Am I Qualified?
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Do you remember the feeling you encountered when you started a new job? Do you remember the frustration at times when you were willing to put forth the effort; you really wanted to do it, but you simply couldnt, because you didnt have the experience or knowledge as of yet? I remember this all too well. But eventually, you learned and became familiar with everything needed to do the job, and before you knew it, you were doing your job to the best of your effortlessly.
What would have happened if you were unwilling to properly learn the job though? We all know the answer to this question; it would have resulted in being terminated.
There may have even been times during our employment history when we may have gotten in over our head with regards to what was needed to perform a job, and this, too, could have resulted in frustration, as our or lack of abilities kept us from doing the job. When we become frustrated, this can cause us to be depressed, discouraged, and even result in our quitting.
In like manor, we can, and will, face these same challenges in our Christian walk. Whether we are new believers in Jesus or weve been saved for 40-years; it doesnt matter; we all need to know the basics and be trained and ready so we can do the job our Lord and Savior has called us to do.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 1Peter 3:15 (NLT)
I felt compelled to write a series of devotions on helping Christians in sharing the Gospel message with others. And more specifically, what the Gospel Message is; what happens when we receive Christ, and how it should affect our life. These basic elements are essential, and having a clear understanding will make the job easy and rewarding. You may know all of these, but you can always brush up, or share this with others who want to know.
In Part one, I wanted to address a common question many believers have, and the question is this:
Q:Am I even qualified to share the Gospel Message?
A:Yes! Not only yes, but a Praise Jesus! Yes!
Here are a few things, which will allow you to understand why you, and every other believer are qualified to share:
1.The Holy Spirit will teach us The Gospel Message.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)
2.The Holy Spirit will remind us of what we have studied when sharing with others.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representativethat is, the Holy Spirithe will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26 (NLT)
3.The Holy Spirit will supply the power to us to go and boldly share the message.
And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 2:4 (NLT)
So, we can clearly see we are qualified to share the Gospel, because we know God will teach us as we read the Word. He will remind us of what we have read when we are talking with others. And He will give us the power to be bold when sharing our faith, and our testimony with others.
This doesnt mean every one of us is going to be a professional evangelical preacher. In fact, some are given greater talents with regards to speaking and sharing the Gospel. But we can know in our hearts, weve all been given the power of the Holy Spirit to do everything God has called us to do. And we know He will equip us for each situation. Our free will determines whether we will allow Him to use us, or not. We just need to be willing to be obedient to the great commission in sharing the Gospel.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Acts 1:8, where will we receive our power from, and for what purpose?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you willing to allow God to use you to share the Gospel message of salvation?
APPLICATION: Seek God daily in prayer. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you will overflow with the power needed to accomplish His will through your life.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Do you remember the feeling you encountered when you started a new job? Do you remember the frustration at times when you were willing to put forth the effort; you really wanted to do it, but you simply couldnt, because you didnt have the experience or knowledge as of yet? I remember this all too well. But eventually, you learned and became familiar with everything needed to do the job, and before you knew it, you were doing your job to the best of your effortlessly.
What would have happened if you were unwilling to properly learn the job though? We all know the answer to this question; it would have resulted in being terminated.
There may have even been times during our employment history when we may have gotten in over our head with regards to what was needed to perform a job, and this, too, could have resulted in frustration, as our or lack of abilities kept us from doing the job. When we become frustrated, this can cause us to be depressed, discouraged, and even result in our quitting.
In like manor, we can, and will, face these same challenges in our Christian walk. Whether we are new believers in Jesus or weve been saved for 40-years; it doesnt matter; we all need to know the basics and be trained and ready so we can do the job our Lord and Savior has called us to do.
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 1Peter 3:15 (NLT)
I felt compelled to write a series of devotions on helping Christians in sharing the Gospel message with others. And more specifically, what the Gospel Message is; what happens when we receive Christ, and how it should affect our life. These basic elements are essential, and having a clear understanding will make the job easy and rewarding. You may know all of these, but you can always brush up, or share this with others who want to know.
In Part one, I wanted to address a common question many believers have, and the question is this:
Q:Am I even qualified to share the Gospel Message?
A:Yes! Not only yes, but a Praise Jesus! Yes!
Here are a few things, which will allow you to understand why you, and every other believer are qualified to share:
1.The Holy Spirit will teach us The Gospel Message.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)
2.The Holy Spirit will remind us of what we have studied when sharing with others.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representativethat is, the Holy Spirithe will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26 (NLT)
3.The Holy Spirit will supply the power to us to go and boldly share the message.
And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 1Corinthians 2:4 (NLT)
So, we can clearly see we are qualified to share the Gospel, because we know God will teach us as we read the Word. He will remind us of what we have read when we are talking with others. And He will give us the power to be bold when sharing our faith, and our testimony with others.
This doesnt mean every one of us is going to be a professional evangelical preacher. In fact, some are given greater talents with regards to speaking and sharing the Gospel. But we can know in our hearts, weve all been given the power of the Holy Spirit to do everything God has called us to do. And we know He will equip us for each situation. Our free will determines whether we will allow Him to use us, or not. We just need to be willing to be obedient to the great commission in sharing the Gospel.
STUDY QUESTION: According to Acts 1:8, where will we receive our power from, and for what purpose?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you willing to allow God to use you to share the Gospel message of salvation?
APPLICATION: Seek God daily in prayer. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you will overflow with the power needed to accomplish His will through your life.
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