“I believe for most people their is fear when sharing faith… But this is more complicated than just general fear…
Jesus in His great wisdom knew this fear in humanity and sent someone to help us with this…
This is the work of the Holy Spirit, He gives us power to witnessing…
The Holy Spirits qualifications for His comforting office… His three witnesses… He was sent by both the Father and the Son, and He communicates truth…
Christianity is more than a life, or a system of belief, it’s historical fact… its that that give the system of belief meaning, and life its blessing…
So to this direct audience He’s telling the apostles their testimony is going to be very important… it would be seen in the Apostles character and life they lead – their preaching and teaching – the written record (all of these means, including this one were acts of obedience, ‘you shall bear witness…’ )
The point of the Baptism of the Spirit isn’t warm fuzzies… but it’s make the name of Jesus famous, and through the Spirit that lives would be transformed by His power…
In sharing faith we’re simply joining into the work that the Holy Spirit is already doing… Before you even say a word the Holy Spirit is working on them…
Sharing our faith was so important to Jesus it was necessary for Jesus to leave, not just for His own glory but, that the Holy Spirit would come…
Notice the two positions of The Holy Spirit: toward the world and towards believers…
• To the believer He’s the comforter, peace, etc…
• To the world He convicts – He exposes guilt… with the desire of repentance… Let us not resist the conviction of Christ within our lives…
The Holy Spirit never comforts till he has reproved… There must be a reproof of sin before there can be comfort in Christ… He’s not a God of false hopes… He’s the Spirit of Truth…
Concerning sin – apart from the Holy Spirit this is a blind spot humanity will never see… our lack of faith… “Not believe in me” – because they are not in the Faith… this is the great sin that all other sins flow from…
Judgement – Satan is defeated… and God is shown Just in this Judgement…
• Though Satan has been dethroned and defeated by Christ… yet when we reject Christ and His offers of deliverance, we choose to remain slaves to sin and we’re choosing to accept his fate…
• We are in effect anchoring ourselves to Satan allowing his fate to be our own… “judgement” we either accept the righteousness of Christ, or we’re judged along with Satan…
The idea is that we’re not formulating these truths, but that God is speaking through us…
• When we share faith it’s not our wisdom and power and authority that we’re going in, but we’re going in Christ’s and we’re simply the vessel by which it’s delivered…
• He’s been called ‘the forgotten God’ but there is a part of that that is intentional… the Spirit doesn’t draw attention to Himself but Christ…
• That we with our live, words and actions preach Christ and Him Crucified…
• “Declare it to you” when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we’re to declare it to others…”