This verse is telling us what we are going to "be" not just what we are going to "do." The Holy Spirit gives us the power to "be" a witness...the witnessing just flows out as life...not as a sales pitch for Jesus. :-)
Blessings! Craig
1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."
:-) The amazing thing is that He even uses those, at least to plant some seeds if nothing else. :-) But, I had completely rejected Christianity until I met Christ. :-) Hummm...same as Paul but I'm not a messenger of Christ just a disciple. :-)
Yes Bren, guess I was always immune to anything "sales" because my "step" father (really my Mothers boy friend) was a high pressure salesman and my Mom was also a very strong woman. BUT, praise God, that is what He used to make me just the way He wanted me. :-) All that negative stuff was used in a positive way by God. :-)
On, the other hand, I also remember going out with genuine "evangelists: proclaimers of the Good News" and it seemed that while I was with them I was under their anointing. We walked the streets in Houston where all the gay bars and such are and handed out tracks. Of course it always ended up that I would end up talking to Christians who had fallen away from the Lord. :-) One night I meant a deacon son and a preachers son, both had fallen away because they had been put under law...it had brought them to the end of themselves but there was no one that was telling them the Good News!
My "evangelist" friend always ends up talking to those who are ripe for the harvest. It is amazing to me that when I go to lunch with him it almost always ends up with the waitress coming to the Lord. But you definitely can tell the difference between a "sales pitch" and the real deal even if the words are similar. But handing out tracks isn't something I'm normally led to do. :-) Encouraging Christians is. :-)
Here is something from Oswald Chambers today and fits with this:
Oswald Chambers wrote: Title : My Utmost for His Highest
"Most of us live only within the level of consciousness—consciously serving and consciously devoted to God. This shows immaturity and the fact that we’re not yet living the real Christian life. Maturity is produced in the life of a child of God on the unconscious level, until we become so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him. When we are consciously aware of being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, we have yet another level to reach—a level where all awareness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is completely eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint—a saint is consciously dependent on God."
So I can honestly say that I am not at the place yet where I am not consciously aware of being used by Him. It makes sense that a well pruned branch would so abide in the vine that it just naturally lets the life of the vine flow through it.
Follow this blog
