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It is this Jesus whom God raised up,

a fact to which we are all witnesses.

~ Acts 2:32

 

Hallelujah dear sister!

This time of year, during the days before we celebrate His resurrection morning, Christians everywhere contemplate the cross and marvel afresh at what Jesus has accomplished for us! 

Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like to live in Jesus’ time. What must it have been like to witness a healing, or deliverance or someone being raised from the dead? To eat miraculously provided food? Or even have a face to face encounter with Him?

It seems it would have been glorious, but the scriptures say differently. Although a lot of people fervently sought Him, it was for the bread He provided or the miracles He performed. In the end, their hearts grew cold and most outright rejected him. The prophets foretold that He would be despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3) and such the Savior of the world was.

But still, some people believed. For some, their hearts were turned to Him when they recognized the power of the Living God working through Him. For others, it was the revelation of the Living God working in themselves as they yielded to His spirit with a contrite heart. They were the eye-witnesses to God’s compassion, power and Lordship over evil. 

For us today, we have the written testimony of God’s Word; the testimony of His witnesses!

In the verse above, Peter is testifying to the crowds in Jerusalem of the mighty power of God, having raised Jesus from the dead! He and the other disciples not only saw the empty grave, they personally interacted with the risen Lord! As the word spread, people became believers by the word of the disciples spoken, eye-witness testimony!

The eye-witnesses have long gone on to their reward; there are no archeological or biographical  artifacts of Jesus’ earthly existence today. No manger, no relatives, no pictures, no earthly remains. (Hallelujah!) But God…but God did not leave us to work out our salvation according to what we think best. By His unfailing grace and power, He gave us His immutable, eternal truth in the form of the written word of His witnesses.

The written testimony of God inspired by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Bible whose testimonies and truth have never changed despite thousands of years. Cultures and empires have risen and fallen, yet the testimonies of God’s Word never changes. We believe because of the power of God’s written Word!  We need nothing more added. Do you believe that?

Isn’t it amazing how the Bible speaks to us every time we avail ourselves to it? It is extraordinary to me how I find comfort and wisdom for today in the letters and journals written so long ago! The words of the prophets, the joys and laments of the songs, the testimony of Jesus Christ are still just as alive today as the day they were written thousands of years ago. The very fact that we are reading it these millennia later is a testament to God’s life and power!! 

We haven’t seen the Lord with our own eyes, yet when we read His word, we see Him through the eyes of faith. We see His hand in the daily provision for our lives, in the gifts that are showered upon us every day; the gifts of His spirit, the gifts of faith and wisdom. His promise to be with us always. 

I see now that we are indeed still living in Jesus’ time! He is alive and is with us still! He calls us to come to Him for cleansing and forgiveness. He moves through us by the power of His spirit. He leads us where He wants us to go through the examples and testimonies of those who have gone before.

Jesus said to the doubting disciple, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.” You are blessed, dear sister, because you believe without seeing!! When He walked in the flesh of man, Jesus could only be in one place at one time, but now there is nowhere we can go to escape His presence ~ He is everywhere! 

The next time you pick up your Bible, why not give some thought to what God might be speaking to you personally? Is it affirming that you’re in the right place? Is there something that you need to do? Is there something you need to change? Can you bless someone by testifying to the truth you learned?

The Bible is our witness! We, in turn, are witnesses to others by our words and actions. May the Lord inspire us to bear witness to His glorious truth even as He did through the disciples that day so long ago! 

Be blessed, dear sister, as you testify along with the angels, apostles and disciples, “He is not here, for he has risen, as He said!” Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name!

Rejoicing with you, your Sister, Celeste