This passage of Scripture from Acts 1:8 is our Lord’s guarantee of power and the thrust for evangelism. The purpose of the Holy Spirit, directly or indirectly, is to testify of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit is active in our lives, the fruit of His work is a good witness for Jesus Christ.
God knew very well that man, left to himself, could only produce flesh. The prophet Joel prophesied about the age when God’s Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh. Jesus Himself declared that He had to go away so that the Comforter could come.
Now, we are all aware of the inability of our flesh to produce fruit or spiritual gifts. However, we often become so concerned about what God is doing in us that we neglect to see why God is working through us. His work is so that His Son Jesus would be glorified. We have been predestined to be conformed to His image. Just as Jesus is the express image of the Father, we are to be the express image of Jesus.
Whether we like it or not, we are witnesses for the Lord at all times. And in order to be effective, fruitful witnesses, it’s imperative that we be controlled by the Spirit of God. In fact, the Greek word for witness is “martus”, or the English equivalent, “martyr”. After the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you become a “martyr” for Christ, dying to sin and self. The result? Power … dynamite!
May we yield to God’s Spirit more and more, and in so doing become dynamic witnesses for Jesus!
