I have recently been reading through the book of Acts. The common theme that I have observed in the first several chapters is the idea of the Holy Spirit coming upon the believers.

In this study, I’ve noticed a pattern:

1. The Holy Spirit comes upon an individual or group.
2. The person/people speak with boldness and power through the Holy Spirit.
3. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

I feel the Spirit reawakening a passion within my life and He’s moving in our midst. Let us follow the pattern, where He fills us, then let the power and passion drive us to follow the command Jesus gave, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). I am broken that I, and so many others are living in silence and mediocrity. We were meant for more. We are meant to be Christ’s representatives in this world, “⁸ 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.” We are not called to sit in our little circles and discuss the ‘what ifs’ of the Christian walk.

I have failed in this area. I have been timid, and secretive, even afraid, about sharing my faith, until now. I’ve seen the darkness of this world, and the lost souls that are running unhindered to destruction, and I’ve said nothing, until now. I was afraid of what people would say, how they would react, what would they think. I did not want to take the risk. Keith Green once gave a message on this, saying,

“Every day people go down to the pits of a deepest dark hell, your neighbors, your friends, your relatives. And you don’t want to ‘blow your witness’; you don’t want to ‘turn them off.’ You don’t want to make them feel like you’re trying to get them saved, so you don’t and so they go to hell. Now I’m asking you, what are you giving them in return, a cool friendship? I’d rather have people hate me, and the knowledge that I tried to save them.”

Keith Green

I have been sacrificing my calling as a Christian to “make disciples of all nations” so that I could be ‘relevant’ to the culture, until now. I was afraid of charging into the battle, afraid of getting attacked, afraid of failing; in doing so, I did fail, I faltered and lost precious time in this work. This, as I have observed is a common difficulty among many believers. Too often are we afraid and timid, when it comes to our fight against the enemy, that we forget that we have a Savior who has already won. When we charge into the battle zone, we are carrying the banner of the Almighty, when we speak of His sacrifice, we speak with our lives, our redeemed lives. He laid down His life for us while we were blinded in the darkness of sin, now those who live in the light should be ready to lay it all on the line for His name.

I have been awakened with a fire and passion that has long laid cold in my heart. I’m learning to no longer be concerned with the pleasures of this world. As a Christian, it is my privilege to be just that: a Christian, a sold out, all in, no regrets disciple of the Savior of my soul. I’m not talking about singing louder in church or wearing a Christian t-shirt. Every ounce of my being needs to be spent in service of my Lord. “⁸If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:8). It is not necessary to know how He wants to use me. It is only my honor to offer myself to be poured out as He wishes. I have recommitted myself to the Lord, I am a tool to be used by Him in any way He sees fit. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21). It is time to allow the Spirit to fill our lives and move to save those lost souls. Major Ian Thomas said, “The One who calls you to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, is the One who by your consent, goes into all the world and preaches the Gospel to every creature through you!” We do not do it on our own merit, but rather as an apparatus for His design.

I’ve wasted, too much time in the quiet, comfort zone. NO MORE! I sat at the kitchen table the other night, talking with my parents, discussing some very heavy life decisions, I broke into tears, “I just want to love Jesus.” That is my prayer for all people, to be so enraptured in the One who died for our sins that we set Him before our eyes as the only object of our affection. God is ready to move in us, but are we ready to allow Him to use us? It’s time for us, this generation, His church to wake up. It’s time to become what we were called to be. The Holy Spirit has come to us, now we must let Him act out His will through us.

We frequently want to sit and pray, ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done’ but we don’t want to do His will. The last thing Jesus told us to do before he ascended was to GO! Now is not the time to sit at home and twiddle our thumbs and say ‘Well, I’m glad I’m saved.’ Now is not the time to feel comfortable about our eternal fate. As we sit and pat ourselves on the back, people every day, every minute are going to Hell! It is Jesus’ mission we have been sent on to be His hands and feet to the world, and we are failing! It’s time for us as believers to stop wasting time and go do what we, the Church, were made for: To be Christ’s hands to save those souls who are running unhindered to destruction. Shame on us that we let one minute go by without preaching salvation to them! We have to get out of our heads and be his hands, hands of love, hands of healing. Remember His hands were pierced, we are not promised it will be easy, but we are promised it is good. Charge now into the war zone, with the banner of Christ written on your heart. There is no need to be afraid because He has already won, no need to hesitate, He has already conquered. No more wasted time. No more timidity. No More Distractions. Just Give Me Jesus!