Receive, Be, Do
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [Acts 1:8 (ESV)]
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)]
Before we go and make disciple of all nations, we need to first receive power from the Holy Spirit and be Christ’s witnesses. In short, we need to receive and be before we go.
How do we receive the power of the Holy Spirit?
“Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). When we surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide and lead us (obey His prompting), we will be empowered to do what God wants us to do. We will also be empowered to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Christ in humility, submission, obedience and sacrifice. We will be bold and courageous to share the Gospel and make disciples for Christ.
How could we be Christ’s witnesses?
“You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). As believers, we are commanded to live out the Great Commandment and witness to Christ’s resurrection in our lives. He is alive in us today. People must see Him in us. Hence, we are to be the salt of the earth and light of the world — reflecting the image of Christ, living holy and godly lives, being in the world but not of the world, not conforming to the pattern of this world, etc.
How do we go and make disciples of all nations?
“Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). As believers, we are commanded to fulfil the Great Commission.
Hence, we are to live out the Gospel as a disciple of Christ (bear the fruit of Christlikeness) daily and seize every opportunity to share it with people. We are therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, reconciling people to God. We are also to be disciple-makers for Christ. We are to teach, coach and mentor new believers so that they will, in turn, be able to disciple others (2 Timothy 2:2).
So, let us receive, be and go for Christ. May the Lord continue to transform us unto His likeness and grant us His compassion for lost souls. May He open our eyes to see the opportunities to testify for Him, grant us boldness and courage to share the Gospel, and grant us patience, perseverance and stamina to make disciples for His joy and glory. Amen.
By Brother Lim Han Soon