You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.
ACTS 1:8
Right now you might be thinking, “I have my hands full just getting the kids out the door for school, planning something that resembles a healthy dinner, reading that report before work in the morning, and getting the laundry done. When do I have time to preach the gospel to the poor and release the captives? I can’t find the car keys, let alone the keys to the prisoners’ cell door!” If so, you’re not alone. Most of us simply don’t compute how we can play any role in God’s grand scheme for the world.
The good news is that we don’t have to do this all alone. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to be his witnesses throughout the earth. I hope you noticed that Jesus did not say he would give us the power to do the witnessing but rather to be witnesses. This is because the power that we need to effectively witness to others essentially flows from being an authentic witness ourselves. We must be before we do. I am in no way suggesting that we do not proactively proclaim the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and other people with whom we come into contact, but I sincerely believe that we need not only to preach the gospel but also live in the power of the gospel.
To be a witness for Christ, we must be bearing witness to the truth of his Word. If I were still broken, wounded, and rejected, I would have no power to preach good news to the poor. If I had not found freedom, how could I shine a light for others to find theirs? If I were still brokenhearted because of my past, how could I help to heal someone else’s broken heart? And if I were still in captivity, how could I possibly proclaim liberty to others? More than any words, program, or doctrine, our lives become a platform from which to proclaim the love of God to others.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What areas of your life need to be shored up before they can be used to proclaim the love of God to those around you?
How will you begin?