05/24/2023 In the last few days, I have had the opportunity to go to a good church service, at a Pentecostal-type church near where we live in SC. It’s good to be with brothers and sisters in the Lord, whether it’s a new experience, or time-tested and well-weathered encounters. On the way home from church, it hit me, as it had the week before, that the power of the Holy Spirit is mainly for Evangelism. John made a statement that at Pentecost the believers were filled with the spirit, for the sake of preaching the gospel to all creation! Why have I missed this? In my desire for holiness, have I forgot the joy I had at first?
Good Old Days
I was driven constantly to tell a person that Jesus really is what His gospel says He is! I desired to see others around me understand the salvation that I had attained by believing in faith and having a genuine regeneration (born-again) experience! And if I were totally honest, those first 3 years of my new life in Christ were the most evangelistic, most radical, and the most demanding years. Those times had persecutions, tears, joys, wonderful memories and growth; but in my innocent naivety – I assumed God really was good, and I knew He was. So, I filled up on Him constantly. It’s not that I did not think God was good in later years, but I think that as I grew in the Lord, it was all-to-easy to forget the love I had at first (Revelation 2:4-5). I was at times disenchanted with rebellious things in my heart, that were not there when I was born-again, and I gazed upon that thought too much, probably. It was never my intention to become un-evangelistic! The last 10+ years have been much for me about personal development, family life, rearing girls, and have had spurts of joyous times here and there when getting to share light with other believers, and probably a dozen or so encounters with “unsaved” people, to witness to them.
Gotta Get Back to It!
My desire is to return to the filling of the Holy Ghost, in the purpose of getting souls connected to God in Jesus Christ. God help me! Being a woman doesn’t limit me to sharing the gospel, but I believe that being a married woman – that there are proper ways to go about it! Hopefully, writing and stirring myself up will continue to help me develop thoughts that are in keeping with God’s spirit and God’s timing. Upholding my husband in what God has called him would still be the main thrust.
Much-Needed Direction
I’m looking through Acts to see what verses will help me along in this, and I’ve already found good direction. I realize that, in light of evangelism, God simply desires for us to share His wonders in our lives (Acts 2:18-19; Acts 6:1-4). When the Holy Spirit helped people speak in new languages in Acts 2, it was the case such that other nationalities started to hear people talking about God’s wonders, in their own language. Imagine that! Coming to a strange place, a new city, and you knowing maybe one person who could translate for you. Then all of a sudden, there is some other person(s) that you can understand, coming to you full of joy, and wanting to tell you about God, the God! This wasn’t happening for one nationality but for the following: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia., Phyrgia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome. (both Jews and convert to Judaism): Cretans and Arabs. They said “Even though these men are Galileans (among us), how is it that we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our tongues?”…”What does this mean?”
Good Influences
I have friends and have seen it before, where when I talk with them, I’m automatically drawn to think about God, what God has done in their lives, and this is because THAT IS WHAT COMES OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS (Hebrews 13:15) Jesus is teaching these sweet souls some stuff, and they want to help a brother by encouraging them. They want another person to relate to them that Jesus is the Lord, and it brings joy when you can meet a person who approaches you with it, how much more joy if God gives us the energy to initiate such talk?
Rebekah's Reflections 