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
The very last thing Jesus said to His disciples prior to His ascension to heaven was to await the Holy Spirit which will enable them to do His great commission work. Indeed, when the disciple went back to Jerusalem in the upper room, the Holy Ghost came like a mighty wind and gave them the power and the boldness to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. When the disciples assembled in the upper room, they did not know how they were going to proclaim the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Many of them were afraid that they would be arrested like Jesus was. Their fear was real and justified because the religious leaders were determined to put an end to the Jesus movement. However, when the Holy Ghost came upon them, their fear was replaced with spiritual boldness, and they proclaimed the message of Christ with power and conviction such that 3000 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ.
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to give believers the boldness to evangelize the world for Christ. The Holy Spirit gives believers the language, the knowledge, the ability, the courage, and the passion to tell a sinful world about Jesus, the Savior who came to redeem the world from eternal damnation. Evangelism is the most important ministry for the Church of Jesus Christ. In today’s text, Jesus made it clear to the disciples they were obligated to evangelism. Indeed, Evangelism is not a choice, but a command.
The command to evangelize is given to everyone when they give their life to Jesus Christ. Every member of the body of Christ is an evangelizer endowed with the power to spread the gospel of truth. Yet, many believers are afraid to share their faith with others because they do not want to be rejected or be viewed as overbearing or intolerant. However, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).” Therefore, we should be bold in sharing our faith with others.
This is the age of evangelism. The time is fast approaching when believers will be restricted and even prevented from evangelizing in this country. Even now, there are many countries that prohibit Christian evangelism. So, evangelism now must be our priority now. The good news is that the Holy Ghost has given us the boldness to evangelize. We just need to do it!
The Christian life must be lived with spiritual boldness because of the power given to us by Jesus Christ. When we doubt our spiritual boldness, we should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to invade our lives as it did in the upper on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is our spiritual fuel who removes our timidity and gives us boldness. We need to approach every aspect of day-to-day living with that Holy Ghost boldness. It is with that boldness we can call into existence the things that do not exist. This means we can call into existence financial prosperity in times of scarcity. We can call into existence a cure for cancer, heart disease, Covid 19, or any other major illness.
Let us not forget that God did not create us to worry or live with persistent anxiety. The Lord created us to live in victory as conquerors through Christ Jesus. Therefore, we must live with Holy Ghost boldness so we can call into existence things that do not exist whenever necessary.
This Holy Spirit boldness informs our worship and gives us the passion to praise God even in times of trial. Last week, I was talking to a sister in Christ who is struggling with a death in her family and recovering from a major medical challenge. During that conversation, she expressed trust in God’s comforting grace and the power of God to heal her. This sister exuded such Holy Ghost boldness that I left the conversation with renewed faith and confidence in God to deal with my personal challenges.
Let us not forget the power we have through the Holy Spirit to face our challenges. My daily prayer is for God to give me Holy Ghost boldness so I can walk in victory and defeat. I want the boldness to rebuke demonic spirits and call healing into existence for those who are sick. Most mostly, I want the boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ fervently with a conviction for the salvation of the lost.
Questions for Personal Reflection
How is the boldness of the Holy Spirit evident in your life?
Why is it necessary to live the Christian life with Holy Ghost boldness?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, please give me the boldness to do the great commission work of Jesus Christ. May I not allow fear to silence the voice of the Holy Spirit who is stirring me to do your kingdom work. Please help those who are timid about sharing their faith with others the boldness to do so fervently and effectually.
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