“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
When we are born again, not only do we receive salvation from Christ, but we are also assigned a task and a goal. If we have been born again, then we have to be fruitful; this also means we have to be His witnesses. To be a witness means we have to tell others about Christ and what the Lord has done in our personal lives. Before He ascended to heaven, He reminded His disciples to become witnesses and the only way to do that is to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
Why does the Lord think that it is important for us to be His witnesses? There are a few purposes. The first purpose is to declare that Jesus is powerful. Living on this earth, we can’t escape from problems/struggles. The Lord Jesus came to this earth to bring good news, answers and solutions to our problems/struggles (Luke 4:17-21). By resurrecting and defeating death, the Lord Jesus reigns over all and through that power, as believers we know that we have divine authority. The Lord has given us that authority (Matthew 28:19-20) to go and spread the Gospel to everyone and continue His ministry (Mark 16:17-18).
When we tell others about Christ, not only are we explaining who He is, but also about what He has done in our lives and how His presence and power have changed our lives. We will tell about His power that works within us and now through us, the same privilege is given to those we become a witness to.
The second purpose is to gain the fruit produced from being filled by the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to do the Great Commission using our own strength. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit are we able to do it. When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they become amazing witnesses of God and as result, they will win many souls for the Lord.
The third purpose is to have a heart that longs to see people repent. All the power and authority are given to us so that we can bring others to Him. This is the Lord’s heart, which was revealed to us throughout the Old and New Testaments. If we say that we are close to the Lord’s heart, we should testify and care about the salvation of others.
Let us start to become witnesses That’s what the Lord wants from His children who have received salvation from Him. God bless you.
Source: GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta Bulletin