You Shall Be My Witnesses

Acts 1:8-11
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

When Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," we automatically think foreign missions. We get the impression that Jesus wants us to give up all we have and go overseas. We tend to think this means we need to go out and speak to everyone about Jesus. Although I firmly believe we need to get out and preach the good news, I would like to look at an interesting choice of words: "You will be my witnesses" -- in other words, your life, as much as your words, is witness to the world about Jesus. What does the world see when they look at you and me? Do they see a carnal worldly person or do they see Jesus? Jesus is saying He wants us to not only tell others about Him but that we are to show the world we have been with Him. When Peter and John were brought up on charges and had to defend what they were preaching to the religious crowd look at what the critics saw. Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” I feel this is what Jesus is talking about when He says we are to be His witnesses. While it is true we need to go into the highways and hedges and bring them in so that His house might be filled, it is how we are seen as we go that will be most important.
This is a heady concept: That what I do -- how I live -- matters as much, or more than my words. Could this be one of the reasons so many people are turned off to Christianity. They don't want to be like us. They don't see any benefit in being a Christian. They don't see any difference between Christians and everyone else. Those who accused Peter immediately saw he had been with Jesus. There was something different about him, about the way he talked and about the way he acted. He was different and he had something they didn’t have. If you are saved and know Jesus as saviour does it show? Would other people want what you have? Can anyone tell you have been with Jesus? Are you one way at church and another on the drive home? What kind of a witness are you?
What kind of a witness do you want to be? What is inconsistent in the witness of your life? Where is there inconsistency between your life and your message?
Jesus said,”You shall be my witnesses”. Are you ready to show the world you have been with Jesus or are you like those wide eyed disciples who were standing in awe and amazement as Jesus was taken up? Do you need to be reminded He is coming back just like those men of Galilee, “why stand here gazing up into heaven.” You have work to do; you have to be a witness for the King.