Christopher Powers, Instagram, @fullofeyes
DAY 40, WITNESSES
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8, NKJV
He enables me to be His witness
Since Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” Luke 19:10, He will naturally lead people to salvation through His followers.
“Jesus, dwelling in you, desires to speak to the hearts of those who are not acquainted with Him.” Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p.115
God urges us to be “praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 20. When Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, then we can pray in the Holy Spirit as well as in the name of Jesus. Jesus assures us,
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may beglorified in the Son.” John 14:13, NKJV
We are clearly told,
“We must not only pray in Christ’s name, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p.147
What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? “To pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention of that name at the beginning and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and spirit of Jesus, while we believe His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works.” Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, pp. 100, 101.
Thus, praying in the name of Christ enables us in four different aspects,
1. Praying in the spirit of Jesus means being filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. Believing in His promises, claiming promises while we pray.
3. Relying on His grace, with faith, in the wonderful mutual-trust relationship with God.
4. Working His works, for example through His Spirit being obedient in all things.
He promised to answer our prayers. This shows that Jesus has immense confidence in those who abide in Him. We may take advantage of all the promises through Christ in us.
“For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen.” 2 Corinthians 1:20
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue [this means an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ]: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:3,4, KJV
Note God’s wonderful way, [1] He has already given us what we need to live and for a godly way of life. [2] We receive these gifts through an intimate relationship with Christ. [3] These things are generously given in this relationship through claiming promises in prayer, that is, through prayers of faith so that we will partake of the divine nature. [4] The final result is a transformation of our inner being and we witness to others about this process the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives!
The great change in the life of Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor was the great missionary in charge of the China-Inland Mission, he received a letter from his missionary colleague McCarthy. God used this letter to open his eyes to the wonderful truth of our abiding in Christ and His abiding in us. It revealed the truth about the secret of the union between the believer and Christ. From this day on, Taylor’s path with God was a path of peace, rest, and victory. His missionary colleagues noticed this amazing change. They commented on how Taylor was taking a new path as a new man in a new world to share his testimony of what the Lord had done for him.
Taylor wrote a letter to his sister in England, where he tried to explain this wonderful truth he had discovered and the wonderful experience he had with his God. He wrote,
“My work has never been as extensive, as full of responsibility and as difficult as now, but now the pressure and strain have completely disappeared. The past month was probably the happiest month in my life. I’m longing to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for me. I don’t know if I am capable of making it clear, because there isn’t really anything new or strange or marvelous and yet everything is new! In a nutshell: ‘Where I was blind I can now see!’ When my burden was biggest, God used a sentence in a letter from McCarthy to make the scales fall from my eyes. The Spirit of God revealed to me the truth about our oneness with Jesus as I had never known before.”
Taylor went on in his letter to describe how the Lord had opened his understanding for the words of Christ — that He is the Vine and the believers are the branches. He wrote, “Oh the joy of seeing this truth!” Then he continued,
“The sweetest part — if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification [consensus and surrender] with Christ brings. I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. It is more necessary that He considers this than me. For in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient.”
Dennis Smith says the following about Taylor’s experience,
“Hudson Taylor found the secret of victory on his path with God. He discovered how he could have great peace in every situation in his service for Christ. God offers the same victory and the same peace to all of His children. Are you longing for such victory and peace? It is my prayer that everybody finds precisely this victory and peace in Christ — a joy that seemed unattainable before.” Dennis Smith, Spirit Baptism and Abiding in Christ, p. 10, 11.
In the last day of 2022, if you [continually] accept Christ’s dwelling through the Holy Spirit in your heart, you will receive the same results as Hudson Taylor and so many others that had their lives transformed, overflowing and fruitful for Christ – which is characterized by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5, NKJV
Jesus said about Himself,
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” John 14:10, NKJV
Jesus has a great desire that you and I can say, Jesus Christ, who lives in me, accomplishes His works.
“Christ in the heart, Christ in the life, this is our safety.” Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p.511
Prayer,
“Lord Jesus, I marvel at the fact that you want to enter my life. When I give my life to you, you fill me with the Holy Spirit. I want to praise you and thank you that through God’s grace you have become wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption for me (1 Corinthians 1:30). Please give me joyful and visible growth through fellowship with You through the Holy Spirit. Amen.”