Going for Souls for the Saviour

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. – Acts 1:8

God’s intention for the local church have never changed: it is still to evangelise, win people, baptize them and add them to the church, and then to teach them the truths of GOD, and for people to be transformed by the power of the word of GOD. GOD’s will is for the word to be carried to our Jerusalem, our Judea, our Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. How do we do such a huge task of bringing the gospel concurrently to the people that live farthest away from us?

1. We need the power of GOD: Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. It is clear from the bible, that GOD’s Holy Spirit has come and has been given. GOD has not held back anything that will benefit His child and His church to grow. Question is: have we received this power? How do I receive this power? Many churches actually teach that you need to wait on the Lord for the power to come. The bible teaches clearly that GOD’s spirit indwells every believer at salvation, and therefore the power is given to us to reach the lost. However, the power is evident because it is not applied, NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT! When a man holds a battery-loaded torchlight in his hand, he will not see the way unless he flicks the switch that releases the power from the dry cells into light. Similarly, many believers, do not flick the switch of obedience and therefore there is no power to the believer to win people to Christ. They do not go, they do not tell others, and they do not pray for the power and therefore there is no power.

2. We need to do the evangelism in stages: From Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. One by one, we must reach the lost, individual by individual, household by household. We need not fret that we cannot win the world, but we certainly can reach out to one for Christ. The church was started by a Lydia being saved, by a Philippian jailor and his family coming to Christ and by his one family added. We do not despise the day of small things, and we must work and increase the number of small things so that the small things will become big things for the glory of GOD.

3. We need to do this work of evangelism collectively for Jesus says: YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME. The word ye is in the plural. As a group of apostles and Christians, you will become my martyrs, you will become people that will testify for me. As a church, we are working together for the glory of GOD, and the salvation of the lost. Are you lending our hands to the plough? Are we praying for one individual to come to Christ? Are we going to follow this individual up for the Lord?

God has sent His power, He has given us His Spirit, now He commands us to go. Are you going? Are you willing to?

Evangelist – Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church