Are you a witness to the power of God 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 text, very Pentecostal, so if you don't know it by heart, we have to put it in a centrifuge of Pentecostalism. So I don't want to ask who doesn't know it, I want to ask who knows it by heart? huh? If not, it looks like we're going to have to get the whole church into…

There is one important thing, we have probably talked about this for a long time, but I want to invite you to go into detail in one part, in one aspect of this verse and then we are going to move on to another story in the book of John, because I want to illustrate it through of that story, the effect of this verse. Although this verse is for these times, it is for those who have that power of the Lord inside, that explodes, that is like a volcano about to erupt. The good thing is that it erupts now.

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

“… but you will receive power, power, power… say power, say power, tell your brother who is next to you, you will receive power. When I have come upon you, who? Who? Who? The Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses. Say witnesses. Not Jehovah's Witnesses, just in case. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth…”

Interesting because it doesn't start at the end of the earth and ends in Jerusalem. It begins in Jerusalem and ends at the ends of the earth. Some who are wanted to the last of the earth first, and still have not even given shadows in Jerusalem. But it is interesting. Here I want to invite you so that we can analyze this verse a little. And there are three important aspects in this verse.

He says the first statement is a statement that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit. It is necessary for the Lord's church to understand that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit. Not only in theory, not only in reading, but in action, in concrete facts, in powerful spiritual experiences. Any person who is not dependent on the Holy Spirit is a person who is exposed to the enemy doing and undoing with him. So tell the Lord, Lord, I want to be dependent on the Holy Spirit. I want to depend every day.

The second statement is that by being dependent on the Holy Spirit we receive, we receive, we receive power. In other words, now you are going to make a fist like this, and when you say power, you are going to do power. We receive power. We receive power. Imagine that you are punching someone. We receive power. Who did it give? Let's see? Who did it give? No, no, don't get into family trouble. I don't get into that. Neither with the mother-in-law, nor with the father-in-law, nor anyone.

Upon receiving and receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, this is where I want to stop, necessarily when receiving the power of the Holy Spirit we are witnesses, we are witnesses of the wonders that he has done in us and can do in those who are at our side around, the one that is here in Jerusalem, the one that is in Samaria, the one that is in Judea, and to the ends of the earth.

And here I want to stop. I want to focus on this third point. As evangelicals we are probably saturated with a lot 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 invented some things, tried some spiritual steps, some spiritual vocabularies. We invent some habits of the spirit and that are often the product of our emotions, many times they are 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 start declaring yourself a witness to the power of God in your life. Romans chapter 1 verse 16 says:

"... because 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 what Christ lived in this world for us. So when you feel that word of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will feel that there is a conviction of power over you that will force you to witness the wonders of the Lord.

Can someone be a witness? Does anyone have any testimony of what the Lord has done in their life? Did someone the Lord heal him? Has the Lord freed someone from something? Did the Lord miraculously provide someone with something? Has the Lord removed someone from a personal situation? Are there witnesses of the Lord's power here? Those who witness the power of the Lord can raise their hands. You can look to your side, look around you with your hand raised, with personality, and say, I am a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. That's how it is.

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

But let's define a little what it means to be a witness. According to some definition, the witness is the one who has been present or has seen some events. Have you seen any event that allows you to witness the power of the Lord? Yeah? Are you sure?

He is also a person who declares, look, this is the one I liked, relevant facts. I am convinced that the things that God does are relevant. I am convinced that what God does is nothing just like that. No matter how simple it may seem to the human mind, or to the sight of man, God does relevant things. And those relevant things have to do with a relief, with something that stands out from the normal. And you stand out from the norm because you are a fruit of the power of God, active in these times.

It is said that there are three classes of witnesses: those who have seen well, but doubt what they have seen; those who have seen badly, but believe they have seen well; and those who have seen nothing and claim to have seen everything. Which of those are you? I hope not one. One eyewitness is worth more than ten hearsay witnesses.

The capacity of a witness is interesting, in the Bible we find eyewitnesses of 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 anything, hearing the word of God.."

And it is interesting because here we are talking about the Samaritan woman. There is a dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. And here we can draw many lessons. These days I spoke with a pastor who took out an entire manual of evangelism from this chapter, who taught it in three days out of 6 each day, imagine, 18 hours, just to teach chapter 4 of the book of John, to teach his church an evangelism methodology, an evangelism mentality. And here is something that we have to begin to understand. Verse 39:

After Jesus spoke with the woman and declared about her some truths. How many know this story? Or do you want us to read the entire chapter? We are not going to read it completely. Verse 39. Remember Acts chapter 1, verse 8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. OK? And you will be my witnesses. Here the mighty Christ came to meet a woman who had nowhere, in natural eyes, to represent a witness to the power of God. Verse 39 says:

“…and many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him…. In what? in it by whose word? From the woman who testified...

Look, the impact that this woman had when talking with Christ, when she opened her heart. You know what? When we present ourselves in different places, in the city, with our friends, how interesting it would be if our friends, our family received an impact from our words that the Lord puts in our hearts to talk about the salvation plan that God has for life. of the human being

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

The Samaritan woman didn't go to say, look, you know, I ran into a Jewish man who asked me for water. She wasn't going to say that. She went to speak to her people about what this man had declared over her heart and she had believed in the power of the word of the Lord. She had become a witness to the powerful, transforming, and restorative word of the Lord.

Many of us are only evangelicals. It is not enough for us to witness. We lack to understand, or we lack to believe that God has really deposited in us an authority, such a great power to declare the wonders that God does and will do, that he is the same according to John chapter 14:6

“…. I am the same yesterday, today and always..."

There is a truth, the word of God does not pass, it does not go out of style. The word of God is still as powerful as it was in the days when Jesus was walking in Galilee. We have taken away authority from the word of the Lord, saying that these days there are so many people who believe so many things, we better respect them all and thus we do not become a problem.

Even the church has fallen that way. And I want to invite you today to come out willing to witness the power of the Lord. The Samaritan woman reflected this event. Verse 40:

“…Then the Samaritans came, who did they come to? He, Jesus Christ, and they begged him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. The Lord remains until when..., he is by our side until when it is necessary for his power to come true.

Verse 41, says, "... and a few believed, and many more believed because of his word..." Note, that the Samaritan woman with her testimony got there, but when Jesus really entered the life of this town, many more were transformed by power.

I love the last chapter of the book John, in its verse it says: "and even greater things you will do..."

If the Lord had power, he walked the earth performing miracles, speaking and transforming hearts, behaviors, habits, transforming people's lives, no matter where you stand, you can be a revolutionary of the word of the Lord, wherever you are. Stop being quiet, stop being a Christian of the Gospel secret police, and start identifying yourself as a man or a woman who is a member of the Lord's army.

Verse 42: “…and they said to the woman, I do not believe only because of what you have said, and here is an enormous mystery…we no longer believe only because of what you have said, because we ourselves, and they themselves, have been transformed in eyewitnesses of relevant facts, directly with the word of Jesus.

They no longer needed the woman to tell them how many things the Lord was doing, they themselves had already witnessed the power of God. And you know what? the church today lacks that conviction that they are powerful witnesses of the power of God. You and I need to walk with personality in the street and say, and speak, and show that within us there is a power that not everyone has and that you can, it is the will of the Lord, develop it when the Lord asks you to.

He remembers this path of Peter and John, when they went to the temple and the paralytic was sitting there, the blind man, and the shadow passes, only the shadow. It says that Peter's shadow passed by and many were healed. I believe that the shadow of us hides from us, the shadow doesn't even want to walk with us, from so much shame that we give it. You imagine, Pedro's shadow, all proud, and I'm going here next to Pedro, and ours, we're looking for it. Where will my shadow be? Ask your shadow why he doesn't hang out with you. I believe that your shadow knows much more than why you are not a witness to the Gospel of Christ.

No, don't listen to me. In Luke, chapter 24, verse 48 and 49: “…. All the things that Jesus did mean that we are witnesses of his power and he recommends that we be invested, clothed, transformed, clothed by the Holy Spirit. Luke, chapter 24, verse 48 and 49.

In Acts chapter 22, verse 12 and 16, there is another testimony experience, the healing of Paul. When Paul recounts his healing. We can continue looking in the word for examples of people who were touched by the power of God and began to witness wonders towards others.

Do you witness 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 that good cry? Does your husband believe you? Among the family, is there the ability to look at each other and cry and be ministered to and minister the name of the Lord? Do you witness the power of God in your family? Do you witness the power of God with your relatives, with those who are a little further away? Do you witness the power of God with your neighbors? Or when he already meets his neighbor, the crowns already come, and the beers come, total, to the drunkest drunk, says Pablo.

It is necessary in these times, where definitions cost. You go around the world and you talk to someone and today you have one position and tomorrow you have another. And Christians are in the same. Many times we are not of the same position. We change according to how the sun shines or it depends on how the moon changes, or our state of mind. The Lord is not looking for those witnesses, He is looking for relevant witnesses of the power of God, who are capable of getting up and, even if it is biting the ground, not fall again.

The Gospel of the Lord today needs men and women who are not making excuses, simply because, no, I couldn't stand it, I gave in to temptation and that's it. 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 it represents the values of the kingdom. When you walk, the Kingdom of God walks with you. Can you imagine the impression of a kingdom? You can imagine in your head what a Kingdom is. You can't imagine Queen Elizabeth with her crown and all sitting there, barely moving. Those kingdoms today are worthless. The reign of England is worthless. The reign of Spain is not valid. They keep them there so they don't take away the little salary these people have.

When you walk down the street, downtown, here on Via Victoria, you are walking here in the projects, and you are witnessing the power of God, you are not walking alone. There is the Kingdom of God 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 there is the shalom of God operating in different ways, Jehovah rafa, Jehovah turned. Almighty God, is the transforming Lord of life.

What happens is that you and I do not see the kingdom, and since we do not see it, we do not believe that it is with us. But where you walk, the Kingdom of God moves with you. Where is your testimony? Is it a valid testimony? Is it a testimony that is being a presence? Are you a faithful witness to the power of the Lord? Do you believe that the Gospel of Christ is the power to transform those who believe? Do you believe that the Lord transforms those who believe?

For those who believe, everything is possible and nothing is impossible for God. This word has had an impact on my life. This little word of witness in this verse where I have read it hundreds of times, all my life I have heard this verse, and the Lord led me to this expression of witness. If I really am a child of God transformed by the blood of Jesus, I am obliged to be a true witness, a relevant witness, not today a witness and tomorrow I'd better hide my hand. No, every day I am required to witness the power of God.

In word, in conduct, in thought, if you are a person who has a business, in the fairness of your business, in responsibility, if you are a worker in what is responsible for your work, you can witness that you are a man or a woman. woman washed by the blood of Jesus.

There you demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit. You can speak in tongues. I believe that. you can dance I believe that. And you can raise your hands, and you can cry, and you can say, the service was beautiful on Sunday, and Wednesday was beautiful, but the truth of the matter is that in here we are not witnesses. The witnesses are shown out there, when you walk, when the devil confronts you, when these giants get up every morning with you to challenge your faith, to challenge what the Lord has placed on you.

So do not be afraid, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be a witness, and you will be a witness. No one else 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 think if we stand up in an attitude of recognition, of reflecting on what we are really considering as children of God. I want to invite you to have a time of prayer with your word, I want to invite you to be sincere and honest with the Lord, I want to invite you to open your heart and mind. What we do is never enough, never, none of us no matter how long we are in the pastorate, what we have done is enough, on the contrary, every day we need to put ourselves more there, cover ourselves with the mantle of the Holy Spirit to 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. How great things you have done, how great things, Lord, you do in our midst every day, Lord, your wonders are great, Lord. Every day, Lord, your works are great. Every day, Lord, things are great, your miracles. We need to be a church, God, that is a faithful witness to what you have done in our life.

Lord, teach us to be responsible with your Gospel, a responsibility that leads us, Lord, to tell others about how wonderful you have been for our lives. Take out our secularism, take out our humanism, take out our liberality from our minds, and put your thoughts, put your emotions, put the desires of your heart in 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 forgive their sin and heal their land.

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

Thank my Lord. Thank my 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 give you all honor and all glory, and all majesty, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Give your brother a good hug, bless him.