Missionary Work and the Holy Spirit’s Power: Reflections on Sharing Your Faith

Reflections

After reading the introduction to the book of Acts, I was struck by the mission that Jesus gave to his disciples: share the gospel with people in Jerusalem, Samaria, and the entire world. One of Jesus’ most important tasks for Christians is that we don’t just keep God’s love for ourselves, but that we share it with others in our local communities, nearby communities, and around the world.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (WEB)

Powers of the Holy Spirit

Of course, this can seem quite scary in a world that is hostile towards Christianity. Fortunately, Jesus had a promise for the disciples: he would send them the Holy Spirit! This is not a new promise, it was also promised in the book of Joel.

²⁸“And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
²⁹Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens
    and on the earth,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹The sun will be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
³²And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
    whom the Lord calls.
Joel 2:28-32 (NIV)

Peter confirms later in Acts that we shouldn’t be surprised by seeing people filled filled with the Holy Spirit and doing things beyond their natural capacity. Acts 1:8 specifically says that being filled with the Holy Spirit will provide power!

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day.But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:14-16 (WEB)

While Peter was explaining the very unusual powers seen at the Pentecost, there are plenty of more usual powers that the Holy Spirit provide. A short list can be found in the description of the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (WEB)

I don’t know about you, but when I interact with certain people, it might take the power of the Holy Spirit to keep me patient! It isn’t something coming from me!

Some of us might get frustrated by “only” having these basic powers, but we should remember that if God has a task for us, he will equip us to be able to fulfill it. If all we need is patience, that might be all we are given. On the other hand, if he has a bigger task for us, we will be equipped for that as well.

The apostles were give all kinds of cool powers like healing, escaping from jail, having visions filled with instructions from God, and more! Some of us might be tempted to think this was special for the apostles, but here are plenty of other people who’s cancer disappeared after someone prayed for them, or had some other miraculous answer to prayer. We also have stories like the ones of Mother Teresa miraculously healing two people. The Holy Spirit is working and if we look hard enough, we will see it, believe in it, and maybe be able to participate in it.

Hometown Missions

When most of us think about missionaries, we think of people selling their homes and all they possess in order to move to a foreign country and speak to people that have never heard of God. In this day and age, foreign missions trips are actually a rare form of missionary work. The gospel has spread so far that most communities have at least one Christian already living in that location! Jesus instructed the disciples to be missionaries in Jerusalem (their neighborhood), Samaria (a nearby neighborhood), and the ends of the earth (far away). Most of us could easily be missionaries in our local neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods.

As you interact with people in your neighborhood, do your neighbors know that you are a Christian. If not, why are you keeping this part of your life a secret? Do you simply not know your neighbors well enough for this topic to have come up, or are you ashamed of God?

Sometimes letting your neighbors know about your personal relationship with God can be as simple as turning down a Sunday morning invite because you are going to church. Then when they invite you to a Thursday night dinner, maybe you are volunteering at your church’s food pantry and you let them know. If they ask why your church has a food pantry or who they serve, it can be a great way to start sharing your faith in your local neighborhood. Maybe you could even invite your neighbor to serve with you at the food pantry or come to church with you.

If your local neighborhood isn’t providing many organic opportunities to share your faith, odds are that if you belong to a local church, there is a good chance that your church already has programs in place that might make a fabulous mission field. A food pantry or soup kitchen is just one way a church can help their neighborhood. Maybe they have an after school basketball or tutoring program. Or if your community has a lot of foreigners or refugees, an ESL program might be appropriate. Beyond just offering regular church services, a Sunday School, and Vacation Bible School, a church can offer budgeting classes, hold a clothing drive, offer tours of the city, and more! If your church has programs like these, consider volunteering to help. If your church doesn’t have a program that you are passionate about, consider working with the pastors, elders, and/or deacons to start a new ministry!

If you can’t find a way to share your faith through the church, there are plenty of other places to get involved. If you want an organization that is closely tied to the church, consider volunteering at homeless shelter, women’s shelter, or after school tutoring/sports center that is supported by local churches.

And there is no reason that you can’t join a secular organization that is doing something important to you. Maybe you would want to join a boosters club that supports your child’s sports team. While there, you can build relationships that may eventually lead to a way to invite other families to your church. Pretty much any organization that is doing something good for the community and doesn’t violate basic Christian principles could be a great mission field! When someone asks you why you are volunteering, you can tell that person that you felt led by God to make a difference in your community. Maybe they will think you are strange, but maybe it will eventually lead to deeper conversations about faith.

God works through the Holy Spirit and will give you the power of words exactly when you need it. That is not to say that it will be easy or that people won’t react badly, but even then, God will give you the strength to endure.

One great passage in 2 Corinthians talks about Paul’s struggles in Asia and how God allowed them to endure beyond what was humanly possible:

⁸For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life. ⁹Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver; on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us; ¹¹you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift given to us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (WEB)

There is also another promise in 1 Corinthians regarding temptation. Sometimes in life it seems easier to give in and do things that the Holy Spirit tells us are wrong. When this happens, we can remember that God never allows temptation to exceed what we are able to endure. Remember this verse and pray for a way out when all exits seem to be closed!

¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall. ¹³No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (WEB)

Foreign Missions

While hometown missions are one of the most effective ways of turning people to Christ, this is not to say that foreign Missions are not important. There are many communities that don’t have Christians with strong teachings. It can be very helpful to send people to teach and train the local Christians so that they can be more effective in their local community.

In colonial times, the main goal of many missionaries was to force the European Christian culture onto people from other regions of the world. While it is true that Christianity spread, most people today realize that there were significantly better methods that should have been employed.

This was not a new problem. Later in the book of Acts we will see that the Jewish Christians wanted the Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians to be circumcised and follow Jewish dietary restrictions. It took a vision from God to convince them that this was probably not the best choice.

¹⁰He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance. ¹¹He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, ¹²in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. ¹³A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”

¹⁵A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.” ¹⁶This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven.
Acts 10:10-16 (WEB)

This is not to say that all things are permissible. When the apostles and elders were trying to figure out where the line was, they decided that idolatry, sexual immorality, and meat contaminated with blood were the main things that the Gentiles should avoid.

¹ Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.” ²Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas, and some others of them, to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

¹⁹Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God, ²⁰but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood. ²¹For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
Acts 15:1-2, 19-21 (WEB)

As we consider foreign missions, we should try to walk the line between being faithful to God, but not overburdening new Christians with our particular cultural preferences. This is much easier said than done!

I remember one college friend who decided to become a missionary immediately after graduation. As he tried to walk this line, he chose to follow extreme contextualization, be too gracious, and permit too much. In the end, his conclusion seemed to be that there was no difference between the Christian God and any other god. To my sorrow, he left the mission field and left the faith.

When the line is walked properly, we should see that God is both a gracious God, but also a just God. There are some things that are permissible and others that are not. He will forgive any mistakes, but a common mistake is to focus only on his grace, forget that God is holy, and treat him like holiness doesn’t matter.

¹³Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober, and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ— ¹⁴as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, ¹⁵but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; ¹⁶because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16 (WEB)

This balance should be a primary point of concern as we share our faith. God is a gracious God that forgives sins, but he is also a God that has standards and desires us to live in a right way that is full of holiness. How do we walk this balance in our own lives and convince others that this is a good way to live?

Reflection Questions

After reading the entire New Testament, it should be clear that God does not want us to keep our faith to ourselves, but instead calls us to share it with others. This is what a missionary does! As we consider how missions fit into our lives, consider whether God is calling you to be a hometown missionary or a foreign missionary. If you haven’t already, how can you begin this journey?

A Survey: If you were a missionary, which continent would you choose?

For Christians

Do you think that missionary work is important in this day and age? Why or why not?
Have you ever tried to share your faith with a non-Christian? What was the result? Did you feel the power of the Holy Spirit as you did this?
Do you see yourself as a hometown missionary, a foreign missionary, or neither? Is this the category that you want for yourself?
What could you do to trust the Holy Spirit and be more bold as you share your faith? Consider praying for wisdom in this area.

For non-Christians

Have you ever encountered a missionary or someone who shared their faith in God with you? What was your reaction? Do you think that the missionary was following principles outlined in this article?
Read 1 Peter 1:13-16. Which of your actions, attitudes, and/or desires do you know to be wrong? Which actions, attitudes, and/or desires do you know to be right? How do these align with what the Bible teaches about both holiness (right actions) and sinfulness (wrong actions)?
What does it mean that God is both a holy God and a gracious God? How can both justice and grace coexist in a sinful world?
Consider praying to God and ask him to be a gracious God that will forgive your sinful behaviors and desires. Also ask him to show you how to leave these things in your past and show you how to live in holiness and purity in the future.

For Kids

Have you ever told someone else about your faith in God? What was their reaction? Did you feel like the Holy Spirit was helping you with your words?
When have you done something that you knew was wrong? What helped you to know that it was wrong? Do you think that God forgave you?
When have you done something that you knew was right? What helped you to know that it was right? Does the Bible agree that this action was probably right?
Right actions can be thought of as holiness. Wrong actions can be though of as sinfulness. How could you explain to a friend what the Bible has to say about both holiness and forgiveness of sins?

Response Activity

As you consider the theme of missionary work or sharing your faith with others, are there any Bible verses that came to mind? If so, add a comment at the end of this post!