Today’s Reading:
Acts 10:34-43 (v. 39)
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross.” (v.39)
A witness is a person who sees or otherwise has personal knowledge of something. In the afternoon on January 23rd, 1897, a neighbourhood boy in Greenbrier Country, West Virginia, made a startling discovery: the dead body of Elva Zona Heaster, Elva’s husband, Erasmus Shue, had sent the boy to see if she needed him to pick up anything from the market before he came home from work. Shue was working on a location as a blacksmith at the time, and has only been married to Elva for three months. After coming across Elva’s lifeless body, the panicked boy ran to tell his mother what he had found; his mother promptly alerted the doctor (Dr. Knapp).
By the time Dr. Knapp arrived to examine the body, Shue had already returned home and had washed and prepared her for burial, dressing her in a high-necked dress while placing a veil over her head. As Dr. Knapp began examining the body, his attempt to examine the head and neck area were hindered by Shue; he was cradling her head while crying and responded violently any time the doctor came near. After examining the rest of her body and finding nothing substantial, Dr. Knapp determined that the cause of her death was ‘’everlasting faint’’ which he later changed to ‘’complications from pregnancy,’’ because as her private doctor, he assumed that her death might be related to ‘’female trouble’’ that she had being treating for a few weeks. Elva’s body was thereafter taken to her childhood home for funeral.
However, Elva’s mother, Mary Jane was not convinced that her daughter’s death was natural, so she prayed earnestly to God and she had a revelation that Shue was upset when he came home from work and thought that Elva hadn’t cooked any meat for dinner, therefore he murdered Elva by choking her and breaking her neck. She had the same revelation four times and then proceeded to report the matter to the prosecutor John Alfred Preston and the case was re-opened. Mary Jane stood as the witness. An autopsy showed that the first and second vertebrae in Elva’s neck were broken and that her wind pipe was crushed, Shue was later sent to life imprisonment and eventually died in 1900 due to complications from measles and pneumonia. This was probably the only case ever that divine revelation through a witness was considered.
Out of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, peter was one of the closest to him, and he is qualified by all standards to be a witness of Jesus Christ. Seeing and knowledge are very fundamental in witnessing. Peter saw and had knowledge about Jesus Christ. He affirmed that ‘’ God does not show favouritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.’’ Acts 10:34b-35. All you need to do to be accepted by God is to fear him and do what is right. To fear God is to depart from evil, and to do what is right is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour and continually be led by the Holy Spirit. It is only the Holy Spirit that can teach and lead us to continuously do what is right.
‘’He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen...’’ Acts 10: 41a. The question here is this:
1. Have you had an encounter with Jesus Christ?
2. Are you a chosen one of God?
3. Do you witness for Christ? ‘’He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and dead’’ Acts 10: 42.
One of the major purpose of our existence on earth is to witness for Christ, and failure to witness is failure in life and destiny. A true witness must be bold, outspoken, courageous and willing, are you bold, outspoken, courageous and willing to witness for Christ? You need divine revelation and the strength of the Holy Spirit in order to be a true witness. If you fail to witness for Christ, then the devil might witness against you on the last day.
Emmanuel Taiwo Bello.
PRAYER:
1. Mighty Father, give me a life transforming encounter with you, in Jesus name.
2. Righteous Father, I receive grace to remain as your chosen one in Jesus’ name.
3. Lord Jesus, make me a true witness of your gospel, in Jesus name.
4. Holy Father may all our churches be your true witnesses, in Jesus’ name.
5. Righteousness shall reign in our country Nigeria, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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