Before His ascension, the resurrected Lord said to His loving disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). If you've received the Holy Spirit, you are under obligation of the gospel and you should spread this good news to many people. Today we're going to learn about three practical points to spread the gospel better.
You should have the faith firmly established and stand on the rock of faith.
Colossians 1:23 reads, "If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…" When you hear and practice the Word of the Lord, you will most assuredly experience God's touch. As you continue to experience His works, they will help increase your faith and you will stand on the rock of faith (Matthew 7:24). Then, you will be able to preach the gospel with the faith firmly established.
For instance, if you've experienced God's healing work your preaching will be filled with increased conviction. Even when someone contradicts your word, you will unshakingly testify to the gospel. With this faith you can help non-believers who you want to evangelize to experience the work of God.
Apostle Paul experienced persecutions of the Jews as well as from the Gentiles when preaching the gospel. But he didn't compromise at all and kept his faith firmly because he himself had clearly experienced the work of God (Galatians 6:17).
The reason the Lord's disciples could be martyred while spreading the gospel is also that they themselves had witnessed the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). Their faith in His resurrection and His being the Christ never swayed, even when some doubted and raised a question to how He had risen from the dead.
Therefore, it is of great importance to have steadfast faith established on experiences of faith in order to preach the gospel powerfully as the Lord's witness. Let's possess living faith through experiences and deeds of faith, stand on the rock of faith, and see everything through the eyes of faith.
You should be filled with the Holy Spirit and have fervor.
Only when you have the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your heart can you go to people with faith and boldly preach the gospel. Thus, it is very important to receive the fullness of the Spirit.
In Acts 4, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees were greatly disturbed by Peter and other apostles because they were teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus' resurrection from the dead. They eventually put them in jail. The next day, they placed them in the square and began to inquire, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" In this overwhelming situation, Apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly preached the gospel and testified that Jesus is the only Savior for mankind.
When Deacon Stephen preached the Word of God with the wisdom and the Spirit, no one could cope with it (Acts 6:10). In the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he saw the Lord standing at the right hand of God, testified to it, and was summarily martyred (Acts 7). In other words, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you can do things that are pleasing to God.
Here, the fullness of the Spirit comes upon you when you pray. If you become full of the Spirit through fervent prayer, you can transcend physical limits and all thoughts. So, although put in a threatening situation or difficult position, you can enjoy freedom in the truth and not be confined by the problem.
However, if you don't pray, you cannot help but be confined within fleshly limits and see only the reality before you. When you see the reality, you will do everything not with faith but with human considerations. Thus, we should unceasingly pray and pile up fervent prayer with the heart.
It is also very important to hear what the Spirit says and pay attention to His urging. It would be a great loss if you did something against the will of God while thinking you are working hard for the kingdom of God. What if you were to push ahead with a plan that was developed through human thought or frameworks while thinking it was in the will of God? Again, what a loss it could be! Therefore, you need to hear what the Holy Spirit tells you, follow His urging, and obey Him without any personal thoughts. Then you will experience the Holy Spirit leading you and bear fruit that is pleasing to God.
You should become sanctified and bring down the power.
1 John 3:21-22 says, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."
Mark 16:20 reads, "And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." When the Lord works with us, we can confirm the Word through the signs that follow. That is, in order to fulfill our duty as one who spreads the Word of God better, we need to bring down the power of God by becoming sanctified.
We are living in the end time of the evil generation who doubt God though they see clear and unequivocal signs. Only when we receive the power of God can we arise and shine and lead many people to the way of salvation. When we are able to do so we will hear people saying, "Seeing your life and hearing your testimony I am able to have the faith to believe in the living God and the heavenly kingdom." We will get people's recognition anywhere as one empowered to spread the Word and later attain a glorious position in heaven.
Therefore, let's be firmly established in faith, pray in the Holy Spirit's inspiration, and delight God.
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