Acts 1:8 - Witnessing In The Spirit. (addendum)
Acts 1:8 - Witnessing In The Spirit. (addendum)
Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me
everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth."
This is the fifth statement of the Great Commission. It is also
found in Mat.28:18-20; Mar.16:15; Luk.24:46-49; Joh.20:21. The
mission of the church is to take the gospel to every creature. [Peoples
SB]
In this one verse lies the theme of the entire book and the
mandate for believers today. Every Christian, regardless of specific
talents or spiritual gifts, is called to be a witness to the world of
the saving power of Jesus Christ. [Passages Of Life SB]
This is the key verse of the book, serving as an inspired
outline of its contents. This passage sets forth briefly and carefully
the agenda for Christians of all times. It is what all believers are
commissioned to do until Jesus comes again. [Believer's SB]
One hundred and twenty ordinary people hardly constitute an
imposing army; but in a few days, they would make an impact that is being
felt even today. The same resources God gave them are still available
to us.... God's power is available to God's people who want to do
His will and be His witnesses. You do not have to be an apostle to
have the power of the Spirit in your life (Eph. 5:18). [Chapter by
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re Acts 1]
When were the disciples baptized in the Holy Spirit? At
Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) the Holy Spirit was made available to all who
believed in Jesus. We receive the Holy Spirit (are baptized with him)
when we receive Jesus Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit must be
understood in the light of his total work in a Christian's life. (1) The
Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We cannot
belong to Christ without his Spirit (Rom. 8:9); we cannot be united to
Christ without his Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17); we cannot be adopted as his
children without his Spirit (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:6-7); we cannot be in
the body of Christ except by baptism in the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).
(2) The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a lifelong
process of change as we become more like Christ (Gal. 3:3; Phil. 1:6).
When we receive Christ by faith, we begin an immediate personal
relationship with God. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become like
Christ (3) The Spirit unites the Christian community in Christ (Eph.
2:19-22). The Holy Spirit can be experienced by all, and he works through
all (1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:4). [The One Year Bible Companion re Acts
1:5]
What allowed you to begin a relationship with God? How did you
- a person separated from God by sin - enter into a friendship
with a holy God? Was it dedication on your part? Was it a result of
your unceasing efforts? Of course not! You entered it by faith in
Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says in John 6:44, 45, "No one can come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by
God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father
comes to Me."
We are taught by God - as is everyone who believes in Him. We
didn't earn a relationship with God through our efforts, and we can't
lead others to God by our efforts either.
Of course, we're not the first generation of Christians who've
wanted to take matters into our own hands; the early church had the
same problem. It's part of fallen human nature to want to maintain
control, to do things ourselves. That's why Jesus did not immediately
send the disciples to preach the gospel. Rather, "He commanded them
not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the
Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me'" (Acts 1:4). The
promise of the Father was, of course, the Holy Spirit, who would lead
them in spreading the gospel "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8)..
The Spirit-filled life is a life of faith. It starts by faith
and it runs on faith. It is faith from start to finish. What is
faith? Faith is believing that God will do as He has promised. Faith is
not a power or something we're supposed to drum up inside ourselves.
Faith is trusting that God will empower us to do whatever He has
called us to do.
If we want to convince others to be saved from the guilt of
sin through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we must trust
God to empower the message He gave us to preach.
So how can you partner with the Holy Spirit in your life?
Listen to God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you as you
witness to others. He's the one that will convince them - not you. As
Jesus said in Luke 12:11, 12, "Do not worry about how or what you
should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach
you in that very hour what you ought to say." Just be faithful to do
as God commands, and watch the wonders He will do through you!
[Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley re Acts 1:4-8]
Every believer in Jesus is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the
body of Christ at the moment of conversion (see 1 Cor. 12:13). From
then on, the Spirit lives inside the believer, empowering him or her
for service to Christ. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley re
Acts 1:5]
Desire power for your life?... It will come as you pray. For
ten days the disciples prayed. Ten days of prayer plus a few minutes
of preaching led to three thousand saved souls. Perhaps we invert
the numbers. We're prone to pray for a few minutes and preach for
ten days. Not the apostles. Like the boat waiting for Christ, they
lingered in his presence. They never left the place of prayer...
The Upper Room was occupied by 120 disciples. Since there were
about 4,000,000 people in Palestine at the time, this means that fewer
than 1 in 30,000 was a Christian. Yet look at the fruit of their
work. Better said, look at the fruit of God's Spirit in them. We can
only wonder what would happen today if we, who still struggle, did
what they did: wait on the Lord in the right place. [Grace For The
Moment SB By Max Lucado re Acts 1:12, 14]
EXCELLENT MINI-VIDEO ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.itiswritten.com/television#episodes/2221
