Acts 2

Ian Henderson

Peter's throat has started to get dry, bellowing out his words, he competes with the noise from the packed Jerusalem streets, the curious mutterings of his audience and the pounding of his own heart. Squinting in the morning sun and mid sentence, he swallows. Why is his throat so dry? Is it from the shouting? Or does his body somehow know that he is about to say something that had never been said before and from the moment it leaves his lips, things would kick off- revolution! As his throat dries up like the desert, his body gets wet. He can feel the sweat running down his back, his hands getting clammy. Yet full of courage and purpose, he now pauses, licks his lips and waits; as for the first time since he started there doesn't seem to be any noise anywhere, even the donkeys seem to have given it a rest. A final intake of hot breath and then he says it:

"God raised Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact"

Peter and the rest of Jesus' mates had seen some mind blowing stuff in the last 3 years. Like Jesus putting a muzzle on very nature itself during that time when they were stuck in a boat during a storm. Jesus simply gets up and just tells the wind and waves to settle down and stop showing off or they'd by sent to bed without any tea and a second later everything is chilled. (Check out Mark 4 for what happened). Or there was the time they saw the flob of God heal a man born blind (John 9). They found themselves being dinnerladies dishing out fish sarnies to 5000 blokes and their families. After Jesus pulls off the kind of mass catering from heaven's kitchen that would even leave Gordan Ramsey speechless (John 6).

But then there was the resurrection: The knockout punch that battered death and devil once and for all. And Peter and his pals had seen it. They had touched him, put their fingers in the hole's left by torturous nails. Jesus was alive and kicking. The question of whether this bloke they had seen do so much- was somehow more than a man. Got answered with a tomb busting YES! HE WAS GOD. And they knew it, they'd seen it from day one. But finally it had really clicked and now nothing was going to shut them up. They were witnesses.

The Greek word for witness is martyr. These witnesses all died, many of them painful deaths because they refused to deny that Christ has Risen. Christ is LORD. Since then 100s of thousands of martyrs/witnesses die EACH YEAR for the same reason. What about you, have you seen the risen Jesus change your life? Today sit and list the things that would be different if Jesus hadn't stepped in. You might not have touched his scarred hands but can you see the touch of His hand in your life? If you can, would you lose your life or even just your WAY OF LIFE to be a witness?

Being a witness doesn't always mean being some gobby evangelist who shouts out the gospel on every street corner. Being a witness does mean telling the truth about what you have seen. Listen to what Peter says years after that first sermon:

1 Peter 3:15 'But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.'

Can you imagine anyone asking you why you are a Christian or why you go to church, or why you are different? Try and practice giving a simple and short (2 mins max) answer to that kind of question. Feeling scared? Peter and the rest of them were so scared that they hid in a locked room. But the Holy Spirit came and gave them courage, if you are feeling scared pray this prayer today.

Jesus, thanks for the massive difference you have made in my life. Help me to remember and see all the things you do in my life. Please fill me with your Spirit today and give me the courage and the right words to be your witness. Amen