From the Beginning..

"And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (Jn 15:27).

This is an interesting verse of Scripture - one which sheds some revelatory light on Jesus' disciples - His witnesses. What made them witnesses? There are countless attributes that we could discuss; We've observed them before. Here, however, the Bible gives us a new quality that is to adorn true witnesses: "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning". What does this mean? Clearly, the disciples were able to intellectually retell the events of Jesus' ministry, and this made them adequate witnesses. But what else does this small verse tell us?

The disciples could be witnesses because they had been with Jesus since the beginning; for the most part, they were by His side from beginning to end. In other words, they had received a perfect balance and complete viewpoint from which to receive and teach His doctrine. They were not with Him only when He healed the sick - they were with Him also when He did not heal them (Matt 13:58), or when He waited two full days to go to Lazarus when he died (Jn 11:6). Therefore, they had a balanced doctrinal viewpoint, and were perfect witnesses. They were not with Him only when He met the needs of the multitudes - they were also with Him during the storms, trials and dealings. Therefore, they had a balanced doctrinal viewpoint, and were perfect witnesses. And the list goes on and on..

You see, salvation is not solely about getting healed; it's not only about getting our needs met with abundance over and over again. Preachers today may have us believe that, but it's just not true; salvation is so much more than that. The fact that Jesus' disciples were with Him from the beginning tells me that they could be witnesses to ALL the counsel of God, even as Paul sought to teach: "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). They were with Jesus SINCE the beginning, in the good times and the bad, in the life and the death, in the blessing and the trial, in the goodness and the severity, in the prosperity and the adversity (Eccl 7:14)! And therefore, they were labeled His "witnesses". These will teach the church "to observe all things whatsoever" He has commanded us (Matt 28:20). Sadly, what the world has often seen are "witnesses" with a lopsided viewpoint. These "witnesses" often only see the instances when Jesus gave people money or promised them riches, and thus the Gospel is perverted into a get-rich-quick scheme. Some are only present in the instances when Jesus healed the multitudes of sick and demon-possessed. The Gospel then, is changed into a never-ending healing crusade: we're taught to cling to the benefits of salvation (Ps 103), rather than the Author, from whom these blessings flow. For whatever reason, these same people seem to overlook such passages as Matthew 4:1, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil". They must have been absent when this occurred! But consequently, their doctrine slowly becomes off-balanced, and "a false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight" (Prov 11:1). Those with "a just weight" are those who have been with Him from the beginning, embracing every single avenue that our precious Lord chose to trek. These are His delight. These disciples preach all the counsel of God; they don't choose to emphasize one section over another. Friends, this is what the world needs to witness! A complete, mature, multi-faceted Christian witness - not an off-balanced believer with false emphases.

Don't we know that "ALL the weights of the bag are His work"? (Prov 16:11).