1. The Word: Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

John 16:7-11

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

2. Reflection Questions

• What holds you back from sharing the Gospel with your friends? Neighbors? Coworkers? Strangers?
• Do you feel qualified to share the Gospel?

How freeing is the Holy Spirit! We all know by now the call for every believer is to tell the whole world of the good news of Jesus Christ and to make disciples of all men. Yet many of us (including me) shrink back in fear at the thought of it. “What if they don’t accept the message? How do I change their heart? If they turn away, have I failed God? Am I a mature enough Christian to be able to tell someone else about Christ? I think I’ll wait until I know more of the bible first so I don’t make a fool of myself.”

The truth is, those questions are irrelevant and wrong from the beginning. It’s not our job to change the hearts of men and it’s not our fault if someone doesn’t surrender to Christ after hearing of Him. Our job is to spread the seed, as the parable says, over the ground and the plants will grow where the ground is fertile. We don’t know what ground is fertile so we must spread the seed as much as possible. We also know from the bible that though we plant and water, only God can create growth (1 Cor 3:7). That’s because the Holy Spirit has gone before us, as the text above says, and convicted the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment, working in the hearts of men and women and preparing them to receive the Gospel of Jesus.

On a recent mission trip into Baja, Mexico I witnessed two (of many) examples of the Holy Spirit at work. In one, a fellow believer from the San Antonio church stood in front a large crowd and shared her testimony. It must have been tough to share to strangers because of the pain she had gone through and the vulnerability required to be open about it. When she ended, the crowd clapped and she stepped back off to the side. As it was one of many testimonies, she didn’t call the crowd to give their lives to Jesus at that time. She only shared how Jesus changed her life forever. Afterward, one lady in the large crowd came up to her and shared that she had experienced the exact same pains in life growing up and that if Jesus had healed her from that pain then she wanted to know Jesus too. Welcome to the family, sister!

Then at the end of the mission trip we gathered together as one group to debrief on the week. We shared final testimonies, worshiped, finished some errands, prayed over those who felt called to full-time ministry, then offered a moment for those who desired to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and receive His gifts (tongues, interpretation, prophecy, etc.) to come forward and be prayed over. A good number came forward while many more gathered around to lay hands and pray. We occupied a small courtyard on the side of hotel where we stayed. Two floors above us were young adult men in Rosarito on vacation, drinking beer and causing a scene. All along the beach beside us the party continued with loud drums, fireworks, bars with dancing, and much more. We were a small pocket of people, praying and worshiping and pleading for the Holy Spirit, surrounded by the ways of the world. In that moment we weren’t even trying to evangelize. We were being obedient and desiring the things of God, not caring what we looked like in the process. Yet as we were lost in prayer and worship, a man came riding up along the beach and fell off his bike when he got to us. When a leader walked over to him and asked if he was alright, he confessed he had been an alcoholic for a long time and wanted set free from it. He noticed us worshiping from a distance and came as quick as he could, saying, “I see what you have, and I want it!”

The Holy Spirit has indeed gone before us to prepare the hearts of the men and women who are ready to receive him.

As my good friend Heather Mattingly put it: in sales, if you don’t make the sale it’s because of you. You didn’t say the right things, or you didn’t push hard enough, or you didn’t use the right tactics to reach the right demographics. For us that couldn’t be further from the truth! We must only step out of fear and into obedience by telling the world of the good news of Christ, pursuing the things of God, and being vulnerable enough to share our testimonies of how the good news of Jesus changed our lives forever. Satan will indeed be conquered by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Rev 12:11)! We are not responsible for changing people’s hearts, that’s for the Spirit. How freeing is that!

4. Prayer

Jesus, thank you for sending us your Helper. Thank you for not holding us accountable for how others respond to Your good news. Holy Spirit, please continue to go forth and work in the hearts of those who don’t know You. Convince them that the ways of the world lead to death. And while their hearts are prepared, Lord, fill me will all courage and boldness to share with them about who Christ is and what He has done for them: that Jesus brings life. I pray that their hearts won’t be hardened and that they receive you with joy and eagerness. I want to be Your ambassador here on the earth. I want more brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to see more people freed from the chains that I too was once in, before You broke them. Lord, use me.

In Jesus name, Amen.