“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth..”
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
Does the thought of sharing the Gospel with non-believers make you cringe? Have you ever felt crippled just thinking of the rejection or inadequacy in your mind? I am sure some of you feel you just can’t do it or it is the job of pastors only. If you are one of those people, let me reassure you that you are not the only one, just breathe and relax. The comforting news is that the power of evangelism does not come from you, it comes from the Holy Spirit! Because of that, you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. All you need to do is let the Holy Spirit work on the inside of you and through you.
Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.”
Clearly, Jesus wanted His disciples to share their faith. After all, He did call them to be fishers of men in Matthew 4:19. Notably, however, Jesus did not want them sharing until they had the power to do it effectively. They were to wait until they received power from the Holy Spirit. It happened a few weeks later on the Day of Pentecost – Acts 2. The Holy Spirit arrived like a house of fire!
It is reassuring to know that God never asks us to do anything He does not equip us for. And He is the One that has equipped us with the Divine power to share our faith. Since God sent the Holy Spirit, every Christian now has this indwelling power. It is given at the moment of salvation when believers are baptised by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, the Church.
If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Don’t worry about sharing your faith. If you think you can’t share, you’re right, you can’t! But God can do it through you because He placed His power in you. Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” All you need to do is look for opportunities, step out in faith and let the power flow.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We ask You now Lord to remove any fear in us when it comes to sharing Your Word and Your faith. Lord, we ask that You replace all our fears with confidence, not in ourselves but in You. And we thank You oh God for the opportunity this week to step out in faith and talk to someone about You, about Your Word and Your goodness, that they might be saved, in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Read: Mathew 4:17-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 10:21-30; Luke 23:26-56; Joshua 9:16-27; Joshua 10
