w e e k - t h i r t y s i x
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witness to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
a c t s 1 : 8
. . .
THE WHO OF EVANGELISM
"But you shall... be witness to Me." This challenge to take the gospel to the world is one Jesus gives to all of us. [..]
Non of us is exempt from this basic element of Christian living; that is to share the good news!
THE WHAT OF EVANGELISM
You shall receive what? Power!
Jesus used the word for power from which we got our word dynamite.
We need this power to be His witness.
THE WHEN OF EVANGELISM
When did this power come upon this group of believers? When the Holy Spirit came upon them. There is no such thing as a Christian without power. When you receive Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. He takes up residency in you. Thus, you have power.
THE WHY OF EVANGELISM
The Holy Spirit enables us to be witness. This is the very reason why we have power - to be His witness. There should be no such thing as a Christian who is not a witness. If you are save, we have Christ. If we have Christ, we have the Holy Spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit, we have power. And if we have power, we will be Jesus' witness!
THE WHERE OF EVANGELISM
Jesus told us to take His good news across the city, across the country, across the continent, and, yes, across the entire cosmos. Here is total participation: all of us are to be witnesses. And here is total penetration: we are to go "to the ends of the earth". The gospel will never find its final destination until it is shared with every person on the planet.
As you memorize this verse, meditate on the awesome power that resides within each of us who has placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. It would do us well to also memorize the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Then get back to the basics of being Jesus' witness by making disciples, marking them by baptism, and teaching them to observe all He has commanded.
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