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.
~Acts 1:8
I ponder on this verse from time to time, thinking that this is an area that I really need to work on. How many times do I as Christians get a little skittish or frightened when it comes to sharing the Gospel in my own community? I for one get a little nervous when it comes to sharing Christ and I believe it is my sin that causes this. For if I realize that it is the Holy Spirit that gives me the power to be His witness, then why do I hold the reigns and try to guide my path, when it is His path that He wants me to follow. I take the reigns and steer it away thinking that this is not the time, or I will get a better opportunity (next time), or I have something else I have to take care of first then I will. . . . But I always have something better to do, cause I am always busy.
Then one of the most used quotes by some Christians is 'Preach the Gospel always and if necessary use words.' This is a quote,that we say, from Francis of Assisi, though he was a fire and brimstone preacher, evidence shows that he might not have said this, though it is attributed to him. Even still, it is one of those quotes that a lot of lay people in churches and even myself in the past have grasped onto, cause it is easy. Sure, I live in a glass house to my neighbors, but if they do not hear the Gospel and know that I am a follower of Christ, how is this the Gospel? They will start comparing their lifestyle with mine and next thing you know, they convince themselves that we are no different from them; we don't do bad things either; I am a good person just like them. Now the Gospel becomes a false Gospel, something that Paul warns us about in a lot of his letters.
Sure I need to live what I preach, but if I am not sharing the Gospel with my words, how am I being a witness? Witness is an action that requires communication. Communication by actions and words. I need to remember that it is not by my power that the Gospel is being communicated, but by His!
