Dear Readers:
Lately I’ve been thinking, “What am I missing related to soulwinning, and why don’t more people show an interest in doing it (not necessarily with me, but generally)?
It came to me that my focus has been on the mechanical, motivational, and mental aspects of reaching out to others with the Gospel of Jesus.
When reading Acts, however, I believe there’s a whole different dimension that I’m missing. What’s that dimension?
The Book of Acts makes it clear. It’s the power of the Holy Spirit.
I know that some Christians struggle with Pentecostalism. They believe that the emphasis on speaking in tongues as evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is going too far.
On the other side many Pentecostal Christians feel very strongly that all Christians should embrace speaking in tongues to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Yesterday I did a little unscholarly research of the Book of Acts, and I came to the conclusion that both sides have some valid points.
In my research, unscholarly as it was, I found the following:
1. The filling or leading of the Holy Spirit was mentioned in seventeen of the twenty-eight chapters of Acts.
2. ‘Speaking in tongues’ was only mentioned in three of those seventeen chapters.
3. That means that tongues related to the filling of the Holy Spirit was mentioned in 10.7% of the chapters of Acts.
4. The Holy Spirit filling or leading without the mention of tongues was in 60.7% of the chapters of Acts.
Conclusion: The Holy Spirit filling or leading is mentioned almost 6 times more by itself than associated with tongues.
I think that’s likely why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 14 minimized the importance of tongues in relation to the Holy Spirit. He specifically said that there are more important matters for the Christian to focus on than speaking in tongues. But he also said, however, that we shouldn’t throw tongues totally out the window.
But let’s get back to the ‘filling’ or ‘leading’ part that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives as it relates to soulwinning. I think in my own life I’ve felt a nudging a number of times to go one way with a decision,
and I always said, “The Lord led me.” This statement’s true, but I think just as accurate is the statement, “The Holy Spirit led me.”
Think of the concept of ‘being filled with, or being led by the Holy Spirit’. Just take it in . . . the God of the universe is living inside of you . . . He’s living inside of me, and He’s intimately working through you and me! Aren’t those two very awesome things?
Rather than thinking too much about the mundane experiences of life, I want to embrace the wonder of the Holy Spirit filling my life and leading me.
This isn’t just ‘the power of positive thinking’. This is a reality that can’t be ignored. It can’t be ignored when going about our daily routines. And it certainly can’t be ignored when interacting with family, friends, and other people we encounter.
There you have it. We need to accept the fact that we are filled with, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live our lives, And the Holy Spirit also empowers us to reach out to those we encounter with the life-changing love of Jesus.
See you next time,
Arlen
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