Validation

Romans 1:4

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"

The affect a ministry or a Christian has on their community will only be to the degree of their validation. The ministry of Jesus Christ was validated to the world, and because of that we are still influenced today. Without validation, Jesus would have been another great teacher to those He tried to reach even though He was the Son of God. Who Jesus Christ was needed to be validated so that others would believe Him. Likewise, you may be absolutely right about who you are and what you believe, but without validation of who you are and what you believe it means nothing to those whom you are trying to reach. The verse above shows us three things that validated Jesus Christ, and these three things will also validate you.

First, He was validated with power. The miracles Jesus performed validated the ministry of Jesus Christ. That is why Nicodemus 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." He knew there was something different about Christ because of the miracles that He was able to perform. You will never validate who you are or your ministry unless you have miracles that follow. This is why it is very important for every Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A Christian being empowered by the Holy Spirit is the only way God can perform the miraculous through you. You are validated when what is done through you is different from what others can do.

Second, Jesus was validated with His testimony. The "spirit of holiness" was the testimony of Christ. They had nothing of which to accuse Him. Your testimony validates that you are real. People don't have to like what you say or where you stand, but your testimony will prove that you are right. People can speak against what you say and where you stand, but they cannot refute your testimony. Friend, I beg you to live a holy and righteous life. Stay away from sin. Don't give the enemy fodder with which they can accuse you. A good testimony will silence the greatest of critics.

Third, Jesus was validated by His results. The result of rising from the dead in His own power validated all that He said. Your results will validate your ministry. What results do you have to speak about? Do you have people whom you can take others to whom you led to Christ? Are there people who have been under the influence of your ministry serving the LORD in your church or in full-time service? Whether or not we like it, results do have a part in validating who we are and what we believe. The lives that have been touched because of your ministry will validate that God is working through you.

Let me ask you, can you validate your ministry and what you believe? When a person has power, a great testimony and results to show, then others cannot say what you have done doesn't work. Stop trying to find something new to validate who you are and what you believe, but keep walking the old paths that produce these things. The old paths will validate who you are and what you believe if you will wholly follow them.