Acts 1:8
The most credible witnesses are those who have firsthand experience, not secondhand knowledge. That’s true in a courtroom, and it’s true in the life of faith. Christianity spread across the world because ordinary men and women encountered the living God for themselves, and their lives became the evidence.
We sometimes imagine that only the first disciples were “credible witnesses” because they walked and talked with Jesus. But the story of Scripture tells us something far more astonishing: God has always been moving toward His people, making His presence known in every generation, including our own.
From the garden to the prophets, to the incarnation, the Bible is one long narrative of God drawing near. And just when the story seems to reach its natural conclusion: Jesus risen, evil defeated, eternity secured, there’s a twist. Instead of staying, Jesus returns to the Father, and the disciples are left waiting, unsure how they could possibly carry on the mission without Him.
But Jesus had already told them the truth: “Those who believe in me will do the works I have been doing-and even greater things-because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Who could have imagined that promise would be fulfilled through what happens next?
In Acts 1, the disciples gather in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed. And then comes the greatest surprise yet: God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell inside His people. Not beside them. Not occasionally moving among them. In them. The presence that empowered Jesus now fills His followers. His nearness is no longer limited to one place or one body—it is poured out on all who believe.
This is why Jesus can say, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you… and you will be my witnesses.” The power to live out our faith doesn’t come from trying harder but from God’s own presence living within us. Through the Spirit, we move from secondhand information about God to a firsthand encounter with Him. Through the Spirit, we become credible witnesses, people who don’t just know about Jesus, but people who know Him. And through the Spirit, we are sent into our Jerusalems, our Judeas, and to the ends of the earth.
A friend once told me, “Someone with an experience is never at the mercy of someone with an argument.”
So let me ask: Are you experiencing the presence of God in your life? He desires that for you, and through the Holy Spirit, He has made it possible.
Anna N.
Life on Mission Director