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"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
One
of the outstanding features we have observed here in rural Pennsylvania
is the amount of creative testimony for the Lord such as the simple
message "God Is Love" written at the top of a huge silo or a rustic,
but thought-provoking Scripture verse on a sign along the
road.
Our hearts are especially blessed as we drive up I-83 from Baltimore and see a barn with a huge mural depicting our Lord carrying His cross and these words boldly printed, "He suffered for you". The mural is in vibrant color and due to its placement on a very busy interstate highway is surely seen by thousands every day.
Today we may not have a large barn on which to display a witness for Christ, but we have the promised Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses for the living Lord who indeed suffered and died for each of us. His calling for our lives remains the same, "be my witnesses".
Mike
and Kathy Matangelo are longtime friends who were in our church in
northern Pennsylvania. For many years Mike directed a boy's program in
our church called Royal Rangers, impacting scores of boys for Christ,
many who are now faithfully serving the Lord as adults. They now live
in North Carolina and are both involved in prison ministry in a
mentoring type program seeking to share their faith in Christ. Saturday
he called me and shared that they had just returned from a special
outreach day which resulted in a number of prisoners accepting Christ
as their personal Savior. Mike and Kathy are staying active as His
witnesses.
Pastor Steven Coles observes, "The disciples were to be Christ’s witnesses. Is this a command or a prophecy? Both! There is a sense in which every Christian is a witness. The question is, 'Are we effective witnesses or are we a hindrance to the cause of Christ?' The word witness is a major theme in Acts, occurring 39 times. Since it is the Lord’s command and since we cannot escape being witnesses of some sort, it behooves us to seek by our godly lives and by our clear verbal witness to bring glory to Jesus Christ."
The book of Acts is a record of the obedience of the early church to this command and surely this command remains throughout the church age. Today the Holy Spirit continues to empower believers all over the world to be witnesses for Christ as they let their lights shine in vibrant testimony for Him.
Today how are you going to let your light shine and be His witness?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, we are a chosen generation, a royal people who have been called out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit we go forth and shine Your light through our works, our attitudes, our holy lives, and by our verbal witness. May we bring You glory as others see Your light shining through us. And we pray that others will come to Christ through our witness. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.
Thursday,
March 26, 2009
I took today's photo at the Rainbows End Christian Youth Center in Mount Joy, PA. It is painted on the entire block wall of the gymn. Rainbows End seeks to reach out to the youth in our community, especially those who do not have a Christian background.
I took today's photo at the Rainbows End Christian Youth Center in Mount Joy, PA. It is painted on the entire block wall of the gymn. Rainbows End seeks to reach out to the youth in our community, especially those who do not have a Christian background.
Listen to
us share this message on your
audio player."Be My Witnesses"
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
One
of the outstanding features we have observed here in rural Pennsylvania
is the amount of creative testimony for the Lord such as the simple
message "God Is Love" written at the top of a huge silo or a rustic,
but thought-provoking Scripture verse on a sign along the
road. Our hearts are especially blessed as we drive up I-83 from Baltimore and see a barn with a huge mural depicting our Lord carrying His cross and these words boldly printed, "He suffered for you". The mural is in vibrant color and due to its placement on a very busy interstate highway is surely seen by thousands every day.
Today we may not have a large barn on which to display a witness for Christ, but we have the promised Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses for the living Lord who indeed suffered and died for each of us. His calling for our lives remains the same, "be my witnesses".
Pastor Steven Coles observes, "The disciples were to be Christ’s witnesses. Is this a command or a prophecy? Both! There is a sense in which every Christian is a witness. The question is, 'Are we effective witnesses or are we a hindrance to the cause of Christ?' The word witness is a major theme in Acts, occurring 39 times. Since it is the Lord’s command and since we cannot escape being witnesses of some sort, it behooves us to seek by our godly lives and by our clear verbal witness to bring glory to Jesus Christ."
The book of Acts is a record of the obedience of the early church to this command and surely this command remains throughout the church age. Today the Holy Spirit continues to empower believers all over the world to be witnesses for Christ as they let their lights shine in vibrant testimony for Him.
Today how are you going to let your light shine and be His witness?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, we are a chosen generation, a royal people who have been called out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit we go forth and shine Your light through our works, our attitudes, our holy lives, and by our verbal witness. May we bring You glory as others see Your light shining through us. And we pray that others will come to Christ through our witness. It is in His name that we pray. Amen.
Today's
Suggested Music
and
Supplemental Resources
Click
on the link to open and play.
In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.
In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.
"This Little Light Of Mine"
Video
An interesting acapella version by the Close Harmony Friends. It will
have your toes tapping! I believe this group is from Slovakia.
"Freely, Freely" Video Maranatha Singers country version.
"Freely, Freely" Video Maranatha Singers country version.
Send
a message to Stephen &
Brooksyne.
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references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version.
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"I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ
I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord.
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Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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