26 March, 2023
WITNESSING IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Christian Living 17)
The Lord Jesus before His Ascension made this promise: “Wait until you are endued with power from on High…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be My witnesses” (Lk 24:49; Acts 1:8). In other words, without the help of the Holy Spirit we cannot be effective witnesses for Jesus. Jesus says the Holy Spirit is our Helper, Counselor and Guide. He will help us to share the Gospel effectively by revealing to us what to say and what to do as we witness to people about Jesus.
The Holy Spirit will convict pre-believers of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8) when we preach to them the Word of God. He will also convince sinners that Jesus Christ is Lord and submit to Him in faith (1 Cor.12:3). Sometimes we just don’t know what to say and how to share the Gospel, especially in those times when people are aggressive in “attacking” us spiritually. Our Lord told the disciples that when they are brought before the court for trial, they are not to worry about what they will say. This is His promise to them and also to us: “When you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13: 11 -NLT). Yes, let us believe and trust God that whenever we are put in a difficult situation, the Holy Spirit will be there as our Helper and to enable us to say the right thing.
The Holy Spirit will also guide us in evangelism. He will lead us to the right people as we ask Him to show us people whose hearts have been prepared by Him. He will us when and what to say to the one He leads to us. One classic example is that of Philip the Evangelist speaking to the Ethiopian Eunuch and leading him to Christ (Acts 8:25-40). After God told him to go to Gaza by the desert road, Philip saw the chariot with the Eunuch in it passing by. He knew that was his “target” but he did not plunge in to preach to him. Instead, he waited for the Holy Spirit’s timing. Then we read: “The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it". Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the Prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I” he said, unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture (Chapter 53) and told him the Good News about Jesus” (v.29-35). The Eunuch believed and was baptized and through him, Ethiopia became a Christian nation. Who could have imagined that one soul could make such an impact on a nation?
The Holy Spirit is the True Evangelist and He can use us just as He used Philip. But we must walk with the Spirit and be led by Him in our daily life. Let us be sensitive to His Voice and believe that He can use us. If we are willing to make ourselves at His disposal, He will gladly lead us to those whose hearts had been prepared by Him. May we be willing and in faith pray: “Lord, lead me to some soul today and teach me just what to say”. Amen.
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