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EMPOWERED TO WITNESS (ACTS 2:1-13)

The theme for our reflection is “Empowered to witness.” To be empowered means to be given authority or equipped with the knowledge, confidence, means, and ability to do some things. To witness means to share the Gospel or one’s encounter with Jesus with others for their salvation. “Empowered to witness” means we have been given the power to spread the Gospel for the salvation of the world. We shall reflect on the fact that the source of our authority and enablement to witness is the Holy Spirit.

Dear friend, Jesus acknowledged the fact that the truth He taught His disciples about Himself and His salvation ought to be sustained by His disciples and also transcend generations to come, therefore, He assured them of the gift of the Holy Spirit who will be the source of empowerment for the disciples to witness or preach the Gospel. The promise of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4). The “other tongues” were not incomprehensible languages, they were languages that other people who were not Jews could speak and understand in their native languages.

The importance of this gift of the Holy Spirit was to empower the believers to witness to people beyond the geographical boundaries of Israel about God to fulfil the Great Commission when said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Truly, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to witness to non-Jews,  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Acts 2:6-12. It means God wants everyone in the world to know that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) Indeed, when we rely on the Holy Spirit as a church or a fellowship of believers, we shall be empowered to witness to people of other languages and cultures. It is for this purpose we must have a language policy of reaching out to people of diverse cultures and languages. We must endeavour to speak in tongues or languages that are understandable to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In summary, we have discovered that the source of our authority and enablement to witness is the Holy Spirit. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, restore and empower us to send light to where there is darkness through our witnessing. Amen.