“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You have raised us up to be Your witnesses. This life of being a witness to You is by restoring us back to the place where we are co-rulers with You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 1:21-22 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, (22) beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
We have understood that we are witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. As we live out the resurrected life of Jesus, we are being restored to the original place and position in which God had created us. We witness by being God’s vice-regents here on earth. Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
We make known to the world that we are those who have died but have now risen again in Christ. This is the message of salvation that we share. This new life in Christ takes us back to the original plan of creation. We were created to have dominion over all of God’s creation in the image of God. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” He has brought us back to be His vice-regents, here on earth, to have dominion, rule, and authority over all His creation, in His image, which is now being restored in us. His image in us was marred because of sin but now since the old man is dead and buried with Christ, the new man is being renewed in the image of Jesus. Colossians 3:10 “and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him”.
Being witnesses to Jesus is by once again coming back to the original place of being vice-regents and co-rulers with God over all His creation. Psalms 8:3-6 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, (4) What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? (5) For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. (6) You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
The world is under the grip of the evil one. Nevertheless, we are sent out as His ambassadors to be His co-rulers here on earth. This is where our witnessing to Christ becomes real, challenging and exciting. This matter of being co-rulers with Jesus is not only for this present age but it is also for the age which is to come. We are being put to exercise here, in this age, as God’s vice-regents that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7). We must see the culmination to which the Lord is taking us, as witnesses of His resurrection. Hebrews 2:5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. The writer then refers to Psalm 8 and then concludes Hebrews 2:8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.
We are living in a world, which is under the control of the evil one. Therefore, we are not yet seeing all things under the dominion of man but in the age which is to come, we will see the fullness of man’s dominion, in the image of God. (I John 3:2) This entire understanding is captured beautifully for us in one passage of Scripture. Ephesians 1:19-23 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
“We witness the resurrection of Christ by being His co-rulers in this age and we are preparing ourselves to be His co-rulers in the age which is to come. This is the fullness of Christ that is demonstrated by His church.”