Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”
Mark 16:15 “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.’”
Before He ascended to the Father, Jesus’ final command to every believer was, “Go into all the world, preach the Gospel and make disciples.” This mandate hasn’t changed. This call to evangelism and discipleship is for all who believe. Each one of us is called to play a part in the great commission. This isn’t reserved for the Evangelist or Pastor but is for each one of us. We are all called to pick up the mantle of the Gospel and carry it forward to our current generation. This is our assignment.
We are alive at this time for a reason. This is a unique moment in history, where the Gospel is spreading at a historic rate. It truly is harvest time right now. This is a reaping season. You and I were born for this present awakening. It is a great time to be alive as a disciple of Jesus. Every one of us is called to rise up and bring the love of God to humanity! It’s time for us to demonstrate and proclaim Jesus with boldness in every sphere of society!
Holy Spirit
Jesus never expected us to live this thing without Him. Our assignment is called the co-mission, meaning it is to be lived out in a partnership with the Holy Spirit. Without Him, it is an impossible mission. It takes God to live like God. We need His empowering presence upon our lives. Jesus instructed the disciples: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “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.” We need the helper! We need the Holy Spirit. He is with us for this very purpose: to enable us with His very Life to live this life.
His Temple
Years ago, when I was 17 years old, I had a dramatic encounter with Holy Spirit that changed my life forever. At the time I had been reading “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ” by Jeanne Guyon and “Good Morning Holy Spirit” by Benny Hinn. I found myself in a state of extreme hunger for Holy Spirit. I began to spend hours and hours alone in prayer crying out for an encounter with God.
One day during this season I decided to go up into the hills to pray. About a mile away from where we lived at the time there is this place with a huge rock. In the past, it was a place where young Native American boys would go to find their “spirit guide”. The rock is really more like a mountain. It is easily a couple hundred feet tall. At the base, there is a cable that you can use to climb to the top. You simply grab the cable with your bare hands and walk yourself up the vertical cliff side. I had never done it. I was scared, to say the least. But that day when I went up there to seek the Lord I saw the cable and I thought to myself: “Okay I’M GOING TO DO THIS. There isn’t anyone here so if I fall I am falling to my death, but I’m going to do it.” I was a little afraid of heights, but when I climbed the rock that day the fear of heights was broken off of me, and I haven’t been afraid of heights ever since.
I began climbing up the rock, and when I was about halfway to the top the power of God hit me and I started trembling. It felt like electricity was running through my body! I was hanging on for dear life on this cable and I thought: “God, you set me up! Why couldn’t you have waited until I got to the top of the mountain?”
I struggled and fought to hold on and when I finally made it to the top of the rock I laid out in the dirt as the power of God was surging through me by the presence of Holy Spirit. All I kept hearing God say was, “You are the Ark of the Covenant! You are the Ark of the Covenant! The same glory! The same Fire! The same power and presence of God that dwelled in the meeting place, which dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the same pillar of fire dwells in you!”
From that point on, something shifted in my life. As I communed with Holy Spirit and got to know who He was I started telling people about Jesus wherever I went. I started learning how to hear His voice and to be led by Him. I began to operate in the gift of the word of knowledge with ease.
You are the Ark of the Covenant. That simple revelation will change you forever! The literal glory (the heavy, weighty, substance of God) dwells inside of you.
Exodus 25:10 and 22 says “… make an ark…There I will meet with you and… I will speak intimately with you…”
Jesus has made you an ark! The Holy Spirit rests inside you. He loves to meet with you and speak intimately with you. The same glory and presence that rested upon the ark, inside the meeting tent, is residing inside of you! The God of the universe has an abiding presence in you. Corinthians 6:16 puts it this way: “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’”
Host His Presence
Holy Spirit dwells in you and He wants out! It comes down awareness. Imagine me inviting you to move into my house. And as soon as you did I didn’t talk to you, I didn’t spend time with you, and I completely ignored you. Basically, I live my life without acknowledging your presence. You living in my home isn’t any less true or real, it’s just since I live unaware of your presence, I cut myself off from enjoying any of the beautiful things about you. In the same way, we can live our lives completely unaware of God’s presence. God lives inside of us. We are the Ark of this covenant! He is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He desires to be intimate with us and share the secrets of His heart. He longs to spend time with us. He has made us his home. What it comes down to is honoring His abiding presence by acknowledging it. We acknowledge His presence by simply turning our attention and giving our affection. It’s about every step we take we take with Holy Spirit in mind. As we go about our day, we turn your attention and affection to Him. We establish His presence as a stronghold wherever our feet take us.
Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
This passage doesn’t say those who are led by their own reason and understandings are the sons of God. It says those who are led by His Spirit are the sons of God. The true mark of being children of God is that we let Him lead and guide our steps. The fruit of the Spirit flowing out of my life is really simple. It comes down to who is leading. When I lead, my fruit follows. When He leads, His fruit follows. The question isn’t about our performance, but our placement. Who is leading? Is Holy Spirit leading or are you leading? When He leads, His fruit and gifts follow. When we lead, His fruit doesn’t pop out of us. Orphans lead themselves. They are guided by their own understanding and reason. Sons and daughters are led by the Spirit of their Father.
Being led by His spirit is about all of life. Not just ministry settings. But in how I parent and be a husband. How I run my business, do stuff around the house or go about my day. He is not a ministry spirit. He is an identity and intimacy spirit, meaning He is near for all of life. Holy Spirit remains – He is the Spirit of Adoption. He doesn’t come and go. He has attached himself to your identity. He is not attached to what you do, but to who you are.
I remember one day when I lost my wallet. I was frustrated. I looked everywhere. I fell into stress because I was relying on my own reasoning to find it. Finally, I remembered that the Holy Spirit lives in me. I felt Him gently tap me on my shoulder. I thought, “Oh yeah! I’m not an orphan. I’m a son. Hey Holy Spirit, where is my wallet?” immediately I saw a picture of it in the pocket of my shirt that was hanging in my closet. I went right there and sure enough, it was there.
This taught me something. So often we rely on our own ability to search for lost humanity. Evangelism and discipleship become a big stress and pressure because we’re doing it apart from His presence. We just need to rest. When we lean and listen, we’ll find His leading. The greatest key to Evangelism and discipleship isn’t being aware of others or being self-aware. It’s all about being aware of the Spirit.
You are called to walk in evangelism every day and bring His love to those around you! You carry the very power of God for salvation inside you. The Gospel! (Romans 1:16) You possess the Life the world is longing for. His name is Jesus. You are the answer for your coworkers, family member, and friend’s salvation. You have been sent to bring good news.
How do we walk in Evangelism? It’s about leaning upon His presence and listening. We lean and listen when we’re at work, the grocery store or anywhere we frequent. It’s about Him and His presence. As we practice His presence we will be launched into walking in evangelism.
For more on this, pick up a copy of Words of Knowledge: Training Manual