to mine. So I will let you decide if you need a witness to your life and question you for an answer to why you want them and need them. Finally, what you will do today to show forth the faithfulness and goodness of God in what you do, in front of those witnesses.
