An Adventure In Power

“What if I speak out for Jesus and nothing happens?”  This is a legitimate concern of many believers today.  That their efforts will somehow fail, fall short and bring forth no results.

There is, however, a little two-letter word that spells the difference between a power-filled life and a routine one.  Jesus put it this way . . . “Go” – and I’ll go with you.  He said, “All authority in heaven and earth is given unto Me, go ye ….”  What is the next word?  Therefore!  Jesus offers to us as believers all the resources of heaven if we will get involved with Him in being a witness to a lost world.This is a first, most important, lesson to learn.  We move first and then we discover that the Lord is with us.  When a believer really learns this, there is nothing in the plan of God that he cannot accomplish.  If he ignores it, he will remain a nominal, routine Christian.

“Go” is the button that activates the power of the Holy Spirit in witnessing.  Nothing happens until we push the “Go” button and the power “under the hood” is released.  We have to start.  Until we open our mouths for Christ, the power of God just waits and waits and waits – indwelling, potential power, waiting to be released.


Do You Believe That?A story is told of a witness and soulwinner who was meeting with a Christian friend for lunch.  He was not aware though that his friend had invited an unbelieving coworker to come along.  He had thought that exposing him to his witnessing friend might be just what his unsaved friend needed.  But the unsaved man right off the bat informed the witnessing soulwinner that he had been worked on by the best and that it would be a waste of time to try to lead him to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, however, prompted this Christian witness to try a bit of an experiment with this hard-hearted man.  As they sat eating their lunch, he proceeded, “you have made it clear to me that you are not interested in any attempt to introduce you to Jesus Christ.”  “That’s right, declared the unsaved man.”“Would you permit me to make a little experiment, just for my own sake?  It really is not for you at all, and I’ll not seek to persuade you about anything.  It is entirely for my own benefit, but I need your help.  All I want to say is a few sentences to you … would that be ok?”

“I guess so,” the man replied a bit suspicious, but curious.

“First, I want to tell you that this world in which we live is no accident.  That it is all planned and maintained by God.  Even our meeting today is right on schedule.  This is because God loves you.  He wants you to know Him as a personal friend.  And there is no limit to what He would do to make it possible for you to know Him and be with Him forever.”Now I’m telling you that He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you - a clear demonstration that He is head over heels in love with you.   Right now he is waiting to forgive every sin you have ever committed against Him in your life.  Even now, He will come into your heart and reveal Himself to you, if you would just give Him a chance.”The Christian witness was watching the man to see how the Holy Spirit would perform His ministry.  He pressed the point.

“Do You Believe That?”  He hesitated for a moment and shook his head slowly and said, “No!”  But he was lying.  In the corner of his eye a tear had formed, and one had rolled out onto his cheek.  He knew in his heart that the witness was true, yet he had decided that he didn’t want anything to do with Jesus Christ.In spite of the man’s rejection of Christ, the Holy Spirit had done His work; he had faithfully borne witness to a believer’s words.What a great example of the Holy Spirit doing His work of bearing witness to our words.  Once you begin to realize and learn by experience that your words are always followed by the Holy Spirit power, you can overcome the second worry out of witnessing …

“Will something happen when I witness for Christ?”


A Wonderland
When we begin to speak out for Jesus (to unsaved people, friends, neighbors) we enter a Wonderland where all things are changed by the power of God.  We will see hard-hearted, rugged people weep before our words of testimony.  We will encounter amazing witnessing situations.  Doors will open everywhere.

Those who will not open their mouths for Christ publicly, however, cannot move in the power of God.  They are consigned to living a predictable, routine Christian life.  Jesus reserves the power of the Holy Spirit to those who “Go….”If you are going to witness for Christ, there will be power - the mighty convicting power of the Spirit over someone’s life.  If you are faithful to open you mouth, people are going to be convicted by the Holy Spirit, that’s all there is to it.

When we have learned that witnessing does not mean soul-winning, we remove the first worry out of witnessing – “I just can’t win souls!”When we learn that the Spirit’s power follows our words, we remove the second worry out of witnessing – “What if I speak out for Jesus, and nothing happens?”

When we learn exactly what to do and say as a witness, we remove the third worry out of witnessing – “I don’t know where to start.”


Joy in the journey,

Danny


Next:  Witnessing:  I don’t know where to start.

The Difference Between Witnessing and Soulwinning (from my article in Reaching and Teaching e-Newsletter). If you’d like to subscribe yourself to the Reaching & Teaching e-Newsletter, just send a blank email with “subscribe R&T” in the subject line to: daniro45@hotmail.com You can unsubscribe at any time.