阅读经文 

这个故事中的那“两个见证人”，代表神赋予祂教会的地位和目的，与此相仿，代表每一个相信耶稣的人。教会是一个作见证的群体——这是我们的本质和我们的使命；我们彼此作见证，又向我们的社群作见证，见证如何能过着“靠圣灵行事”（参加 5:25）的生活——“只要你行公义，好怜悯，存谦卑的心，与你的神同行。”（参弥 6:8）我们如此行，是因为耶稣说：“你们是世上的盐。……你们是世上的光。”（参太 5:13-14）我们正是祂的见证人。

我们需要让这个身份来厘定我们是谁。我们时常都限制了神赋与我们的身份；我们习惯了视传道人、宣教士、院牧和布道家为全时间为神的国作见证的人。然而，神并不这样来区别人，所有凭信心来到耶稣那里的人，都接受了那差派我们到世上作见证的圣灵。（参太 28:19-20）修屋顶的人、学生、护士、矿工、厨师、义工——所有人——都蒙差遣，去分享在耶稣里、藉着耶稣、为了耶稣而得新生命的好消息。

那“两个见证人”没有穿上最时尚的名牌服装。神给我们穿上粗布衣；这是一个含蓄但又犀利的提醒，就是我们需要和每一个人那样，饮于同一个悔改和赦免的泉源。我们怀着谦卑的心去作见证，而不是怀着自以为义或骄傲的心态。

The "two witnesses" in this story represent the place and the purpose God gives to his church and, by association, to every person who has faith in Jesus. The church is a witnessing community—this is who we are and what we do. We witness to each other and to our communities how life is to be lived "in step with the Holy Spirit" (Galatians 5:25)—"to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly" with God (Micah 6:8). We do this because Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). We are his witnesses.

We need to let this identity define us. There is a persistent notion limiting God’s claim on who we are. We have learned to look to preachers, missionaries, chaplains, and evangelists as full-time kingdom witnesses. But God makes no such distinctions. All who come to Jesus in faith are recipients of the Holy Spirit, who sends us into the world as witnesses (Matthew 28:19-20). Roofers, students, nurses, teachers, miners, chefs, volunteers—all people—are sent to share the good news of life made new in, through, and for Jesus.

The "two witnesses" are not dressed in the latest designer clothing. God dresses us in sackcloth. This is a subtle but firm reminder that we need to drink from the same well of repentance and forgiveness as everyone else does. We witness in humility, not self-righteousness or pride.