Daily Digest #296

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me . . . to the end of the earth. —Acts 1:8

A common misconception of the word "evangelize" is that one has to be a priest, a licensed preacher, or a nun in order to do this. What we do not realize is that evangelization simply means "spreading the Word". We may mistake God's Word for religious practices that we ourselves do not even practice or understand, those that could take time and deep understanding to be truly followed. But if we focus on God alone -- who He is in our lives, what His love has done for us, and our sincere desire to please and glorify His name -- without forgetting our place as sinners who need His salvation, then I believe anyone of us can be an effective "evangelizer".

God's message come in many forms, through different instruments, including ourselves. Our life's testimonies are living proofs of God's love and power over our lives. They may mean little to some, but so much to someone else that he/she may be drawn closer to God.

Each of us has a responsibility to share. In what way? Let us assess our gifts, our talents our skills, our availability, and open ourselves for opportunities to serve and to show Christ to the world. With prayer and God's help and guidance, let us tell others how God has put meaning and direction to our lives.

Before you read the article "How Can I Share My Faith Without An Argument", allow me to share a POWER acrostic that I found from another reading which will help us remember the essential elements of our own spiritual progress:

Pray. The Christian who wants to grow, communicates with God through prayer. He expresses his gratitude to Him, confesses His sins, and comes to Him with his requests for himself and for others. God promises to be near to all who come to Him in prayer. (Ps. 145:18).

Obey. In John 14, Jesus said that our obedience to His commands is an indicator of our love for Him (vv. 15, 21, 23). We can't do it in our own strength, however. That's one of the reasons He gave us the Holy Spirit (vv. 16-17). As we yield to Him, the Spirit provides the power to walk in obedience (Gal. 5:16-25).

Worship. A Christian's devotion to God is to be continuous. Privately, he should worship God in his thoughts and prayers (Ps. 34:1). Publicly, he should unite with fellow believers in a local assembly to brign praise to God (Ps. 111.1; Heb. 10:24-25).

Evangelize. The good news of the gospel is to be shared. As we tell others what Christ has done for us, we will find ourselves growing by spiritual leaps and bounds (Mt. 28:24-25).

Read. The most direct source of a Christian's spiritual growth is the Bible. It must be read regularly because it is his milk and strong meat (1 Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12-14). It tells us how to live (Ps. 119:105). It is God's word to us today.

For this, let us pray. Lord, thank You for the gift of salvation. Please give us the courage to testify of Your power in our lives so others may see and know You. May we bring light to others just as others had been a light to us. Amen.