“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us…” Hebrews 12:1
Dear Ones:
What is a witness? He is not a person who just says what he knows or thinks. The witness of God is that person who has not only seen, or perceived, the glory of God, but who, in turn, and by the Spirit, declares the truth of what he has seen. It is as the Apostle John wrote in his first letter: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” (1:3) There is much more to being a “witness” of God than that concerning being a witness of “man.” The greatest difference is the manifest presence and power of God in the life of the witness, by virtue of the working of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul illustrates this by writing: “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power.” (1 Cor. 2:4) With regard to the “manifestation” of the Spirit, it is the testimony of the life of Christ in the believer. The expression of that Life is the fruit of the Spirit, the love of God, His joy and His peace. The words of one’s mouth, in the declaration of the truth, and the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, is the verbal expression of the Life of Christ in the heart, expressed in words that are powerful, loving, and living.
When one looks over the panoramic history of the Bible, and begins to examine the lives of individuals of faith, one is struck first of all by how long this means and manner of faith has existed. In the case of Abraham, we are looking at an individual who lived about five thousand years ago. If we look at David, and the revelation of God entrusted to this great, but imperfect man, one is looking back at least three thousand years. Even the coming of the Lord Jesus, his life and ministry, was two thousand years ago. What is the significance of the lives of these individuals with regard to “patterns of faith?” It is this; they all are worshipping the same God and Father of us all. The overwhelming truth of God, as the basis of their faith, resided not only and primarily in the revelation of the nature and person of God, but in the fact that He changes not, regardless of the coming and going of men. It is as the hymn-writer wrote: “He changes not; His compassions, they fail not. As He has been, He forever shall be.” What then does the believer see and discover in the lives of these believers, which is absolutely consistent in their “witness” to the truth and the Life?
If we begin with Abraham, we find that, basic to every aspect of his life of faith, was the personal revelation of God to his heart. Just as God spoke to bring about creation, He would speak to Abram, bringing him to the conviction of God’s presence and holy nature. Every aspect of this man’s life of faith began with the revelation of God to his heart. In the case of David, this “sweet psalmist of Israel,” and yet, a warrior, king, and shepherd of Israel, we find an additional element, that of depth in the specific knowledge of God. Even though David wrote the Psalms over three thousand years ago, it is like they were written only yesterday, as they are so applicable to present faith. They communicate the deep, heart-felt desires and yearnings of the heart, and God’s specific manner in responding to those needs. In essence, we find that God is willing to reveal Himself to the heart in a manner that exceeds what one could ask or think, and this, in response to prayer and faith. The coming of the Lord Jesus illustrated perfect faith, and provided not only the power for faith, but revealed the “possibilities” of faith, for those who would believe.
Dear Father, Strengthen our hearts to use well Your patterns of faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad