“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses.”  Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

Dear Friends,

I’m a fan of court dramas. I’ve read most of the John Grisham novels and enjoy movies like A Few Good Men (You can’t handle the truth!). Often the outcome of cases depends on the credibility of the witnesses. This brings me to the above quoted scripture and the topic of the day. According to Jesus we are his witnesses. Are we credible?

Wonderfully, we are not left on our own in bearing witness to Jesus but are equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus names him ‘the Spirit of truth’ three times. John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13 It strikes me that the Holy Spirit empowers us in two main ways. First, he forms the character of Christ in us, which gives credibility to our observed way of life. Second, he gives us words of truth and the courage to say them at appropriate times to appropriate people. As Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord.”

The significance of the day of Pentecost is that it was on that day the first Christians were equipped by the Holy Spirit to boldly testify of Jesus. That was the birth-day of this movement which changed the world then and continues to do so today.

We will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper on Pentecost Sunday, May 19^th. Please join us as we worship together and continue to seek the presence and help of the Spirit of Truth in witnessing to our world.

In Christ’s love, 

Harry