The Great Commission in Acts.

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The Great Commission in Acts.

The other four Great Commissions have been about doing; go preach, proclaim forgiveness of sins, receive the Holy Spirit, forgive, go make disciples, baptize, and teach. But Luke finishes his Great Commission with “Be a witness”. This is less about doing and more about being. It is about living the Christian life that when you act in public you are representing Jesus and also when you are alone. For our actions tell God and the devil whom we are willing to obey. The more you try to obey God the more He will ask you to do and the more the devil will continue to hinder and hamper you. For some, this is enough to just give up, but do not. The hour is too late to do that. 

What we forget is that we do not have to do it in our own power. But by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where all 5 Great Commissions agree. Mark tells us what will happen in the power of His name by the Spirit. Luke tells us He was promised by The Father. John told us to receive Him. Matthew told us to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Now Luke is telling us again that we will receive Power from Him. The Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer is essential and important. 

Why are, we the church, not good witnesses? We are trying to live life outside the power of the Holy Spirit. Am I the example of living life this way? That is a hard no! But Jesus is the hard yes! And the Bible is the authority on this subject! We must do as the Bible tells us to live in this way so that we can be the witnesses He wants us to be. 

Are we believing for the healings so that the world will see His power at work? Are we listening for the prophecy so that the world will hear and believe? Are we speaking in other tongues so that the world will hear the Gospel, good tidings, of Jesus?

I believe here is a prayer that we the individual members of Jesus’ church should pray.

Holy Spirit I ask you to be evident in my life today. I pray that you work miracles through me today so that the world will see the miracles that Jesus did evident in my life to give Him the glory. I ask you to give me a word of prophecy so that I can speak into the life of someone around me so that the name of Jesus may be lifted high. I pray that you will empower me to live against the poison of the enemy. In the mighty name of Jesus.

My prayer for the past 17 years was, “Holy Spirit I want to feel the power you promised me in Acts 1:8”. About a year ago I received it. Now I need to operate in it daily. 

One way I saw this in action was I was at work and I kept feeling I needed to look into a few lots of metal. I keep feeling they were miss-marked. Had I listened I would have worked less but I did not listen and had to work just a bit harder. It was a small deal but it has stuck with me. He was involved in a small detail at my job to make me work a little bit more efficiently. Is He working in your life in the small areas too?