A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of May 16-20, 2022
MONDAY
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
[Jesus said to them,] “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Jesus promised us power for witnessing. What is a witness? A witness is one who can speak or testify of events, facts or happenings that he has experienced or seen.
A witness is not allowed to give “hearsay” evidence; he must have intimate knowledge of what he speaks. We all have this witness inside of us, if we have received power from on high, as the disciples did on the day of Pentecost.
What does this witness speak of and how does he speak? The Holy Spirit speaks of Christ, for He never speaks of Himself, but only what He hears (John 16:13). He gives the testimony of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer (Hebrews 10:14-17). We must allow this witness to live inside of us. If we shoot the witness, or silence Him, we have lost the power of testimony.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Matthew 9:6-7 ~ “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then Jesus said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
May 16: Numbers 25, Psalms 68, Isaiah 15, 1 Peter 3
May 17: Numbers 26, Psalms 69, Isaiah 16, 1 Peter 4
May 18: Numbers 27, Psalms 70-71, Isaiah 17-18, 1 Peter 5
May 19: Numbers 28, Psalms 72, Isaiah 19-20, 2 Peter 1
May 20: Numbers 29, Psalms 73, Isaiah 21, 2 Peter 2
May 21: Numbers 30, Psalms 74, Isaiah 22, 2 Peter 3
May 22: Numbers 31, Psalms 75-76, Isaiah 23, 1 John 1
TUESDAY
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
[Jesus said to them,] “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
If this witness is alive, how does He interact with us and how does He witness? Does He silence us and “make” us let Him talk? Does He speak only with our permission and never have any say in the testimony process? How do we know if we want to cooperate with this witness?
When we are being led by the Holy Spirit, or yielded to the Spirit, then we are able to cooperate with the unction to speak as a witness. This witness has a story to tell. He tells of the love of Jesus and is also able to demonstrate the power of God.
If we will learn to let the witness testify, we will experience the power of Pentecost and see the release of God’s Kingdom. Many times we silence the witness due to our lack of faith. Don’t let this stop you from yielding to the power of the Spirit.
WEDNESDAY
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
[Jesus said to them,] “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
The witness also speaks through the way we live. We are living epistles known and read of all men; our lives are open letters. Lifestyle is a demonstration of the power of God. The way we live speaks more than our words at times.
If our lives are open books, then anyone who can read, (so to speak), can know about Jesus. People draw their impressions about us from the Spirit of God. In this instance the witness speaks through our actions. God shows the onlooker what He wants us to know about Himself.
So the witness again testifies what Jesus has done for us though our “epistle.” We are a type of living Bible… known and read by everyone.
THURSDAY
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
[Jesus said to them,] “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Where do we allow the witness to testify? Does He testify only when we are with the saints or do we see the whole earth as the Lord’s footstool, and the place where we are called to be read?
If we see the earth as belonging to the Lord, should not the whole earth receive the knowledge of God? Should we not let the witness testify at all times? Shouldn’t the witness testify in the congress, in the workplace, at the shopping mall? Shouldn’t the witness give testimony to the whosoever’s wheresoever?
If we allow the witness the freedom to testify, then we have walked in the power of Pentecost. The power to witness gives us freedom over the restrictions of the earthly life. It gives us favor and stature with God.
FRIDAY
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
[Jesus said to them,] “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Our witness must speak to the lost. Several years ago a man made a movie on the sufferings of Christ. He reported that he had meditated on the passion of Christ for about twelve years, and desired to do the movie for that length of time. All this time the witness on the inside of him was giving him understanding of what Jesus has done for humanity.
While making the movie, he reported that he was ill almost every day, but that did not stop him from allowing the witness to testify through the movie. He was steadfast in his resolve to get the film done. Through the medium of film, the witness is able to testify of the great love of God and the need of all men for forgiveness.
What is the witness speaking to you about the Lord?
Go tell what the witness is speaking.