God Wants Us to Be His Witnesses-Advent 17 (2019)

The disciples gathered around Jesus and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:6-11)

Witnessing about what God has done goes all the way back to the beginning of humankind. It took a dramatic and powerful turn at the manger and another dramatic, and even more powerful, turn at Jesus’ Ascension. At the manger it was one person telling another with human effort. After Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit could come and live in those with faith to believe. The telling of what God has done suddenly had a different power source. Why might witnessing be on God’s Christmas List?

Think About It:

Why is the Holy Spirit “the best kept secret of evangelical Christianity”?
When we witness about Jesus Christ, who is really speaking? Read Matthew 10:19-20
Do we have any reason to fear if that is the case?

What God Wants for Christmas is for us to be witnesses and share Him with everyone.

Dear Lord, please present me with easy opportunities to share the good news of what You have done in giving us a Savior, born on the very first Christmas. Encourage me in the power of the good news so that I will readily share who You are with everyone I meet. Stand in the gap, dear Lord, between my boldness and my accuser who makes me fear what others will think. May I bring glory to You by telling others how amazing You are! Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.