Thought of the Day !!
Part 2 of 3 - How to Witness
So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:6-8
The disciples were called to be Jesus' witnesses. But how would they go about doing this? Jesus says that they will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. We need to remember that they did nothing on their own. In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches us that he is the true vine and that we are the branches. He also states that the branches can do nothing outside of the vine. Through abiding in the vine, branches can produce fruit. The witnessing that the disciples were being called to do would produce fruit through the power of the Holy Spirit .
What about us? When was the last time you witnessed to someone in either word or deed? When was the last time you shared what Jesus had done for you with someone? When was the last time you helped a person in need and made it known that you were doing so because it was the will of God? Remember, even atheists can do good deeds. So we need to make sure people know why we do what we do.
Jesus said that the disciples would receive power. And I know in my heart that we, who are willing, can and will receive that same power. It's not the kind of power that men and women of the world reach out for. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to be great, they must serve. The great ones among them will not lord it over others as earthly rulers do. So this kind of power is not the kind that gives us the ability to order others around (even though many Christians still try to do this).
The Power that Jesus is speaking of in this Scripture comes from the Holy Spirit and is the power to do God's will. It's the power over fear and uncomfortableness. It's power to overcome our own shortcomings and produce fruit for the Kingdom. Many will receive it and increase the Kingdom of God. Others will stay away from it because it's different, and it may make them seem different to the people of the world.
Have you received this power lately? Do you want it? Or are you scared of it?
In the love of Christ,
greg
posted by Greg Hazelrig @ 7:03 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Greg,
These are excellent posts. If I have any continuity on anything I have ever commented on, on anyone's blog, it is that the mission of the catholic (little c) Church is to save the lost and spread the Gospel. Both by spreading of the Word and by Christian Deeds. These are great posts you are putting up.
To answer your questions:
I think every Christian has this power. However, just like the Gifts of the Spirit, some have it better than others. Some have different gifts better than other. In fact, evangelism is a Gift of Spirit. We all are not given the evangelistic gift of a Billy Graham, but we can be used that way if God so choses.
I sincerely wish I had this Gift "better" and "stronger" than I currently do. But, I also believe that it is my responsibility to earnestly pray and ask for this gift to be strengthened. It is also my responsibility as a Christian to read and study the Bible so that I can use the Word of God when called upon at the right time as a evangelistic tool.
Finally, I am also terrified of this. As a Christian, I am told by Christ to not be of the world. But, I still have to live here and I still have to go forward and function in a world with a prince that is hostile to evangelism, hostile to the message of the gospel, hostile to the saving power of Christ. That is where I have to ask for Faith and I have to look forward thru this world and into the Kingdom of God to come.
Thank you Keith. I appreciate that.
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