Good Morning All,
My evening television has included a lot of
“Perry Mason” lately. He always wins the cases, and poor Mr. Burger always
loses. The courtroom scenes always hinge
on a witness or two who either change their story, remember something new or
show up as a last-minute surprise. Then
we get the last dramatic witness who is usually the real killer.
Throughout the court room scene Perry Mason
keeps asking for the facts, not opinions but for facts. What are the facts that you know? This seems to always be the salient
question. Yet that is what it means to
be a witness; you state the facts that you know. You don’t guess what they mean,
you simply say what you know; what you saw or heard.
This verse represents the last words
which Jesus spoke to his disciples while he was here on earth. In it, He makes them a promise that they will
receive the Holy Spirit. This is truly God’s gift to the church. The Holy Spirit works through the church
calling, gathering the believers, making them holy as they live. The Spirit gives us the power to be the kind
of witness that Jesus wants us to be.
Think of Peter; he was impetuous, hot-headed, arrogant, and yet very
fearful. Yet after Pentecost, after the
gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the church, Peter boldly proclaimed his
witness of Jesus. The gift of the Spirit
meant everything to him.
The gift of the Spirit means everything to
us as well. The Spirit continually calls
us back to the Gospel, gathers us together as the redeemed children of God,
enlightens us with the gifts of the Spirit and builds us into the disciples
which Jesus wants us to be. God has
created stuff for you to do. He has
stuff for you to do where you are right now.
He has given you the talents, skills and gifts which are necessary for
you to be that witness.
Just as the disciples were witnesses in
Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Ours is similar. We start in our neighborhood and in our
family. We start with those closest to
us. We usually do this witnessing by
ourselves or with one or two others. It
is evident in the way we live our life, the way we treat each other, the way we
love one another. As our circle expands
to our state and region, we continue to witness with the power of the Spirit
leading us. Here we usually join
together with many Christians to give a strong witness. Yet sometimes, the opportunity will arise
where you can impact one person whom you have never met before and may never
see again. God has stuff for you to do
places for you to be a witness to his Gospel. We continue to be led by the
Sprit as we try and witness to the ends of the earth usually aiding those whom
God has called to go there. We are his
witnesses, given the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world.
Dearest
Father in heaven, you have called us to be witnesses to the saving grace of
Jesus’ death and resurrection. Lead us
to be powerful witnesses and to touch the lives of those around us, especially
those most in need. In Jesus’ precious
name we pray, amen.
God’s
Peace,
Pastor
Bret
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