John 5:31-32
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
Jesus made it clear that He didn’t have to bear witness of Himself because another bore witness of Him. The One Who bore witness of Jesus was God the Father. Not only did God the Father bear witness to the veracity that Jesus is the Son of God, but His works also bore witness to this fact. Jesus told the disciples of John the Baptist when they asked if He was the Son of God to tell John about His works. Nicodemus admitted that there was something different about Jesus when He said in John 3:2, …Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus had several witnesses to the fact that He was the Son of God, as He proclaimed.
The word witness means evidence or proof. In other words, your witness is the works you produce. When Jesus said that there is another that beareth witness of me, He was saying that there were several works that can support the fact that He is the Son of God.
My friend, we live in times when many preachers and colleges proclaim that they are following truth, but their witness does not back up their claim. When you look at what they believe and the product they produce, you find that their witness proves that they are not what they claim to be. There are a few indicators that you can look for to see if someone is a witness of the truth.
First, do they believe the King James Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of God? When preachers or colleges say that it is the best translation, you should immediately know that they are not a witness of the truth. When they promote authors who don’t use the King James Bible, you can be assured that this person or college is not a witness of the truth. If we are unwilling to take a stand and separate over God’s Word, then what do we have to stand on?
Second, do they believe in the local New Testament Baptist church? Just because a college says they are local church does not mean they are local church. If a college is not run solely by a local New Testament Baptist church, it is not local church. If a college or ministry is unwilling to place itself under a local New Testament Baptist church, that college or ministry is not a witness of the truth.
Third, do they believe and practice personal soul winning? It is not enough to say they believe in soul winning; do they go soul winning? I am amazed at how many people criticize soul winners, yet the only reason they criticize them is because they are not going soul winning. If a person is not willing to do the initial part of the Great Commission and reach the lost, they are obviously not a witness of the truth.
Fourth, is their music spiritual or worldly? Music often dictates the direction of a preacher or college. When music sounds more like country and western than spiritual music, you can be assured that preacher or college is headed away from being a witness of the truth.
These are just four tests, but they have proven true over the years. Be careful who you follow as a preacher and which college you send young people to, for these will influence whether we continue to be witnesses of truth for years to come.
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