If Jesus Changed You, Shouldn’t You Share?

Everyone loves to hear a good story. The problem is we don’t think our stories are that good. I have talked to people all around the world and found that we all have the same problem. Unless you’re an extrovert, people struggle with sharing Christ! The truth is, even extroverts struggle with sharing their faith. Why? Because deep down we all know we are flawed. We have problems in life. We don’t have it all together and never will and this intimidates us.

When I gave my heart to Jesus it was at 10:30 at night and I had a number of people praying for me to be free from the sin that controlled me. After yielding to Christ, people kept praying for me until I was filled with the Holy Spirit. You see, I knew when I went back home to my friends and surroundings I wouldn’t make it unless I had the Holy Spirit.

As an unbeliever, I could tell the difference between the people who claimed Christ as their Savior and those who had Jesus and the Holy Spirit working in their lives. The truth is, Jesus told his first disciple to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, these disciples had embraced Jesus as their Lord and Savior yet Jesus said there is another step we must take to move forward from being saved to being victorious believers. This blessing Jesus talked about was the promise of the Father and it was going to give them power to overcome their fears and equip them to be bold as lions with their new-found faith. These young believers didn’t know how long they were supposed to wait, but they knew it was until they got the power the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:4-5                                                                                                                                                                                                        

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

This word that Jesus used for power in the greek was “Dunamis” which is the word we get our word “Dynamite” from. Do you think that part of our problem with sharing our faith is we either haven’t experienced this release of power from the Holy Spirit or that the power has faded and we need to be refilled?

Acts 1:8                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The apostle Paul stated very plainly that we need regular “Filling” of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. When he suggested we be filled regularly he used the illustration of being filled with wine and being overcome with intoxication.

Ephesians 5:18-19                                                                                                                                                                                       

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. 

The greek word in this passage is in the “Present Continues.”  The more accurate translation is “Be continually Filled,” implying we LEAK! You might ask how this happens if we receive the Holy Spirit when we become “Born Again.”  It’s because we still have “Free Will” in place and often choose other than what God wants in our daily lives. In other words, we seem to break our connection with the Holy Spirit through our daily activities, not always on purpose, but just because we get caught up in natural living. The writer of the book of Hebrews states it plainly.

Hebrews 12:2                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfected of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

So, here is the thing. We lose sight of Jesus in our daily lives but by seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit we can get back on track by living for the kingdom of God like Jesus instructed us to do. There is no way we can live a kingdom perspective without having our eyes on Jesus and there is no way we will do so without the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So, reflecting on what was just said about our need of the Holy Spirit, do you see the correlation between why many believers hardly ever share their faith? I believe we love Jesus but we are not filled with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit regularly.

Peter the apostle was scared and timid before the day of pentecost but then was bold after the Holy Spirit baptized him and the rest of the 120 people in the upper room in Jerusalem.  Do you see the connection?  We are trying to be the kind of witnesses the Bible proclaims we are supposed to be but are failing in the area of evangelism because of our spiritual deficiency. It’s like we expect to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week by just eating candy. We may feel some energy but we are headed for a total break down or heart attack spiritually. Keeping up that kind of lifestyle only causes us to fail and invites Satan to condemn us for our failure.

Here is the bottom line. Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. Disciples will never be made unless we first share our story about how Jesus changed us. People are hungry for transformation. They are just trying everything except Jesus. He is the only one that can truly change a heart and a life.

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today. Expect to receive his counsel and his empowerment. Then go and share with the people you meet. Know you are sharing words of life and that the Holy Spirit will move on you and your words to make a difference.

Questions:

1) Are you regularly asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to people to share with? Maybe your Holy Spirit connection is deficient.

2) Are you reading the Bible regularly to gain a clear perspective of a victorious Christian life? If not, why not?

May the Holy Spirit lead us to hungry souls this Christmas season.

Pastor Dale