Living Boldly for Christ: Daily Reflections on Faith, Prayer & Spiritual Life by David Hathaway
In Acts 1, Jesus spoke to a group of ordinary, imperfect men – including Peter, who had denied Him only weeks before. Yet Jesus made them an extraordinary promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." In other words, the Holy Spirit would transform their lives and empower them to fulfil the ministry He was entrusting to them.
The power of our faith is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not speak enough about the resurrection. At Communion we remember His death and celebrate His resurrection. At Easter we proclaim His victory over the grave. But the heart of the Gospel is this: God raised Jesus from the dead! Everything we believe, everything we preach, and everything we hope for rests upon that glorious truth.
In the Church, we need to return to the power of personal testimony. There is too much religious preaching and not enough declaring what the Lord has done in our own lives. People need to hear the evidence of God's transforming power. In my own ministry, I make it a priority to share testimonies of all that God has done.
In Acts 4, the religious leaders were astonished by two things: first, the miracle that had taken place; and second, the boldness of Peter and John. It is time for us to stand with that same boldness and declare the truth we know. The leaders recognised that these ordinary men had been with Jesus – and that made all the difference.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive power from God, and that power is meant to be demonstrated. What I sense today is that much of the Church is not living in that power or demonstrating it to the world. So, I would ask: if you have received the Holy Spirit, what difference has it made in your life?
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to see miracles! There are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: – three vocal gifts, speaking with tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and prophecy – three intellectual gifts, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits – three practical gifts, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles and the gift of faith. The gift of faith is NOT an intellectual gift! If you see faith as only an intellectual gift, you will never see its power. It is a practical gift; it’s the one I ask for – more than any other gift!
In this story, Jesus was asleep, a storm arose, so the disciples woke Him, ‘We’re all going to die, it’s the end of the world…’ But Jesus just got up, He bound the storm, the winds stopped, the boat was safe, nobody died – and when those strong fishermen saw the demonstration of the power that this Man had over the elements, they said, ‘What kind of Man do we have in the boat?’
Matthew 8:23 says, ‘Jesus entered into a ship... and behold there arose a great storm in the sea, so much that the ship was covered with the waves, but Jesus was asleep. His disciples woke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us, we’re going to die!’ And He said, ‘Why are you so afraid, O you of little faith!’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. The men marvelled, and said, ‘What kind of Man is this?’’
God had to reduce Gideon’s army to only 300. Why? Because God can only use willing, obedient, committed people who will make His glory the first priority. God needs the right men and women in order to do what He wants, to bring glory to His Name, to bring deliverance to nations, to build His church – He’s looking everywhere, to find those through whom He can direct all His power, and energy into saving sinners.
God has always had a clear plan and strategy in everything He does. From creation to salvation, nothing has happened in heaven or earth without the foreknowledge of God. An important part of the strategy which God has for today is that He wants to show that His power is not just in heaven, but also demonstrated very powerfully on earth.
It is easy for us as believers to read and hear about the stories in the Bible without personally identifying with them. But if God did these things in the past, why not believe for them today? Some Christians would dismiss miracles like speaking in tongues and healing by saying either that these were in the past, or that they were ‘dispensational’, that they can only happen at certain times! The real truth is that they do not want these things to happen, it would disturb the religious ‘order’ of their lives!
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” But where is that power?
I have more spiritual power and authority now than at any other time in my life. When you truly know God and live for Him, the power doesn’t fade. In fact, the older I get, the greater the fire and the strength of His power within me.
Even in times of crisis, I am not ashamed of the Gospel – and I don’t want you to be ashamed either. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is where the power of God is revealed. All the power of God – the strength to transform, to heal, to save – is contained within the Gospel. It’s not just words; it’s the very life-changing, world-shaping power of God at work.
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