How the Spirit Sparks Awakening

How does the Spirit spark awakening? Through the followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

He didn’t say, “You’re going to go out and do witnessing.” He said, “You’re going to be my witnesses through the power of the Spirit.” And look at where the Spirit sent the disciples of Jesus.

First, he sent them to be witnesses in Jerusalem. The lions den! The place where they had just crucified Jesus a few weeks before. The disciples are not just going to the lions den to hide in the corner and wait. They’re going in to the lions den to hang out with the lions. Jesus wants to send you into uncomfortable places, so you’ll need to depend on the Spirit for courage.

Then the Spirit sent the disciples through all Judea. Which means they’re not just going to be handing out tracts on a corner for an afternoon, and then going home. This is going to be a lifelong effort. Jesus wants to use you as his witness every day for the rest of your life, so you’ll need to depend on the Spirit for endurance and perseverance.

Also, he’s sent his disciples into Samaria. The place the disciples and everyone else in Israel hated the most! These were their arch-enemies who had betrayed them in battle and launched a competing religion. Jesus wants to use you as his witness to people you don’t like, so you’ll need to depend on the Spirit for supernatural love.

And then, to the end of the earth. And that proved to be the toughest assignment for them. The disciples really didn’t want to go far from home, into unfamiliar territories and unfamiliar cultures. For us, it’s usually the opposite. Lots of us have no problem going on missions trips and sharing the gospel to strangers in Africa, but we’re deathly afraid to share the gospel with the guy who lives next door.

Here at Harbor, we’re passionately committed to overseas ministry. We invest a lot of time, energy, and money into ministry in Southeast Asia and Spain. But what we really want to see is for the Spirit to spark revival and transformation right here on Oahu.

Less than 8% of this island attends an evangelical church. That’s less than a lot of countries in Africa! We desperately need God to do something powerful here, so let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to empower us with boldness, courage, and perseverance to love our neighbors, proclaim the glorious truth of the gospel, and work hard to see our islands transformed.