“This gracious gift of God’s power and love, the hope and expectation of the faithful, is neither warranted by our efforts nor limited by our frailties.” ~ John Wesley
We are approaching Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Christian Church. There were roughly three thousand people converted to Christianity that day, not a bad first day of evangelism. The impossibility of such an experience materialized only because of the mystery and power of the Holy Spirit. Despite the awesomeness of God and the imperfections of those doing the evangelizing, none of these conversions were possible unless the Holy Spirit prepared the hearts of the converts to receive God’s healing power and love. On this day, we must assume that there were mockers and hecklers in the crowd. Those evangelizing didn’t attempt to change the mockers or the hecklers, they shared what God prompted them to share, and then they moved on to the following location.
We are all ministers of God’s power and love. If you live a transformed life, then that is the good news you have to share with others. In recovery circles, they call this sharing one’s own experience, strength, and hope (1 Peter 1:13-20, 2:1-12). There are times we worry ourselves to death about what to say. We must not allow our minds to convince us we are not good speakers or worthy of being used as instruments for God’s message.
It’s imperative that we understand that our efforts do not warrant anything we say or do; there are no guarantees that those we share with will turn their will and lives over to the care of God, nor experience freedom from the bondage of their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. That said, despite our human frailties, there is nothing that can stop others from hearing the good news of God through our sharing and moved to surrender their hearts to God if the Holy Spirit has ripened their souls for the harvest.
Sharing the good news today is no different than the birthday of Christianity. The Holy Spirit is the firepower that prepares the way for us. In some mysterious way, the Holy Spirit works on the souls of those we will encounter during the harvest; some will have ears to hear, and for others, the good news falls on deaf ears. We are not about results, but what we do care about is sharing the good news with everyone that God puts in our path, starting with our friends and family, moving out into the community at large, and leaving the results up to God.
Nobody on the planet can share what God has done in your life; only you can share that story. Evangelism is nothing more than sharing your experience, strength, and hope regarding how God transformed your life. Make it a goal to start sharing your story in person, through a blog, social media, etc., knowing and trusting in the Holy Spirit to mysteriously prepare the way and the hearts of those you will encounter.
Dear Holy Spirit, thank You for being my friend, advocate, and counselor. Please help me to know You deeper than ever before. Please help me to trust in your power, glory, and influence on the world. Please grant me the strength to partner with You in sharing the good news to the lost sheep of this world by all means possible. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
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