Psalms 91-93

Romans 15:1-13

“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 1:8-9

Whatever else the Holy Spirit’s activity is going to be in our lives, it will have to do with power. The kind of power Jesus is talking about in the above verse comes from the Greek word, “dunamis”, similar to our English word “dynamic” or “dynamism”. It means power in the sense of sheer energy and force. After His resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).

        When the Holy Spirit indwells us, we no longer have a choice as to whether we are going to be a witness for Christ or not. We are witnesses! In a sense, it is like getting married. Once we have said our vows and are pronounced man and wife, we no longer have a choice as to whether we are a husband or wife. We are, so the question then becomes, “Will I be a good or bad husband or wife?” And for Christians, “Will I be a good or bad witness for Christ?”

        As a witness for Christ, we are under His authority and receive the dynamism of the Holy Spirit indwelling us so that our lives become testimonies of the truth about Jesus. This is expressed in our attitudes and dispositions, in how we treat others and in concern for our world. Being a witness for Christ is also revealed in how we respond to crisis in our lives. We can be a Christian for many years and not know what it is to draw on the power and direction of Christ. We can distort the truth about Jesus in the way we think and behave, or we can be a reflection of Him, drawing upon His strength and His presence.

        We must never detach the lordship of Christ over our lives from the dynamism of the Holy Spirit within our lives. God gives us the Holy Spirit to fulfill the will of Jesus, which for every Christian is, “You will be My witnesses.” The Greek word for witness is martus, from which the word “martyr” come. Stephen was the first martyr to die in the New Testament, but while he was being falsely accused of blasphemy, Acts 6:15 tells us, “All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” Stephen’s life told the story of Jesus, and people saw the difference. The Christian life is Jesus, and He is the dynamism living within us that empowers us to be a witness for Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I ask for a fresh, daily work of Your Spirit to make all aspects of my life more and more a reflection of You. Thank You, Lord.