By
Troy Pomeroy
“. . . 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." Acts 1:8
Here is the essence of our purpose in life. We are to be effective witnesses for
Christ.
The
power spoken of is different from the power natural man thinks of. None of us have this kind of power in
ourselves. It’s not being the strongest,
richest, or smartest. It is a gift of
God available to His followers. Through
Christ, we receive all things we need for a truly meaningful life. Through His work, Jesus has made peace
between us and the Father (see Ephesians 2:11-18), sending the Holy Spirit to
those who believe, equipping us for service in the will of the Father.
Strangely,
our greatest power is found when we give our own power up. There is a T-shirt you may have seen with a
picture of a man on his knees in prayer and the caption: “position of power.” We are at our best when we let God be
sovereign in our lives. “My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians
Christians
show the power of the Holy Spirit in how we pray. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs us to pray
in the Spirit. By our intercessory
prayer, we love others and go directly to the source of all life on their
behalf.
Christians
use the power of the Holy Spirit to love people. Christ taught us a new way to love
people. In His perfect love, there is no
anger, slander, malice, or prejudice. Instead, His love is characterized by
forgiveness, compassion, and forbearance. This type of love casts out fear and
covers a multitude of sins. Paul
commended the church at Colossae for their “love in
the Spirit” (Colossians 1:8).
Christians
show the power of the Holy Spirit when they overcome. We all face difficulties in life. We are all tempted to sin or be less than our
best. But Paul reminds us “you are not
of the flesh but in the Spirit” (Romans 8:9).
When we choose to live in the Spirit, we can overcome any
situation. “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 Being victorious in the face of adversity, or
having joy during our trials, is a huge witness to the world of the power of
Christ in or lives.
Christians
win the world when we use the gifts of Holy Spirit to minister to people. The gifts (see 1Corinthians chapters 12-14 in their
entirety) are given for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ. They are used to either strengthen believers
or add new believers to the kingdom.
This power from on high is in the will of the Father and administered by
the Holy Spirit.
When
Christians receive the power of the Holy Spirit and use this power in prayer,
love, victory, and ministry, Jesus is glorified. When Jesus is glorified, our lives become an
attractive witness. That power then
spreads through our lives to the ends of the earth.
Troy Pomeroy writes from Eagle Point, Oregon. pastortroy@epacenter.com