The final command – witness
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.
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #135 Yesterday, Today and Forever (#133 in previous version)
Jesus promised He would give us the power of the Holy Spirit and gave His final command. This was the promise that we would receive the filling of the Holy Spirit and be raised as witnesses. What kind of witnesses do you think this means? In the world, problems still flow from the incident of Genesis 3 and Satan who is unseen to the eyes is driving humankind into destruction. However, God said He would crush the head of the serpent by sending the Offspring of the woman. The reason the Son of God came was to destroy the work of the devil. He said we would be witnesses of this work. People do not know the spiritual world. If we want to be a witness, what must we do?
1. The content and order we must not change
The very first thing we must do is grab hold of the blessings inside of Christ whom God sent and pray. The blessings we must enjoy in Christ are these. God is with us by His Holy Spirit, He is guiding us and through the Holy Spirit He gives us power – we call this our identity. In addition, the authority to win against the forces of darkness has been given to us. The method to enjoy our identity and authority in the field to our heart’s desire is continuous prayer. God promised that all things will be given to those who first seek His kingdom and righteousness.
2. The evidences visible to the eyes
All the important things God spoke to us about are evidences that are invisible. We cannot see our heart and mind, soul, the Holy Spirit, and Satan. However, people only talk about things we can see with our eyes. If we enjoy this blessing, the evidences we can see with our eyes come to us. The miracles of the Old Testament and the healing in the Bible’s New Testament arose when they grabbed hold of Jesus Christ. We must become witnesses of this.
3. As a witness in the most important place
Although there were disasters that followed each age, people do not know the reason and origin of disasters. People do idol worship because they are frustrated. They think all religions are the same. We must stand as the witnesses to save these people. There is no reason for us to shake. If we grab hold of the covenant and pray, the kingdom of God will come. This is because only Christ solves problems. If we stand as witnesses in this work, answers come and the works by which we are naturally healed arise.
-Pray that this may be a day during which you correctly know the spiritual world and more deeply enjoy the Gospel.
Europe Evangelism Conference Lecture 2 / 2010.4.6