EMPOWERMENT BEFORE WITNESSING
AUGUST 29TH, 2025
TEXT: Acts 1:4-8
KEY VERSE: (VERSE 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 Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus Christ, before ascending to heaven, told his disciples to remain in Jerusalem and be divinely equipped with power to go and carry out the great commission, i.e. to witness to souls that are perishing. Carrying out the work of evangelism is one that requires absolute power because it is not an assignment that can be done in the flesh. During the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, his disciples were mostly timid and powerless. The spirit of God was yet to descend upon them. That was why Jesus encouraged them to remain and wait upon him for the Comforter to come into their lives and direct them in all things. On the day of Pentecost, the promise of the Father manifested itself and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was after the coming of the Holy Spirit that the disciples developed boldness and fearlessness in preaching the gospel to the unreached.
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE NEED FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT IN EVANGELISM
- Power is needed to tackle adversities that might be the order of the day during evangelism. In the course of evangelism, you will meet people possessed with demons, witches, familiar spirits, rulers of darkness, principalities, etc., and what you carry must be able to neutralise their evil powers; otherwise, evangelism will become a pathetic story at the end of the day. Just imagine Apostle Paul and Barnabas were empty when they clashed with Elymas at Paphos while the latter was trying to prevent his boss, Sergius Paulus, from listening to the gospel. If they had been ordinary, the Elymas of a man who was a sorcerer would have overpowered them with his sorcery. (Acts 13)
- Another role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism is that He transforms and reforms seemingly ordinary souls to superb evangelists. Apostle Peter was quite timid at the beginning of his walk with Christ, but when the Spirit of God descended upon them on the day of Pentecost, Apostle Peter became so elevated and transformed that he preached to a crowd of people who had initially thought that the Apostles were drunk after the Spirit of God came upon them.
- The Holy Spirit, apart from just empowering us with the various gifts such as speaking in tongues, word of knowledge, etc., also empowers us to be witnesses of what we have ourselves benefited from (the gospel).
SEARCHLIGHT:
Many believe that evangelism is merely a casual task that can be carried out in a carnal way. However, events on the evangelism field have shown that an evangelist also needs power just like prophets, apostles, etc. Wait upon the Lord to equip you with power and lean not on your own understanding.
BIBLE READING:
Isaiah 43-45, Matthew 18.
PRAYER:
O Lord, equip me with all I need for your work, in Jesus’ mighty name.
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
