Kingdom Power - To Witness (Part 6)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1.8

Transforming power

The power of God’s Spirit, which is the power of His Kingdom, is utterly transformational. Where the Spirit of God is at work, willing and doing according to God’s good pleasure, nothing stays the same.

Jesus commanded us to seek this power as our highest priority in life (Matt. 6.33). He said that we should pray that the power of the Kingdom—power for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit—would be at work within us and throughout the earth, just as it is in heaven (Matt. 6.10). That power, Paul wrote, is able to do exceeding abundantly more, in and through us, than we have ever dared to ask or think (Eph. 3.20).

Beginning within us, in our heart, mind, and conscience, the power of the Kingdom of God works out through all our words and deeds in forms and expressions of righteousness, peace, and joy that reflect the character and purpose of Jesus, our eternal Savior and King.

This is real power, transforming power, power which belongs to and is expressed by every person who is seeking the Kingdom of God, everyone in whom the Spirit of power is increasingly at work.

The Kingdom of God is not just an interesting theological subject, to define, debate, or deny. It is real power, power to produce work and get results, power that flows by the Spirit of the living God from within our souls out through every aspect of our lives to refresh, renew, and redeem everything and everyone. We do not know the Kingdom of God unless and until we know this transforming power throughout our souls and lives.

They who belong to Jesus understand full well why He commanded them to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, for this is the natural citizenship of the redeemed, and in this heavenly country they find all their meaning, purpose, power, joy, and peace.

The Spirit at work within us

So it is no wonder that this same power at work within us for righteousness, peace, and joy should also issue in words of witness for the Lord.

We know that Christ has forgiven our sins, has sent His Spirit to dwell within us, is opening up the truth of His Word to our understanding, and is at work within us to will and do according to His good pleasure (Phil. 2.12, 13). It fills us with joy and hope to know the Lord in this way, and it transforms our outlook on life—our worldview—so that we begin to long earnestly for others to know the liberation into light and life that we have come to know in Christ.

The power of the Kingdom which is transforming us from within will make us alert to and ready for opportunities to talk with others about this glorious Good News (1 Pet. 3.15).

So, given an opportunity to direct the attention of others to Jesus, the citizens of His Kingdom will do so eagerly, joyfully, and with full conviction. The citizens of the Kingdom of God do not need a program, course, or schedule to get them talking about their Savior and King. The power of the Kingdom within them wells up and overflows to touch the lives of others out of sheer love for God and neighbor (Jn. 7.37-39).

In so doing they are neither pushy nor smug. Rather, grace guides their listening and their speaking as they tell the old, old story of righteousness, peace, and joy which only Jesus can bring (Col. 4.6).

Sent like Jesus

The Lord has sent each of us into the world after the same manner that He sent Jesus, to live and proclaim the reality of the Kingdom and to show its power to everyone in our lives. Where the transforming power of God’s Spirit is working to unfold the rule of Jesus in the life of any man or woman, that power will issue in words of testimony and witness to all who ask a reason for the hope that is within us.

The Spirit’s power for witness builds up within us like rushing water behind the spigots of our mouths. All we need to do in order to let that power flow is open our mouths and begin to speak about Jesus and what He means to us. The Spirit will take it from there.

What opportunities for bearing witness in the power of the Kingdom will you have today? Prepare for them now, and act on them as the Lord leads.

T. M. Moore