Ezra 5:10
"We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them."
Oftentimes when I am riding up an elevator to my hotel room, I see a certification letter inside the elevator that certifies that the elevator meets the codes required by that state for public elevators. That certification letter is not only to put the customer at ease, but it is to also validate that the business is following the guidelines established by that state. Certainly an elevator can work without the certification letter, but the certification letter validates the workings of the elevator.
Ezra's work in rebuilding the temple did not go unnoticed. There were the enemies of the Jews who were against anything being rebuilt. Some of these enemies came to Ezra and wanted to know who certified them to rebuild the temple. They wanted their names so that they could record who these people were to the king of Babylon. I love Ezra's response to this crowd when they asked who certified them. He said, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up." Ezra was saying that his certification came from God. He needed no other certification because God's certification is the highest certification of all.
Christians must always realize that when doing the work of the LORD they carry the highest certification one can receive. Christians do not represent themselves, but they represent the God of Heaven. As God's representative, you carry His certification letter in the Word of God. You cannot take His certification letter for granted. You must realize that God's Word is the highest certification letter one can have.
Moreover, your certification letter is not second-rate. Christian, you may not have a degree from an institution of higher learning hanging on your wall, but you carry in your hands the Word of God which is the highest certification letter one can have. When someone asks you who certified you, all you have to do is show them God's Word. It is God's Word that certifies the Christian to go "into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Furthermore, don't be intimidated by those who would belittle your certification. What makes their certification higher than God's? You have in God's Word a certification letter that has never failed. Every principle found in the Word of God has always worked. Every promise God gave in His Word has always come through. God's Word has never failed one time. God's certification letter is the highest certification one can have, and no Christian should ever feel that what God has called them to do is inferior to anything else.
Christian, let this encourage you to be bold in your walk with God. As you walk throughout the world, be bold in your witness for Christ because your certification letter is valid and is certified with the highest certification: God! You don't have to be arrogant as a Christian because of your certification, but you also should not be intimidated by anyone. The next time someone asks you who gave you the authority to do what you are doing for Christ, show them God's Word and tell them that It is your certification letter.