“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 ESV).
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV).
We use lamps on end tables to light up our living room. They work well. We have them plugged into outlets that are switch activated. That way, we can turn them on at the wall switch when we enter the room.
However, sometimes they don’t work. We flip the switch and nothing. No light. Usually, it’s a burned-out bulb. Easy enough to replace. But occasionally it’s something that requires a bit more thought.
“Is it unplugged from the wall from when someone vacuumed the floor?” I ponder. That could be it. “No…”
“Perhaps there’s a short in the circuit. Better go check the breaker box.” I mutter to myself as I head to the utility room.
Sometimes, it’s because the power is out to the whole house. Then, none of the electrical stuff works.
We all know the drill for how to trouble-shoot why the lights are coming on don’t we? But why is it that most Christians don’t understand how to “turn-on-the-light” in their witnessing?
Having power for witnessing is really quite similar to turning on the lights at your house:
- Make sure you aren’t burned out spiritually. Continue to “fan the flames” (2 Tim. 1:6). Spend regular time with God to encourage yourself and to be fully at rest in His power.
- Make sure you’re “plugged-in” to the Spirit’s power. Confess your sins (1 John 1:9) and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Be under the Spirit’s influence and power.
- Make sure you have “turned-on” the Spirit’s power by actually talking about Jesus to others. You can be resting in God’s presence and filled with His power, yet still not “turning-on” your witness by talking to others. The power is present in you through Christ, but you are not appropriating it by actually engaging others with your Christian witness. Flip the switch!
If you want to experience life-changing power as you witness of your faith in Christ to others, then make sure you check to see if your spiritual “light” is shining!