PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Acts 10:39–48 (NIV)
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
CONSIDER THIS
We will have occasion to delve into this “Gentile Pentecost” next week as half of the next chapter is Pete’s reporting of this incident to the rest of the apostles back at headquarters.
I want us to go back to the beginning of this story and what I consider to be the banner text over the whole story. What would you say it is? While you are thinking, let me say a word about this “banner text” concept. Scripture is filled with banner texts. A banner text is a verse or short passage that carries the whole message of the book or letter. Remember the banner text we lifted over our journey through Paul’s letter to the Romans?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Rom. 1:16–17).
For my money, the banner text of the Acts of the Apostles is, you guessed it, Acts 1:8
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.”
The cast of witnesses keeps growing, doesn’t it? We began here.
Peter, John, James, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Then there was Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. Barnabas came into the picture along the way, and then there’s the outpouring in Samaria and later the Eunich from Ethiopia. Next came the most stunning witness story to date in the story of the apostle Paul. And we’ve been on the coast in Caesarea in the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius for the past few days witnessing in today’s text a bona fide outpouring of the Spirit there.
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.”
The Holy Spirit is doing manifold miraculous things all over the place, but notice they are not witnessing about the Holy Spirit. They are talking about Jesus, but this is not just a bunch of talk about Jesus. Jesus is demonstrating his presence through these witnesses. Jesus is witnessing to himself, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through this growing community of men and women.
“My witnesses”—Jesus, I belong to you. This is consecration.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”—This is transformation.
“in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”—This is demonstration.
And the demonstration always leads to more consecration which leads to more transformation which leads to more demonstration. But if we don’t keep our eye on the ball, it all becomes reduced to information, which is why we find ourselves in an age of great slumber.
The ball on which we must keep our eyes fixed is Jesus.
I love how Peter put it in his words to those gathered in Cornelius’s home.
You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:37–38)
The Great Witness is Jesus.
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness.
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness.
I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come Holy Spirit transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
THE QUESTION
How are you experiencing Jesus “The Witness” witnessing to himself in and through you? How is consecration, transformation, and demonstration becoming real in and through your life these days? Journal that out today.
THE HYMN
Let’s sing what I call a “Jesus Medley” of choruses today: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus,” into “Praise the Name of Jesus,” into “He is Lord.”
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com
P.S. REMINDER—WAKE-UP CALL FELLOWSHIP HOUR THIS COMING MONDAY NIGHT
We will gather on Zoom—link below—at 7 p.m. CT for a time of fellowship together. I’ll do Q and A. We may sing a hymn, hear a testimony, share pictures of our grandchildren . . . LOL ;0) . . . and whatever else the Spirit has for us. We will hold to an hour. I can guarantee you one thing—Jesus will be there and he will encourage us.
Here’s the Zoom Link for October 23. The passcode is 123456 if needed.
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2 Responses
This is how I am experiencing Jesus the “Witness “ witnessing to himself in and through me. I’m beginning to understand how Jesus is building his Church through the actions and testimonies of ordinary unschooled individuals like myself who have spent time with Him. This Church may not look at all like the model that we’ve come to expect, but it surely will resemble the one that we see recorded within the pages of scripture. Satan and his minions are doing everything within their power to prevent this re-awakening from happening, but by and through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s Church will prevail and the gates of Hades will be destroyed. This battle is the Lord’s.
Here’s how Jesus is being real in me, JD. I woke up about 4:00 this morning before I had any idea about what you would be writing about, and this was in my mind: “Let your heart be a Jesus lab. Experiment with opening up more to Jesus and observe what He does in you.” When I came to Wake-Up Call this morning I was amazed at your question: “How are you experiencing Jesus ‘The Witness’ witnessing to himself in and through you?”