Are You a Witness to God’s Power in Your Life?

The Lord is the Lord of our lives and is our Savior. I want to invite you to open your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 8. It is a very evangelical, very Pentecostal text, so anyone who does not know it by heart will have to be put through a Pentecostalism centrifuge. So I do not want to ask who does not know it; I want to ask: who knows it by heart? Huh? Otherwise, it looks as though we are going to have to put the whole church through…

There is something important here. We have probably talked about this for a long time, but I want to invite you to pay close attention to one part, to one aspect of this verse, and then we are going to move to another story in the book of John, because through that story I want to illustrate for you the effect of this verse. Although this verse is for these times, it is for those who have that power of the Lord inside them, exploding, like a volcano about to erupt. The good thing would be for it to erupt right now.

It says—Acts, chapter 1, verse 8 says:

“…but you shall receive power, power, power… Say ‘power,’ say ‘power’; tell the person beside you, ‘You will receive power.’ When who has come upon you? Who? Who? Who? The Holy Spirit, and you shall be witnesses to me. Say ‘witnesses.’ Not Jehovah’s Witnesses, just in case. And you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth…”

Interesting, because it does not begin with the uttermost part of the earth and end in Jerusalem. It begins in Jerusalem and ends at the uttermost part of the earth. Some people want to go to the uttermost part of the earth first, and they have not even cast a shadow in Jerusalem yet. But it is interesting. Here I want to invite you to analyze this verse a little. And there are three important aspects in this verse.

It says that the first declaration is a declaration that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit. The church of the Lord must understand that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit. Not only in theory, not only in reading, but in action, in concrete deeds, in powerful spiritual experiences. Anyone who is not dependent on the Holy Spirit is someone who is exposed to the enemy doing whatever he pleases with them. So say to the Lord, “Lord, I want to be dependent on the Holy Spirit. I want to depend on Him every day.”

The second declaration is that, by being dependent on the Holy Spirit, we receive, we receive, we receive power. In other words, now you are going to clench your fist like this, and when you say “power,” you are going to make the motion for power. We receive power. We receive power. Imagine that you are punching someone. We receive power. Whom did you hit? Let’s see. Whom did you hit? No, no, do not get into family trouble. I am not getting involved in that. Not with your mother-in-law, your father-in-law, or anyone else.

Upon receiving—upon receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, and this is where I want to pause—when we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, we necessarily become witnesses, witnesses to the wonders He has done in us and can do in the person around us, the one who is here in Jerusalem, the one in Samaria, the one in Judea, and to the uttermost part of the earth.

And this is where I want to pause. I want to focus on this third point. As evangelicals, we are probably saturated with a great deal of theology about the Holy Spirit, and we probably know more about the Holy Spirit than the Holy Spirit Himself knew about Himself. We even invent some things; we try out a few spiritual dance steps and some spiritual vocabulary. We invent certain habits of the spirit that are often the product of our emotions, often the product of our natural concerns as human beings.

But I want to invite you to go further. I want to invite you today to begin declaring yourself a witness to the power of God in your life. Romans, chapter 1, verse 16 says:

“…for I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God…”

There is a connection. The Gospel speaks of Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes to establish for us what Christ lived in this world. So when you feel that word of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will feel that there is a conviction of power upon you that will compel you to be a witness to the wonders of the Lord.

Can anyone be a witness? Does anyone have a testimony of what the Lord has done in your life? Did the Lord heal anyone? Did the Lord deliver anyone from something? Did the Lord miraculously provide something for anyone? Did the Lord bring anyone out of a personal situation? Are there witnesses to the Lord’s power here? Those who are witnesses to the Lord’s power can raise their hands. Look beside you; look around you with your hand raised, confidently, and say, “I am a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.” That’s right.

And we must declare it with conviction. We must declare it with authority. We must declare it without fearing that the enemy will try to shame the children of God, because the enemy cannot shame the children of God who walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

But let us define a little what it means to be a witness. According to one definition, a witness is someone who was present at or saw certain events. Have you seen any event that enables you to be a witness to the Lord’s power? Yes? Are you sure?

A witness is also someone who declares—look, this is the one I liked—significant facts. I am convinced that the things God does are significant. I am convinced that what God does is never just some ordinary thing. No matter how simple it may seem to the human mind or to human eyes, God does significant things. And those significant things have to do with prominence, with something that stands out from the ordinary. And you stand out from the ordinary because you are a fruit of the power of God, active in these times.

It is said that there are three kinds of witnesses: those who have seen clearly but doubt what they saw; those who saw poorly but believe they saw clearly; and those who have seen nothing yet claim to have seen everything. Which of those are you? I hope none of them. One eyewitness is worth more than ten who heard about it.

The capacity of a witness is interesting. In the Bible, we find eyewitnesses to the power of God. And here I want to invite you to the book of John, chapter 4. Romans, chapter 3, verse 23 says:

“…Faith comes by hearing, and hearing—not hearing just anything, but hearing the word of God…”

And it is interesting because the Samaritan woman is discussed here. There is a dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. And here we can draw many lessons. A few days ago, I spoke with a pastor who drew an entire evangelism manual from this chapter and taught it over three days, six hours each day—imagine that, 18 hours—just to teach chapter 4 of the book of John, to teach his church a method of evangelism, an evangelistic mindset. And there is something here that we must begin to understand. Verse 39:

After Jesus spoke with the woman and declared certain truths about her. How many of you know this story? Or do you want us to read the entire chapter? We are not going to read the whole thing. Verse 39. Remember Acts, chapter 1, verse 8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Okay? “And you shall be witnesses to me.” Here the powerful Christ came to meet a woman who, to natural eyes, had nothing that would enable her to be a witness to the power of God. Verse 39 says:

“…and many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him…. In whom? In Him, because of whose word? The word of the woman who testified…

Look at the impact this woman had after speaking with Christ, after opening her heart. Do you know something? When we present ourselves in different places, in the city, among our friends, how wonderful it would be if our friends and our family were impacted by the words the Lord places in our hearts to speak about the plan of salvation God has for human lives.

We talk about the game, we talk about the soap opera, we talk about what the neighbor said, we talk about what happened to our aunt, but we do not talk about what Christ truly does and can do in our lives and in the lives of others.

The Samaritan woman did not go and say, “Look, you know, I met a Jewish man who asked me for water.” She did not go to say that. She went to speak to her people about what this man had declared concerning her heart, and she had believed in the power of the Lord’s word. She had become a witness to the powerful, transforming, and restoring word of the Lord.

Many of us are merely evangelicals. We do not rise to the level of being witnesses. We have yet to understand, or we have yet to believe, that God has truly placed within us authority, a power so great that we can declare the wonders God does and will do, and that He is the same, according to John, chapter 14:6:

“…I am the same yesterday, today, and forever…”

There is a truth: the word of God does not pass away; it does not go out of fashion. The word of God remains as powerful as it was in the days when Jesus walked in Galilee. We have stripped the Lord’s word of its authority by saying, “In these times, there are so many people who believe so many things; we had better respect everyone so that we do not get ourselves into trouble.”

Even the church has gone down that path. And today I want to invite you to leave determined to be a witness to the Lord’s power. The Samaritan woman reflected this event. Verse 40:

“…Then the Samaritans came”—to whom did they come? “To Him, to Jesus Christ, and begged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.” The Lord remains until when…? He is beside us for as long as necessary for His power to become a reality.

Verse 41 says, “…and a few believed, and many more believed because of His word…” Notice that the Samaritan woman went only that far with her testimony, but when Jesus truly entered the life of these people, many more were transformed by the power.

I love the last chapter of the book of John, where its verse says: “And even greater things you shall do…”

If the Lord had power and walked the earth performing miracles, speaking and transforming hearts, conduct, habits—transforming people’s lives—then wherever you stand, you can be a revolutionary of the Lord’s word, wherever you may be. Stop remaining silent; stop being a secret-police Christian of the Gospel, and begin identifying yourself as a man or woman who belongs to the Lord’s army.

Verse 42: “…and they said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe solely because of what you have said,’ and here there is an enormous mystery… ‘We no longer believe solely because of what you have said, because we ourselves’”—they themselves had now become eyewitnesses to significant facts, directly through the word of Jesus.

They no longer needed the woman to tell them how many things the Lord was doing; they themselves had now become witnesses to the power of God. And do you know something? The church today lacks that conviction that its members are powerful witnesses to the power of God. You and I need to walk confidently down the street and say, speak, and demonstrate that inside us there is a power that not everyone has, and that you can—if it is the Lord’s will—exercise it when the Lord asks you to.

Do you remember Peter and John on their way to the temple, when the paralyzed man was sitting there, the blind man, and the shadow passed over him—just the shadow? It says that Peter’s shadow passed by and many were healed. I think our shadows hide from us; our shadows do not even want to walk with us because of how much we embarrass them. Just imagine Peter’s shadow, so proud: “Here I go beside Peter!” And as for ours, we go around looking for it. “Where could my shadow be?” Ask your shadow why it does not walk with you. I think your shadow knows far more about why you are not a witness to the Gospel of Christ.

No, do not pay attention to me. In Luke, chapter 24, verses 48 and 49: “…All the things Jesus did mean that we are witnesses to His power, and He urges us to be endued, clothed, transformed, and clothed upon by the Holy Spirit.” Luke, chapter 24, verses 48 and 49.

In Acts, chapter 22, verses 12 and 16, there is another experience of testimony: Paul’s healing, when Paul recounts his healing. We can continue searching the Word for examples of people who were touched by the power of God and began to testify to others about His wonders.

Are you a witness to the power of God in your family? Do your children believe you when you raise your hands to heaven? Does your wife believe you when you close your eyes and have yourself a really good cry? Does your husband believe you? Within the family, are you able to look at one another while crying, being ministered to, and ministering in the name of the Lord? Are you a witness to the power of God in your family? Are you a witness to the power of God among your relatives, among those who are a little farther away? Are you a witness to the power of God among your neighbors? Or, as soon as you get together with your neighbor, out come the Coronas and out come the beers—after all, “to the drunkard, an even greater drunkard,” says Paul.

It is necessary in these times, when taking a clear stand is difficult. You go out into the world and talk with someone, and today that person holds one position and tomorrow another. And we Christians are the same. Many times we do not hold one consistent position. We change according to how the sun shines, or depending on how the moon changes, or according to our mood. The Lord is not looking for those kinds of witnesses; he is looking for relevant witnesses of the power of God, who are capable of getting back up and, even if they have to do so while biting the floor, not falling again.

Today the Gospel of the Lord needs men and women who do not go around making excuses, simply saying, “No, I could not endure it; I gave in to temptation, and that is that. I am a man, I am a woman, I am a human being.” You are a child of God. You are a child of God. And you represent the values of the Kingdom. When you walk, the Kingdom of God walks with you. Can you imagine the impression a kingdom makes? Can you picture in your mind what a kingdom is? You do not picture Queen Elizabeth with her crown, sitting there so primly, barely moving. Those kingdoms of today are worthless. The reign of England is worthless. The reign of Spain is worthless. They keep them there so as not to take away the little salary those people have.

When you walk down the street, downtown, here along Victoria, walking here through the projects, and you are a witness of the power of God, you are not walking alone. The Kingdom of God is walking with you. And in the Kingdom of God there is healing. In the Kingdom of God there is provision. In the Kingdom of God there is abundance. In the Kingdom of God there is justice. In the Kingdom of God there is peace. In the Kingdom of God there is health. In the Kingdom of God there is well-being. In the Kingdom of God, the shalom of God is at work in different ways: Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Jireh. Almighty God is the Lord who transforms lives.

The problem is that you and I do not see the Kingdom, and because we do not see it, we do not believe it is with us. But wherever you walk, the Kingdom of God moves with you. Where is your testimony? Is it a valid testimony? Is it a testimony that is making its presence felt? Are you a faithful witness of the Lord’s power? Do you believe that the Gospel of Christ is the power to transform the one who believes? Do you believe that the Lord transforms the one who believes?

For the one who believes, everything is possible, and nothing is impossible for God. This word has made an impact on my life. This little word “witness” in this verse—which I have read hundreds of times, this verse that I have heard all my life—and the Lord led me to this expression, “witness.” If I truly am a child of God transformed by the blood of Jesus, I am obligated to be a true witness, a relevant witness—not a witness today and then tomorrow I would rather hide my hand. No, every day I am obligated to be a witness of the power of God.

In word, in conduct, in thought; if you are a person who owns a business, through the fairness of your business and through responsibility; if you are a worker, through being responsible in your work, you can bear witness that you are a man or woman washed by the blood of Jesus.

That is where you demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit. You may speak in tongues. I believe in that. You may dance. I believe in that. And you may raise your hands, and you may cry, and you may say, “The service on Sunday was beautiful, and Wednesday was beautiful,” but the truth is that in here we are not witnesses. Witnesses prove themselves out there: when you walk, when the devil confronts you, when these giants rise with you every morning to challenge your faith, to challenge what the Lord has placed upon you.

So do not be afraid, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be a witness, and you will be a witness. No one will laugh at you anymore; you will begin to rescue others from the hands, from the clutches of the enemy. Close your eyes.

What do you say we stand up with an attitude of acknowledgment and reflection concerning what we are truly presenting as children of God? I want to invite you to spend some time in prayer with his Word. I want to invite you to be sincere and honest with the Lord. I want to invite you to open your heart and your mind. What we do is never enough—never. For none of us, no matter how long we have been in pastoral ministry, is what we have done already enough. On the contrary, every day we need to place ourselves there even more, covering ourselves with the mantle of the Holy Spirit so that we may be faithful witnesses.

I want to invite you to open your mouth and begin to declare before the Lord that you want to be a faithful witness. Lord, we want to be faithful witnesses of your power. What great things you have done; what great things, Lord, you do among us every day. Great, Lord, are your wonders. Every day, Lord, great are your works. Every day, Lord, great are the things you do, your miracles. We need to be a church, God, that is a faithful witness of what you have done in our lives.

Lord, teach us to be responsible with your Gospel, with a responsibility that leads us, Lord, to tell others how wonderful you have been in our lives. Remove our secularism, remove our humanism, remove our liberalism from our minds, and place your thoughts, place your emotions, place the desires of your heart within us, Lord.

If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

Lord, if we have failed in anything, if in anything we have offended, Lord, the wonderful name of Jesus, forgive us, Lord, and teach us to be powerful witnesses, because you still have great things in store for us.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for this time. Thank you, Lord, for being in your house of prayer. Thank you, Lord, because today has been a day that you created for our lives: to pray to you, to bless you, to leave our burdens before you, and to render to you all honor and all glory and all majesty, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Give your brother or sister a big hug; bless them.