Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Holy Ghost Power

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth... They all joined together constantly in prayer. Acts 1:8, 14

The very last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He ascended to Heaven focused on the Spirit’s power, not man’s power. Human power builds kingdoms on earth, while the Holy Ghost’s power builds God’s kingdom in surrendered hearts. Issues out of our control defer to trust in God’s timing and do not distract us from being a witness for Jesus Christ. The Lord will come back to establish His kingdom on earth, in the meantime we are to be His Spirit-filled. Spirit-led witnesses in all the earth.

A witness for Jesus can strive in their own strength or thrive in the Spirit’s strength. So, how do we know if we are witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit? Prayer precedes power. Prayer positions us in humble expectation to receive the Spirit’s fullness. By faith, we confess and repent of sin and embrace our Lord’s love and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts once we have emptied ourselves of dependence on our gifts, talents, abilities and experiences.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God  boldly. Acts 4:31

Once we experience the Spirit’s fullness, we are compelled to speak God’s word with boldness, clarity, and wisdom.  Indeed, witnessing is a supernatural exchange with the Trinity: the Father loves the lost to Himself, the Spirit convicts a heart of sin and the Son freely forgives a soul in salvation. Our part is surrender and submission, the Holy Spirit’s part is fullness and power. Yes, it is necessary to both live the gospel and speak the gospel. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

Furthermore, look for ways in your church and community to champion evangelistic training and teaching. Witnesses of Jesus need to know what they believe and why they believe what they believe. Perhaps you enroll in a class and be prepared to equip others. Just be wise not to substitute the Holy Spirit’s power with superior arguments. Most of all, moment by moment pray for opportunities to speak boldly about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Spirit empowered witness of Christ, you can’t help but help others understand the good news of Jesus.

come worship with me at First Baptist Chesterbrook located at 1740 Kirby Rd. McLean Va. Sundays (10:45am) Tuesdays (11am) Wednesday (7pm) and every third Friday (7:30pm). We are "Disciples Making a Kingdom Impact".  Tune into www.wbgronline.com for the best in Christian and Gospel programming.

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Rev. Todd A. Brown, Pastor
First Baptist of Chesterbrook
1740 Kirby Rd.  Mclean Va. 22101
Worship with us Sundays at 10:45am
Vision:" Disciples Making a Kingdom Impact"
Listen to "Life Notes" with Pastor Brown
Mon-Fri at 11:55am on WBGRonline
www.firstbaptistchesterbrook.org

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