A Witness Worth Following

TImagine being part of the group of 120 believers gathered in Jerusalem. Judas is gone. The Twelve are now eleven. The Church is about to step into its Spirit-filled mission — but first, someone must take Judas’s place. Peter rises to speak, and his words echo with clarity: the new leader must be someone who has walked the long road with Jesus from the very start — someone who can testify with conviction to His resurrection. This is not a casual choice. This is the kind of leadership that will shape the testimony of the Church for generations.

This passage speaks to your life because:

Acts 1:21 (CSB)
“Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—”

Peter’s phrase “accompanied us” translates the Greek συνελθόντων (synelthóntōn), meaning “to come together with, to be closely associated.” This isn’t describing someone who occasionally showed up — it’s the language of continuous presence and partnership. These men had shared life, meals, ministry, hardship, and joy with Jesus and His followers.

The phrase “the whole time” underscores the unbroken nature of this discipleship. In an age when rabbinic disciples might follow a teacher for only a season, these followers had been there for the entire journey — from the early days in Galilee to the final moments in Jerusalem.

This requirement also reflects the covenantal nature of God’s work: in both Old and New Testaments, God raises leaders who have been proven in the long journey of faith (cf. Moses with Israel in the wilderness, Joshua as Moses’ assistant, Timothy learning from Paul).

Credibility in Christian leadership is built over the long haul of faithful presence. You can’t microwave spiritual maturity.

Lord, make me faithful for the long journey with You and Your people. Teach me to walk daily, love deeply, and serve steadily so that my life speaks truth about You. Amen.

Faithful presence matters — but so does faithful perspective. The next qualification Peter names ensures the new leader’s heart is rooted in the full story of Jesus.

Acts 1:22a (CSB)
“beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—”

Peter draws a timeline: from the baptism of John (the start of Jesus’s public ministry, cf. Luke 3:21–23) to His ascension (Acts 1:9–11). In other words, the candidate must have witnessed the entire sweep of Christ’s earthly mission — His teaching, miracles, compassion, conflict, suffering, death, and resurrection.

The Greek word for “beginning” here is ἀρχή (archē), often used in Scripture to speak of both chronological start and foundational principle. Leaders must not only have seen these events — they must have understood their theological weight in God’s redemptive plan.

This echoes the biblical pattern of leaders being deeply formed by God’s story before stepping into office — think of David’s years as a shepherd before becoming king, or Paul’s years of preparation before missionary service.

To lead in Christ’s mission, you must not only know part of His story — you must be shaped by the whole.

Father, root me in the fullness of Christ’s story. Let my life and service draw from the deep well of who He is and what He has done. Amen.

A faithful walk and a full understanding of Jesus’s story set the stage for the third and most essential qualification: being a living witness to the resurrection.

Acts 1:22b (CSB)
“…from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

The Greek word for “witness” is μάρτυς (martys), which in time came to mean “martyr.” In the first-century church, bearing witness to the risen Christ was so bold and costly that it often led to death.

To be a martys here means more than telling a story — it means embodying a testimony. A resurrection witness doesn’t just say “He lives” — they live as if death has been defeated, sin has been conquered, and eternity is real.

Peter insists this is “necessary” (δεῖ, dei), a word Luke often uses to describe events that are divinely ordained in God’s plan (cf. Luke 24:44–46). Resurrection witness isn’t optional for the Church — it’s God’s design.

The credibility of your faith is measured by whether your life makes the resurrection believable.

Risen Lord, make me a true witness of Your life. Let the reality of Your victory over sin and death be visible in every choice I make. Amen.

Having clarified the qualifications for a credible witness, the early Church now turns to the moment of decision — a process marked by prayer, dependence, and trust in God’s sovereign choice. That’s where we’ll go next.

The qualifications Peter described weren’t about popularity, personality, or human politics — they were about faithfulness, formation, and testimony. In a Church that was about to face persecution, these traits weren’t optional. They were essential. This story isn’t ultimately about Matthias or even the apostles. It’s about the risen Christ building His Church through credible witnesses who have walked with Him, learned from Him, and now live for Him.

And here’s your call: Your life is meant to be the same kind of witness. Not just in words, but in a long obedience that proves Christ is alive and reigning. The world doesn’t just need leaders who can talk about Jesus — it needs disciples whose lives make Him real.