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In recent weeks I have been thinking about witnessing and
evangelism. Honestly, I feel like there is a wrestling match inside of me. My
mind begins to think of steps and plans to follow. But I believe the Holy
Spirit highlighted the correct action to encourage me recently. I was reading the first chapter of Acts and verse eight stood out to me as it describes how we are to witness. I don't know about you, but when I think about sharing the Gospel I can get overwhelmed with steps to take, models to follow, and so on. The more I prepare the less I feel prepared. From Acts 1:8: “But you will 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 remotest part of the earth.” Number one, we see that we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Without it we will be ineffective. The Greek word here is dynamis. It’s like our word dynamite. But this is not a natural force. This is God’s power. In this instance the believer is empowered to be the Lord’s witness. Jesus says, “My Witnesses.” What a beautiful command we have from the Lord - it's personal to our Lord. We are to be His witness. Also, He knows we need God’s power to do this. He provides! Shame on me for thinking I can witness by my own strength. Finally, the Greek word for witnesses is martys. A good definition is a spectator of a legal and or historical event. This really keeps it simple. We are to testify of what God has done; what we have experienced. So, as I step out to witness and evangelize, I see three basic points. 1) I must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. 2) I must be a witness of what Jesus has done in my life. 3) Repeat! We pray this has been an encouragement to you! Blessings, Tom and Joy Bollig |