WEEK 5 - REAWAKENING TO THE MISSION OF CHRIST
This week, we will look at some of the things Jesus has called us to do as we live on mission with Him in this world. He defines and assigns the mission we are to carry out. May we carry it out in obedience and dependence!
DAY THIRTY THREE - YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES - BRENNA VICKERS
Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus’ disciples were called to be His witnesses in the work of restoring and introducing His new Kingdom to all peoples. In Luke’s Gospel (24:45–48), Jesus tells His disciples what they are to be witnesses to: His suffering and His Resurrection alongside the message of repen- tance for the forgiveness of sins. As His disciples, we too are called to be His witnesses. This is accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
But what does this mean? The work of the Spirit in the apostles throughout Acts is under- stood as the extension of work begun by Jesus and now carried on by His Spirit in us. The Spirit provides the power that enables us to be faithful witnesses of Christ, demonstrating the universality and unconditionality of the gospel for all peoples. The regenerating power of the Spirit is to be seen in our changed, Christ-like lives. Through our witness, the Spirit moves others to believe.
The focus of our message is not the Spirit and His gifts, but rather Jesus—His suffering, His Resurrection, and His sacrificial love for all peoples. The Spirit’s actual evidence is His power in us to point people to Christ. Jesus Himself is the demonstration God intends in the world, and we are the vehicles He has chosen to communicate the reality of Jesus.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Keep your focus on Jesus on a moment-by-moment basis each day (Hebrews 12:1–2), and do not be distracted by temporary lures of our culture.
2. Ask the Lord to help you exhibit the reality of Jesus through a changed life to our generation, which has lost its way.
3. Actively look for ways to communicate Jesus with your friends, coworkers, and neighbors.