You shall be Witnesses

Acts. 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (KJV)

Sometimes you may wonder why it appears like so many Christians are evangelizing, but not many people are being converted to the same degree, or you personally may have been evangelizing, and wondering why you aren’t getting people converted as you ought. Well, the answer is not far fetched, as we will explore in this piece.

Jesus before His departure had instructed His disciples to go and evangelize to all nations, but further down the line as revealed in our text, He said they should tarry to receive power through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, so that they can be His Witnesses even to the uttermost part of the earth. Now, Jesus did not just say that His disciples will simply evangelize to the nations, he categorically said they shall be Witnesses.

It is good to evangelize, but it is more important to be a Witness of Him. To be a Witness of Christ is not just to wear the name as some sect do, it is to let your life reflect the very essence of Jesus, and to model Him to the world in every sphere of influence that you occupy, not just in character, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and power. Anything short of this is not a true reflection of a Witness of Christ.

When you fail to model Christ this way in your sphere of influence, you deny others the opportunity to have an experience of what it means to follow Christ, and even though you may evangelize to them, they may find it difficult to accept and embrace the life in Christ. This is one of the reasons why many evangelism exercises have not been as productive as they should. When people cannot clearly see a correlation between your life, and that of Christ whom you profess in the manner that we have describes, they are unlikely to accept your gospel. As a matter of fact, many evangelism exercise today are not so different from the activities of the the seven sons of Sceva as described in Acts 19:14-16; it is like attempting to bring someone into an experience that you personally know nothing about.

So to tie it all up, it is important to evangelize, but for your evangelism to be effective, you must be a true Witness of Christ. Take up the challenge today to begin to model Christ to others within your own sphere of influence. Be the answer to the questions in the heart of the people, and when you open your mouth speak, do it with grace, and watch God’s power come upon your words to turn the lives of people around.

Comments

Blessed By Association - Updated

Abraham by God’s calling had become a blessed man walking in the blessing. God appeared to him, changed his name and gave him the covenant of circumcision. You would have thought that all this will happen to just Abraham and his family, but not so, the blessing as we see it (Gen 17: 12-14) was also for as many as were with Abraham at that time. They came into the lineage of blessing simply by association with the man Abraham, they were to be circumcised just like Abraham, and came under the same covenant blessing. These people who were associated with Abraham at that time, including his household servants, enjoyed the most of the covenant that God Almighty gave to him. It therefore goes to show that there are associations in life that will forever set you up for the blessing. That is why you must treasure the relationships that God brings into your life, and never take them for granted. In one of the piece published on this blog, Identity by association , it was emphasized t...

Becoming a Person of Value

Over the years, I have come to realize that everyone likes to associate with people of value. It means that if you are someone who commands value, people will be drawn to you. If not, they will not. Now, suppose you find yourself always seeking to associate with others whom you consider valuable, but discover that not many people are eager to associate with you — this could simply mean that you are not yet commanding enough value. I use the words “not yet” intentionally, because I am mindful that we can all command great value if we take the right steps. Here are a few steps to help you truly become a person of value: 1. Have the Right Perspective The first step to becoming a person of value is to have the right perspective of who you are — who you are in Christ and the graces God has bestowed upon you. I do not think you can be of worth to yourself or to others if you do not first understand who you are in Christ. Remember, you are valuable in the sight of God, which is why He was wil...

Becoming a Person of Value - Part 2

In the first part of this series, I shared the first two steps to becoming a person of value: 1. Having the right perspective 2. Valuing people These are foundational principles for building true value. Today, I’ll share three additional steps that can help you on this journey. But remember—these steps only work when you internalize and practice them consistently. It’s not enough to know them; you must live them. 3. Value Knowledge and Learning The third step to becoming a person of value is to develop an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Be a lifelong learner, and to do that, you must remain humble. No matter how knowledgeable you are, there is always something to learn—even from those who may know less than you in other areas. As a Christian, growing in the knowledge of God is essential. It will strengthen your foundation in times of trials and storms. Keep pressing toward deeper understanding of Him (Philippians 3:13-14). The pursuit of God is the most noble quest of all. However...

Adventures of Faith

Search This Blog