Meditation

08/05/2022

“Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men!’ The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—-whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has give to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:29-32 – Evangelism Through the Power of the Holy Spirit)

God gave the Holy Spirit to equip and empower the church for the task of world evangelization. The Spirit is given all believers. Without this giving and infilling of the Spirit of God upon the church, people are never brought to faith in Jesus Christ. God’s people must be dynamically related to the Spirit to be used a His agents to win others. Such relationship may confuse the world, but the Spirit’s power to raise questions is necessary for great soul winning!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, the power that You gifted to those of us who obey our commands and seek to bring others to follow Christ was given as a blessed gift and tool to seek out those whom need You in their lives. Today we continue to pray troops serving in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, that a peaceful solution might be found and let the fighting be silenced. We also pray for those who are suffering in body, mind, and/or spirit, with friends, family, especially for Glenn who passed from this world to the next and for his wife Debbie, who is broken-hearted at his passing, and for those we don’t know. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Sin offers much, but nothing that lasts or enriches our lives.”

KNOWING GOD:

“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” Acts 9:31 – Evangelism Through the Power of the Holy Spirit)

Church growth depends on God’s strength and encouragement provided by the Holy Spirit. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, the church is just a shell, but with it the result is a reverent, worshiping, witnessing church. Is this how people describe your church?

I AM:

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.” (1^st Thessalonian 1:5 – Evangelism Through the Power of the Holy Spirit)

The words of Paul are the inspired revelation of God at work, communicating the good news of Jesus Christ with deep impact and belief. The Holy Spirit gave power to Paul’s words, elicited deep commitment from the audience and gave them great joy. The gospel presents great power to convert because the Holy Spirit uses it, as His sword to bring deep conviction and, thereby, save the hearers. The power of human eloquence is not enough. Only God’s power leads to salvation. We can and are supposed to witness with genuine power from heaven; therefore take caution, you cannot just sit in the pews and expect things to happen without the support of God’s people within the church.

2ND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me that the Lord had opened a door for me. I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.” (2^nd Corinthians 2:12-13 – Evangelism Through the Power of God)

Brother and Sisters, Paul constantly stressed that doors for evangelization are opened by the Holy Spirit alone (Acts 4:31). To go ahead of God or lag behind will thwart the word of the Holy Spirit in opening people to receive our testimony. We must walk with God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses, ready when opportunity presents itself by those seeking to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and are ready to witness to them.

What a profound responsibility Paul placed on believers! We are an aroma to the word of life or death. How essential for us o spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in such a way as to bring life. We have God’s promise of victory—-He leads us in His triumphal procession. We are utterly unequal to the task, but Christ gives us grace and power to evangelize with effect. We simply must place our trust in Jesus to help us through the Holy Spirit as we share our story with others, that it will touch hearts and minds and lead them to Christ.