Empowered to Witness

You will be my witnesses.

Those were Jesus’ words to the disciples when clarifying the purpose of God’s coming and promised gift of the Spirit.

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The disciples were hoping that the time had come for Jesus to “restore the kingdom to Israel.” They were hoping that the promised gift would help them to come out from the oppression of those occupying the land.

But that was not the purpose. That was not the mission. That day… had not yet come.

The Spirit would be given… that the disciples might become EMPOWERED WITNESSES.

Think about this for a moment… the disciples already had a testimony to share with the world.

They had witnessed the life and ministry of Jesus first hand. They had experienced a relationship with Him like no one else.

These guys didn’t need the story… they lived the story.

What these guys were lacking… was the POWER in their witness. As they were, their witness was passive. God desired to make their witness… active.

What do I mean by a passive or an active witness?

These two terms are often used in the area of musical instruments. Perhaps the most common instrument it refers to is the guitar.

Take and acoustic guitar, for example.

The instrument is capable of making a sound on its own. But its ability to amplify that sound is limited. There is only so much sound this instrument can make.

However, built within this particular guitar is what is called an ACTIVE pickup. This pickup is powered by a 9 volt battery. It sends the signal to an output that connects it to a sound system. Now the guitar is amplified… now its sound can be heard by many more people in the room or area.

When POWER is applied… the sound is amplified.

The same can be said of our witness tonight. When the power of God’s Holy Spirit is the carrier of the message of God’s redeeming plan… it is amplified. It is powerful. It is able to do more than what a witness can do on their own.

Jesus said WE WOULD BECOME HIS WITNESSES. His Empowered Witnesses… and we would give testimony all over the world.

So tonight, in light of hat Christ said in Acts 1:8… we are going to pray and ask God to continually empower our witness for Jesus.

Interestingly enough, Jesus didn’t say we would speak in tongues (even though that is what happens in the next chapter), He said He would empower our witness.

We believe that tongues is the initial physical evidence of Spirit Baptism per the pattern displayed throughout the New Testament. HOWEVER… there is another form of evidence we CANNOT ignore: The evidence of an EMPOWERED WITNESS.

Now I’m not suggesting you take to the street corner and start preaching like Peter did in Acts 2, But when the Spirit of God is poured in, empowered testimony of His goodness should be poured out of you!

This power given… is a MISSIONAL POWER. It is an ACTIVE POWER that amplifies your testimony in Christ Jesus!

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit not only provides power to proclaim the message of forgiveness and new life and faith in Jesus, it also increases the effectiveness of the Christian’s personal testimony.

How many have seen the movie “National Treasure?”

There is a scene where they are using lemons (juice) to reveal a secret message on the back of the Declaration of Independence. The juice or citric acid was the agent needed, but it was lacking in… power.

The dad says, “you need heat to make it work.” The heat was the key in making the agent more effective.

The Spirit of God is the heat or the power that makes our witness more effective!

How does the Spirit do this? It is done through the strengthening and deepening of a person’s relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals and makes more real to us the personal presence of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit witnesses both to and through Christians to lead people to God’s love and truth.

The Holy Spirit empowers our witness to be more effective and convincing.

So if the Spirit has been poured out… the witness should be empowered. If a believer has received this gift promised of God… this believer should be effectively reaching the lost for His kingdom… right?

So why don’t we see this happening in our day today?

Because of a disconnect in our minds between the promised power… and the given purpose: to be witnesses for Jesus.

So our prayer tonight is simple… God, help us to reconnect Your promised power to Your given purpose. Amplify and empower our witness again.

Prayer Focus

Church… we give testimony, if you will, regarding a lot of things in life.

We talk about the weather, sports, jobs, politics, life in general, kids, grand kids, cars, hobbies, community wins and struggles, etc. We tend to talk a lot about what is on our mind… and in our hearts.

Tonight, I want us to ask God to help us give testimony… of what matters most.

I’m not saying that mentioned conversation examples are pointless, but in the grand scheme of things, there is only one topic that can lead a person to salvation - that is the love of God.

People need Jesus!

If they want to know the weather, there is an app for that!

If they want to know what the sports team did, there is an app for that!

If they want to know what happened on TV last night, there is an app for that!

But when it comes to where they will spend eternity… God gave the world a Church for that!

So this evening, the first prayer focus I want us to consider is: what is it that we have stored in our heart?

Are we simply in tune with current events… or are we giving testimony regarding who our God is and what our God can do?

Our tongue, our mouth, gives evidence of what our hearts are full of. Jesus Himself told this truth in Luke 6:45

Luke 6:45 NIV

45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

So as we prepare to take to the altars and pray, let’s start by looking inward to that which might be influencing our outward witness.

Prayer point one: God, may my heart be FULL of Your Word, Your Spirit, and Your Power.

Secondly, I want us to pray in the area of a passive witness versus an active witness.

We can witness without the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but that witness will not be amplified by the power of God’s Spirit.

Again, our witness will be like an acoustic guitar playing without an amplifier. It’s range, volume, and effectiveness will be limited.

But once it is plugged in and becomes active… the power it is connected to amplifies it’s sound or testimony beyond anything the guitar could do on its own!

If you are in Christ, You are His witness. The question is, are you empowered of the Spirit?

If you have yet to be baptized in the Spirit, simply ask God to fill you tonight. You must be a believer, and your heart must be open to receive.

God won’t move your tongue for you… you must speak out in faith… as the Spirit gives you utterance.

So Prayer Point two is: God, empower my Witness through the Baptism in Your Holy Spirit. Fill me to overflowing in Jesus’ name.

Lastly, I want us to pray for God to help us reconnect His promised power with His given mission.

May we never forget the reason Jesus gave in Acts 1:8 - that we would be His witnesses. The church will not move forward… without witnesses.

God has called all believers to the witness stand… to give testimony… to tell the truth as the world is asking questions.

It’s time we rise up… not for our cause or our own power… but for His kingdom under the influence and power of His Spirit.

Prayer Point Three: God, reconnect Your power in my life to the mission, calling, and ministry You have given me.

Prayer TIme