Empowering Believers for Christian Witness
Jesus commissioned his followers to be his witnesses, and every believer is called to bear witness about Christ. However, our public witness can be weak and fickle without the motivation of the Holy Spirit.
From Fear to Courage
Consider the example of Peter, who before the resurrection was an unfaithful witness, denying Jesus out of fear. But after Pentecost, Peter was a faithful witness, preaching the gospel with courage and rebuking the leaders who crucified Jesus. The difference was that Peter had been empowered by the Spirit.
Motivating Our Churches
The Holy Spirit motivates us by giving us a vision of God’s mission and arousing our passion for God’s glory. He fills us with missional hope, a joyful anticipation of the future success of God’s mission. This hope is built on God’s promises and anchored in his unchangeable oath and character.
Missional Piety
The Holy Spirit often uses missional hope to motivate missional piety, a spiritual godliness that overflows from biblical knowledge of God’s mission joined with passionate prayer for the increase of Christ’s kingdom. This piety is intellectual, emotional, practical, and mystical, sharing in both Christ’s suffering and victory.
Expressing Missional Piety
Missional piety is expressed in worship as a joyful celebration of what God has already done and will soon do to complete his mission. It is also expressed in passionate prayer for the success of God’s mission and in passionate participation in God’s mission.
Motivating Our Churches for Gospel Witness
To motivate our churches for gospel witness, we can share data about the urgency of needs, evoke human pity, or correct church members for their negligence. However, enduring motivation for Christian witness is produced by the Spirit within believers. We need to pray together for the Spirit of mission to fill our church afresh, envision together what God is doing to accomplish his mission, celebrate together the story of God’s mighty deeds, and work together to stir up the whole church to participate in God’s mission.
A Call to Action
Is your church a faithful gospel witness? We desire to live intentionally as witnesses of Christ, making disciples both locally and globally. We long for a revival of true religious affections in our community and for the salvation of our unsaved neighbors. Let us pray together, envision together, celebrate together, and work together to motivate our churches for gospel witness.
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