Why and How Should I Tell Others?

Why? 

1. Because Jesus asked us to. In the Great Commission, Jesus tells us to “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). While this may be the most common verse that encourages us to spread the good news, the word ‘go’ is written in the Bible over 1000 times. Perhaps it is time to actually listen to what Jesus is telling us to do.
2. Not only are we commanded to spread the hope in Christ, people around the world are so desperately in need of the truth. Our friends, family members, neighbours, and strangers around the world are searching for fulfillment in all the wrong places. It is you and I that can direct them to Christ. 

How?

Presence

As followers of Christ, you and I “are the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. 

Nicky reminds us that salt was used to preserve food, to prevent it from going bad. What a calling that is for us to be the salt of the earth – we are to prevent society from walking away from God. And we can help do this by using our light. There may not be many people who agree with your faith, but just like the flame of a small match can been seen from afar, the light you have in you because of Christ can be used to direct people to Him. 

“People do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). 

Our behaviours are absolutely crucial. Some people can identify others as Christians by their actions, while other people watch the behaviours of others because they are Christians. Whatever the case may be, we are being watched and therefore our words and actions to testify of Christ within us. 

The behaviours of kids and parents attest to their values
and how they are raised.

When I was 12 years old, my parents took the entire family to Florida during March break. There were no individual TV screens for each passenger so all of us children had to find another way to be occupied for 2 hours in a cramped plane. I’m not sure about you, but I have experienced some pretty cranky, inpatient children during flight – it definitely tested my patience! So imagine a family of 7 aboard a plane: 2 parents with 5 children of the ages 13, 12, 10, 8, and 7. It could have been a disaster, but for the full flight, from boarding in Buffalo to taxiing in Orlando, we were nearly silent the entire way. We arranged the seating so that we could play card games, work on puzzles, and colour pictures together. As we were gathering our baggage to leave the plane, a lady came up to my mom and asked, “Are you Christian?” My mom was caught a little off-guard by her question, but she responded, “Yes, we are actually. Why do you ask?” The lady told my mom that she was so impressed with our behaviour and the way we interacted with each other that she concluded we must be a Christian family. How amazing is that! We had no idea who the other passengers on the plane were, but our behaviour testified to them of our faith!

Peter says that “they may be won over without words [but] by the behaviours” (1 Peter 3:1-2). Actions do speak louder than words and if our behaviour speak to our faith, it can often be much more influential than the words we use to testify about God.

Persuasion

Sometimes the thought of persuading people brings a negative connotation, but Peter reminds us to persuade by reasoning, not by pressure. Be gentle. Have respect for the individual. Don’t try to pressure them to Christ because you will most likely create a very negative experience for the person; instead, provide logical reasons and share your own personal story. 

Proclamation
“Come…and you will see” (John 1:41). Albert Minkins told his friends about Christ but rather than just telling, he invited them out to a conference. Albert’s conversations, excitement, and behaviours made his friends curious about what this God thing was all about. At the conference, Albert’s friend, Billy Graham, gave his life to Christ, and since that one invitation, Graham has transformed thousands of lives through his worldwide events and books. We can’t all be Billy Grahams, but we can all be Albert Minkins. “Come and see.”

Power

I have a passion for people, desperately wanting every individual to experience the love and grace of God in a personal way. But sometimes, I have tried too hard. I focused too much on my words and what I could do rather than letting God use me. Jesus tells us that there is power in the Word, but there is also power in the Spirit – it is the Holy Spirit, not you and I that changes lives. So when we are telling others about our story and about Christ, we must let the Spirit work through us.

Prayer

Prayer is power! As Carlos shared, when you and I came to Christ, it is most likely because people were praying for us. We as individuals don’t have the power to change lives, but we can pray for ourselves to have the courage and boldness to share and for God to open the blind eyes of our friends and family so that they can know Christ personally too.  

Alpha Challenge:

1. Make an intentional effort to share Christ and your story with someone this week.
2. Don’t let a negative response cause you to give up. Continue to pray for boldness to share and for lives to be changed. 

Does God Heal Today?

Healing?? Yes. Simply put, God says, “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).

Since healing is a supernatural phenomenon and works against scientific method, it is difficult for many to believe that healing is real. Healing, however, is prominent in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. In Matthew 4, “Jesus went all about Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Jesus didn’t just heal a few people who were blind or lame, but He healed people that had all sorts of illnesses! God created you – from the colour of your hair to the specific cells and genes in your body – so don’t you think He can heal your body of whatever the issue is?? 

So yes, Jesus healed. What’s even more amazing to me, however, is that Jesus gave regular folk, like you and I, the commission and authority to do the same. Now for some, healing may not necessarily be your spiritual gift, but with the Spirit we can all at least pray for healing. Some people will receive words of knowledge via pictures, sympathy pain, impressions, or words for specific healings, while other times there is little voice from the Spirit. Whatever the case, we should fully pursue God’s healing power. I encourage you to pray someone (a friend, family member, stranger, yourself) who is in need a healing and pray with them:

• Ask them what they would like healing of.
• Pray in the name of Jesus for the Spirit and healing.
• Reassure them of God’s love, whether or note they were healed.
• Persist in prayer. No matter the outcome Jesus commanded it, independent of the success rate.

Now at this time, as we live between this age and the age to come, not everyone will be healed. Sometimes we wonder why God heals some people but not others, and ultimately, God knows. He has His purpose and we just need to trust Him. However, healing today is a sign of what is to come, a taste of the future age where everyone in Christ will be completely healed. How amazing is it that God gives us a little glimpse of heaven on earth! 

Alpha Challenge:

1. Continue to pray for our Alpha family. There are many physical, emotional, and spiritual healings that need to take place. (See the prayer request list in the circulating Alpha email).
2. Fully believe and pursue God’s healing power. Even having faith small as a mustard seed can move mountains. 

Alpha Retreat - Holy Spirit Weekend

What an amazing, powerful weekend for all of us! At this point, it has been a couple weeks since our one-day retreat to Braeside, but I love looking back to reflect on the experiences we all shared together. For some, the day was a time to let the Spirit take lead of your life; for others, the day was an important time to reflect on God’s work in your life and to rededicate your life to Him; and yet for others, this day became a significant moment in your life where you committed your life to Christ and accepted Him into your heart. Praise God! I thank God for all of you and for how He used the weekend to encourage each of you!

Who is the Holy Spirit?

From the very beginning, the Holy Spirit was involved in creation. Genesis 1:2 states that the “Spirit of God hovered over the waters”. At the time of creation, He brought life, newness and unity; and still today, the Spirit breathes life within us physically and spiritually. 

In the Old Testament, the Spirit only came upon particular people at a particular time for a particular task. In the example of Gideon who felt inadequate to lead the Mideonites, the Spirit filled him in leadership; in Samson’s life, the Spirit of God came upon him in power to destroy the people who were imprisoning him. However, the Old Testament is also filled with promises that God would pour out His Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28-29). The laws of the OT were a burden as no one could keep them so the Lord promised that rather than making the laws external, He would make it internal; meaning that the laws would be written on our hearts as something that we WANT to obey, not just a law we have to obey. This change in desire would be a result of the Spirit within us. Ezekial prophesied from God, saying “I will give you a new heart and a new Spirit I will put within you…I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (Ezekial 36:26-27).

These promises became a reality in the New Testament after Jesus ascended into heaven. Acts 1 and 2 express the first accounts of the coming of the Holy Spirit into people’s lives. As in the case with the disciples and apostles, the power of the Holy Spirit allowed them to heal and to share Christ boldly. The same is true for us. Jesus calls us to “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself. (Acts 2:38).

To be quite honest, this was a hopeful reminder for me. There have been times that I wished Jesus was still here so that He could clarify things that He said, or so that He could guide me to making the right decisions for the future. Perhaps you have had similar thoughts and questions. However, Jesus was human and during His time on earth, His presence was limited just like ours: He couldn’t be everywhere at once, and He certainly couldn’t help everyone at once. If He would still be around, there is sure to be chaos in this world! Even Jesus tells us that it is for our very own benefit that He left earth because He promised to send His Spirit – a person of the Trinity who could be everywhere at once, who could help us all at once. He is here to comfort us, to heal us, to give us peace and power, to convict us, to guide us. Yes, we need Jesus because of what He has done for us, but it is the Spirit that comes to live within us. 

What does the Holy Spirit Do?

Sons and Daughters of God

Beyond the Spirit’s ability to comfort, guide, and convict us, it is ultimately the Spirit that makes us adopted sons and daughters of God. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…you have received the Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:14). Having the Spirit in our lives provides us with the greatest privilege, intimacy, and security we can ever experience. It is the Holy Spirit that testifies with our spirit that we are deeply loved by God; so loved, in fact, that we are heirs of God to his eternal treasures. 

Developing our Relationship

From the moment our lives are changed in Christ, we enter into personal relationship with God. And like any beginning relationship, things may be awkward at first: you don’t always know what to say; you’re not quite sure how to act with that person; you may be trying hard not to mess things up. Christians experience the same thing when they first enter into a relationship with God. Talking to God is an unchartered ground. What do I say to Him? Is this the right way to being doing this?

Praying can be a challenging conversation at times, but it is the Spirit that helps us to pray. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words” (Romans 8:26). There is not necessarily a right and wrong way to pray – just talk. God wants to hear how you are doing, what’s going on in your life, and how He can help you. And just like in any relationship, God also wants to hear how much you appreciate Him. So if you don’t quite know what to say, thank Him for everything He has done and is going to do in your life. Take a moment to pause and let the Spirit guide you with the words to say. 

When we are led by Spirit, He also enables us to understand God’s Word. Many of us have shared experiences where, in the past, certain Bible verses that we listened to or read made no sense; but once we have the Spirit, “we are given a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, having our hearts enlightened” (Ephesians 1:17-18). Basically, the Spirit helps us to understand what God is teaching us through the Bible.

Family Likeness

Whether a believer or an unbeliever, we are all made in the image of God. Amazingly, when we become a son or daughter of God, the Spirit begins to transform us to reflect more and more the likeness and glory of God – this happens through the fruits of the Spirit. “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These characteristics do not necessarily come instantaneously, but as you grow in faith, the Spirit will help you to become more like God. 

How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

Every Christian does have the Spirit, but not every Christian is filled with the Spirit. The Spirit helps every Christian to pray, to understand God’s truths, to develop the characteristics of God, and to identify spiritual gifts; however, there is filling of the Spirit that we should long for. 

In Acts 10, the people experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and they were released in praise, worshipping God with their minds, hearts, and bodies. On a supernatural level, the people received a new language – a gift of tongues – in which people could speak in an unknown human or angelic language. The gift of tongues is both a form of prayer and praise that transcends our own language limitations. Perhaps you have experienced times when you are so zoned into a prayer but you no longer have the words to express how you are feeling or what you want to say. This is when the Spirit comes in: you are in control of your mouth, but it is the Spirit praying, not our minds. 

Often the gift of tongues is the first of supernatural gifts that is expressed when filled with the Spirit, however everyone’s experience with the Spirit is different. It is important to remember that the physical manifestations are not what matters but what is happening in the heart. I will admit that, because I so desperately want to be filled with the Spirit again and again, I sometimes pursue the manifestations rather than God Himself. But I have learned that eagerly desiring GOD is what is most important. 

So how do we receive this gift? Eagerly desire it and ask God. Put aside all doubt, fear, and thoughts of inadequacy, and believe in what God can do through His Spirit. Matthew 7:7 says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” 

It is important to remember that the gift of tongues is not the only manifestation of being filled with the Spirit. In fact, Paul encourages us to desire prophesy over tongues because prophesy helps to build up and encourage each other while tongues is only meant to be private between you and God (unless there is an interpretation). Whatever the gift may be, let us “pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1).