You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus the Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John the Baptist had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him. Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil. Now I, and those with me, can witness to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree, yet three days afterwards God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses - we have eaten and drunk with the Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection from the dead - and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive and dead. It is to Jesus that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in the Lord Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name - Acts 10:37-43 - 

Witness refers to a person who gives testimony: testimony given for or against someone often in a law-court setting where there is considerable concern for the truth of the testimony. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." - Exodus 20:16 - 

A man may be put to death only on the word of two witnesses or three; and no man may be put to death on the word of one witness alone. - Deuteronomy 17:6 - 

A mace, a sword, a keen arrow, such is the man who bears false witness against his neighbour. - Proverbs 25:18 - 

The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and in the Old Testament, true prophets often told and pictured God either as bearing witness against Israel or as challenging Israel to bear witness against Him. - "The word of Yahweh that was addressed to Micah of Moresheth in the time of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His visions of Samaria and Jerusalem. - The judgement of Samaria - "Listen, you peoples, all of you. Attend, earth and everything in it. Yahweh is going to give evidence against you, the Lord, as he sets out from his sacred place." - Micah 1:2 - "My people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me." - Micah 6:3 - God is also seen in the Old Testament witnessing covenants between Himself and the nation of Israel or individuals. 

"'Now write down this song which you must use; teach it to the sons of Israel, put it into their mouths that it may be a witness on my behalf against the sons of Israel whom I am bringing into the land I swore to his fathers I would give him, a land where milk and honey flow; against Israel who will eat and take his fill and grow fat, then turn to other gods to serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. When a host of disasters and misfortunes overtake him, this song shall stand as witness against him, for his descendants must not forget it. Yes, even today, before I have brought him to the land I promised on oath, I know what plans he has in mind.' So on that same day, Moses wrote out this song and taught it to the sons of Israel.

He gave Joshua son of Nun this order: 'Be strong and stand firm, for you are to bring the sons of Israel to the land I swore I would give them, and I myself will be with you.' When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this Law to the very end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of Yahweh covenant: 'Take this Book of the Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God. Let it lie there as a witness against you. For I know how defiant you are and how stubborn. If today while I am still alive and with you, you defy Yahweh, how much more will you defy him after my death!'"  - Deuteronomy 31:19-27 -

"I drew up the deed and sealed it, called in witnesses and weighed out the money on the scales. I then took both the sealed deed of purchase and its open copy, in accordance with the requirements of the law, and handed over the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and of all the Jews who then happened to be in the Court of the Guard." "Buy the field with money in front of witnesses - and even now the city is falling into the hands of the Chaldaeans!" "People will buy fields, pay money, draw up deeds and seal them, and witness them in the land of Benjamin, in the districts round Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, of the highlands, of the Lowlands and of the Negeb. For I am going to restore their fortunes - it is Yahweh who speaks."- Jeremiah 32:10-12, 25, 44 -

Witness is also used in connection with the distinctively religious message of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. God witnesses to the believer about His assurance of salvation: "The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God." - Romans 8:16 - It is also declares that God has not left Himself without witness. Witness to Christ Jesus is borne by the prophets, John the Baptist, the Father, the works of Christ Jesus Himself.

"In the past he allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you; he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy." - Acts 14:16-17 - "Besides, the Father sent me, bears witness to me himself." - John 5:37 -

You judge by human standards;
I judge no one,
but if I judge,
my judgement will be sound,
because I am not alone:
and in your Law it is written
that the testimony of two witnesses is valid.
I may be testifying on my own behalf,
but the Father who sent me is my witness too. - John 8:15-18 -

Hence, the believer's life, words and deeds serve as a witness to the world. Sometimes this witness to the world is represented in the witness of the faithful, disciples, apostles and the chosen, who are Christ's special witnesses - witnesses of His resurrection. Amen!

We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us - and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection. - Acts 1:21-22 -

God raised this man Jesus to life and all of us are witnesses to that. - Acts 2:32 - God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. - Acts 10:41 - But God raised him from the dead and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people. - Acts 13:31 -

However, the command to witness has implications for all believers too. It applies to the new Christian community the similar command that was given to ancient Israel.

You yourselves are my witness - it is Yahweh who speaks
my servants whom I have chosen,
that men may know and believe me
and understand that it is I.
No god was formed before me,
nor will be after me.
I, I am Yahweh,
there is no other saviour but me,
It is I who have spoken, have saved, have made the proclamation,
not any strangers among you.
You are my witnesses - it is Yahweh who speaks
and I, I am your God, I am he from eternity. - Isaiah 43:10-12 -

You, Israel, my servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

descendant of Abraham my friend.

You whom I brought from the confines of the earth

and called from the ends of the world;

you to whom I said, 'You are my servant,

I have chosen you, not rejected you',

do not be afraid for I am with you;

stop being anxious and watchful, for I am your God.

I give you strength, I bring you help,

I uphold you with my victorious right hand.

yes, all those who raged against you,

shall be put to shame and confusion;

they who fought against you

shall be destroyed, and perish. - Isaiah 41:8-11 -

"You surely know that Abraham our father was justified by his deed, because he offered his son Isaac on the altar? There you see it: faith and deeds were working together; his faith became perfect by what he did. This is what scripture really means when it says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this was counted as making him justified: and that is why he was called 'the friend of God'." - James 2:21-23 - 

Last instructions to the apostles - Then Jesus told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, has to be fulfilled'. Jesus then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, 'So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are the witnesses to this. 'And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.' - Luke 24:44-49 -

The believer's model in witness is none other than Christ Jesus Himself.

The Ascension - Then Christ Jesus took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands Jesus blessed them. Now as he blessed them, Jesus withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising God. - Luke 24:50-53 - [ Luke's gospel ends where it began, in the Temple; its last word is of the joy and praise ]

You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. Now, before God the source of all life and before Jesus Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures until the Appearing of our

Lord Jesus Christ,
who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen. - 1 Timothy 6:11-16 -

Saint Paul's testimony - Acts 9:1-19 - Meanwhile, Saul (Paul) was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord's disciples. Saul/Paul had gone to the high priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men and women, that could find.

Suddenly, while Saul/Paul was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all round him. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' he asked, and the voice answered, 'I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.' The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, for though he heard the voice they could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor drink.

A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, 'Ananias!' When he replied, 'Here I am, Lord', the Lord said, 'You must go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight,'

When he heard that, Ananias said, 'Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.' The Lord replied, 'You must go all the same, because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for my name'. Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Brother Saul/Paul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' Immediately it was as though scales fell away from Saul's eyes and he could see again. So he was baptised there and then, and after taking some food he regained his strength.   

In addition to Saint Augustine of Hippo 'Confessions' boasting of God's glory are some of the examples of God's greater glory. Their testimony, and being the Lord Jesus Christ special witnesses, and their conversion to Christianity are indeed awesome and extraordinary. Thus, in all honesty, I can never be able to systematically or orderly proclaim and boast about God. Thoughts, Words, and Deeds are indeed, the creative force. In fact, our every thinking, saying, doing, and action are the result of our encountered and experienced with God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the three things that last: Faith. Hope. Love. are our spirited virtues.

In other words, 'Conversion' involves the surrender of emptying oneself, in spirit, body, mind, intellect, faith and love to God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Before anyone can fully comprehend or understand why he and she became a Christian convert, he and she is required to testify because the practice of boasting and sharing the joy of one's conversion to Christians has been regarded the tradition. An encounter and experience with God is always a personal event, an answer that is by its nature, a person's free act in response to the gift of Faith. Hope. Love. "In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13 -

How rich are the depths of God - how deep his wisdom and knowledge - and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To God be glory for ever! Amen.

  - WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

Your generous contribution and support is profoundly cherish. I sincerely pray that: God blessing be upon you, always. Amen! Bank transfer: Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah - Public Bank Berhad account no. 4076577113 - Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.