But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (GNT)
Have you ever prayed to receive the Holy Spirit? Have you ever prayed that you would get a huge anointing of the Spirit? Have you prayed it for yourself or others? I have.
I pray for an anointing of the Holy Spirit all the time. I pray for a super duper portion. I pray it for me and for people I know. Heck, sometimes I even pray it for my whole church and for all churches all over….for God’s people.
Why do we pray this? I know I pray it because I want Holy Spirit power. Key word there is probably power. I want the Holy Spirit to move in such a powerful way that people know he’s in it without any doubt.
As I read Acts 1:8 I got stuck. I got stuck on what we are supposed to do when the Holy Spirit comes on us. It says When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power (WOOHOO!), and you will be witnesses for me everywhere. (WOOHOOs inserted are mine.)
There you go. I can be filled with the Holy Spirit and I can be filled with power. But wait. What am I supposed to do with it? Is it to make my ministry successful? Is it to get the church worship service to move people? Is it to get people dialed into my denomination or to grow the numbers attending my service? What is it for? The Bible says it is so I will be a witness for Jesus.
The definition of witness is to give evidence of something or to have personal knowledge of something. So, when we receive the Holy Spirit, we are supposed to share what we know personally, because we’ve experienced it. We are supposed to be out there, telling people about our Jesus and showing them how much he loves them. And, we are supposed to do it everywhere we go.
I know there is so much more to this than my brain can comprehend but I am now clear on something. When I pray for the Holy Spirit, I understand why I will receive it. I understand what I’m supposed to do when I do receive it. Share Jesus. Simple, yet powerful.