Die Power within Us
Those who are saved will be vessels through which God's power and gospel will flow to others, spreading truth to the ends of the world.

The great commission may shock us, especially when we think of reaching the vast multitudes who huddle into huge city high-rise apartment complexes, the suburban commuters who seek comfort in affluent subdivisions, those who choose a quieter place and the slower pace of villages and small towns, the nomads who follow their camels through desert sand, the adventurers who seek excitement on steep slopes and fresh mountain air, the farmers who pursue gainful rewards from enriched soil, the primitive people whose roads are jungle trails, and those who battle with the frozen tundra.

To evangelize the entire world population is not possible without the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter how blessed a person may be with talent, personality, energy, and intellect, he is not equipped to reach even one person with the gospel until he is filled with the Spirit.

The power of the Spirit flows through us to convict people of their sins and to engender hope and faith in God's grace and goodness. God has anointed us to preach the gospel, and anointed preaching moves people to God.

The Holy Ghost is God's power residing in us. (See Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.) God's power through us can turn people from serving Satan to serving our Lord. The power, however, is not a formula to follow or even a principle to practice, but the living reality of God abiding in us. From His throne in our hearts, God gives us guidance as we work in His kingdom. He anoints our witnessing words with power to convince, convict, and convert the lost.

The disciples who went to Jerusalem to receive the Holy Ghost were Jews. They received the Spirit as Jesus promised, yet the outpouring of the Spirit was an event to be experienced by "all flesh," not merely by Jews in Jerusalem.

Samaritans received the Spirit; the Spirit fell on Gentiles at Caesarea; in Ephesus twelve disciples of John the Baptist received the Holy Ghost; then there were Paul in Damascus, a jailer in Philippi, a group of immoral sinners in Corinth, and people in Caesar's household in Rome.

Each new convert, whether Jew or Gentile, Greek or Roman, poor or rich, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and this saving experience included a propelling presence and power to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to others.

Jesus said that receiving the Holy Ghost would be like rivers of water flowing out of our innermost being. (See John 7:37-39.) This life-changing experience satisfies a person's spiritual needs and then abundantly flows from him to reach others.

We can reach our generation with the gospel. With God, all things become possible. If we let Him, He may through His power in us save some of our friends and neighbors. And those who are saved will be vessels through which God's power and gospel will flow to others, spreading truth to the ends of the world.

Author: J.L.Hall, Pentecostal Herald, September 2005 / URL: http://www.upci.org

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