We are exploring the truth concerning the “Marturia”, which is a Greek word which means “Witness”. This is not the witness we give FOR God, it is the witness He gives to us. We saw in my first message on this series that “witness” can be seen as heavenly esteem. We saw in the last message the contrast between when God esteems us much, or lightly. And what implications are in place because of this.

In this part there is a key truth in about the “witness” being GIVEN to us. I was travelling in January 2019 to Mount St. Bernards, and God spoke to me very clearly that the High Calling of Philippians 3 was something as an invitation that God gives to us, and in the same way the “witness” is also given. We cannot obtain it by any other means, it is given not taken.

A witness is someone who sees and assists something or someone.

The true definition here in the title was the standard used in Acts 1 for the election of Matthias as apostle in the place of Judas Iscariot. He had to have walked with Jesus, seen Him and lived with Him, witnessing His life and teaching. In the case of Paul he was also called to witness…but how could he be a witness if he did not live with Christ? The extension of this “marturia” is in the way we interpret the “seeing” of Christ. Paul saw and heard Christ on the road to Damascus, which qualified him to be a “witness” for Christ, and in turn God give and bear witness to Paul.

Our witness from God is corresponding to the revelation we receive ABOUT CHRIST and how we know Him.

In a time of much instability right now, what will count in our receiving from God is our perception concerning the Person of Christ. The Early Church until the Council of Ephesus in 431AD struggled concerning the attacks on the Revelation of the Person of Christ, many heresies attacked the true witness. This attack however has been constant for 2000 years. Even the Church inwardly has attacked its own witness by watering down the revelation of Jesus. Revelation 19:10 says that “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” means that the witness of Jesus comes via a prophetic revelation. It means that there has to be a strong revelation of Jesus’ person.

If our revelation is shallow or narrow, we shall not be able to walk through the times which are coming. The “marturia” is the power to walk through the times when the Church is in confrontation and collision course with the world. And I sense since 2020 we are in that confrontation.

Let us take an example with the Apostle John, who wrote the Gospel and 3 epistles. He also wrote Revelation. He had the privilege of walking with Jesus. He was a “son of thunder” as the Gospels relate. He had a brother called James and they were known as being red hot zealots, stirred up by the injustices of the Roman occupation. Jesus chose this man to be His disciple, and from this “son of thunder” turned into “the disciple Jesus loved.” From this experience and through the Holy Spirit became an Apostle in Ephesus, taking according to some sources, Mary the Mother of Jesus, fulfilling Jesus’ words on the Cross, to look after His mother.

It seems that John was apostle of many churches after Paul had founded them. He was persecuted and we know he was banished to Patmos. On Patmos he relates his experiences with the Glorified Lord. This Glorified Lord uses Him to write to 7 Churches to show His Glorified Leadership and Character. Revelation is a book full of imagery but I believe it shows all of time in the context of how sees earthly events in the context of heaven. It is as if John were looking down from heaven seeing earth in a different light. We see past, present and future.

It is from this heavenly perspective that the central context is shown of what the Bride of Christ is, what the Father’s plan is for an eternal Union between Jesus and His Church. What a vision!

I am seeing that the “marturia” when it is given to us we have a privilege of a great depth of revelation of Christ, His purposes, and we transition through levels of ministry that impact not only our generation but our message prepares other generations for our Union with Christ. I believe the first purpose for the marturia given is opening us to a greater revelation of Christ, our growing love for Him, and our place in eternity.

The marturia makes us witnesses of the eternal ways of God worked out in His Church and in our generation.

The Vision of God makes us “witnesses” because of what we see. In Acts 1:8 Jesus speaks of two reasons for the Spirit coming. It was to bring power/authority and make us into witnesses. The power/authority is connected with our being witnesses. When we examine Peter’s Pentecost message we see a clear understanding about Christ, what the Father ordained in Him and through Him. Once we walk in this marturia we begin to understand the eternal ways of God, how He works out His eternal purposes within our domain of time.

The main flow of those purposes is with His Church. It is the Bride and the Bridegroom who are united at the end. If you imagine how glorious that will be, and how all the evil and its agents will have been banished to a eternal lake of fire, you understand that the demonic activity has accelerated in the last year because our enemy does not want us to be united with our Lover. Our generation is an upgrade of many upgrades over the generations where God is working out His purposes. Each generation brings a restitution to the whole restitution work going on since the Fall of man. In each generation God puts “seers” to alert us to the vision, alerts us when we have lost our vision of Jesus.

Hebrews 12 says : Looking unto Jesus, author and perfecter of our faith.

What a wonderful picture this verse evokes. First it exhorts us regarding our focus which brings us into our witness. Looking unto Jesus, not to the country, not to president, not to party, not to Queen or King, or even those we admire, we look only to Jesus. He “authored” our faith, means He mapped it out, walked it out, and fulfilled it out so we too can walk in the same faith and power that He did. He perfected our faith through the processes spoken of in Romans 5. Then our faith will be like the foundation stone of Isaiah 26, tried and precious.

Recently God spoke to me about this season, that I launched a podcast around the Christmas season a couple of weeks ago, about the words of Jesus to the Church in Laodiceia.

“Buy from me gold tried in the fire…”

I sensed that it is through the fire purity and power comes. We must not fear the trials, the fires in the trials, because they bring us through into purity and strength.

The difference between the marturia and the charismatic idea of the anointing

I sense we all went through a phase where we felt that the anointing was all we sought for. However as we went from conference to conference, and many seminars, teaching us how to get the anointing we missed a real component. We got caught up in charismatic speech. We are moving into a time when these cliches will no more do. The anointing was taught through a experiential filter in our theology. It is time to teach clearly the whole counsel of God in His Word. The marturia is the source of any anointing we may seek for.

I sense God will test and prove the Church to shake off some of the things we thought we acquired in the 80s and 90s. There were some glorious times then, glorious conferences, but as our liberties have been restricted now, the only way we can throw off the chains of the world is through knowing that God has given us a witness. But to know that is to have God bring us into a vision of the Glorified Christ and King. We are not merely seeking His Witness as much we seek Him who gives that witness to us.

It was not enough just to wait for the Holy Spirit to descend in Acts 2, rather it depended on one great fact and happening in the heavens. The glorification of Christ.

Reminds me of 1990 when I was in a sunday night meeting, God gave me a clear vision, of Jesus ascending a glass road to a crystaline celestial city. As He entered there was a silence and then there were shouts and declarations when Jesus is glorified by the Father. So I got a sensation from that vision that we need to focus on this so the Spirit can descend, giving us power and the marturia. It is dependent on Jesus, is dependent on our vision of Him.

Shalom.

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