Title: Witnesses/Acts 1:1-11
So Jesus told the apostles to wait for what the Father had promised. The promise was that he would send the Holy Spirit. “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (verse 5). So what does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?
Luke 3:21,22 says this: "And all the people were baptized, and Jesus was also baptized, and while he was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came from heaven, saying, "You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Many people are baptized by John, but the Holy Spirit comes on only Jesus. And a voice came from heaven, saying, "You are my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased." The coming of the Holy Spirit proves that you are the Son of God. No one was a son of God. There was only Jesus.
The first step Jesus took toward the cross was to be baptized by John. Therefore, God the Father rejoiced because he was the Son to be crucified. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was made possible for humans because Jesus was the Son of God and took up the cross that the Father was pleased with.
Therefore, if anyone receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit like Jesus, he becomes a son of God. In other words, it means becoming like Jesus. To become like Jesus does not mean to be on the same level as Jesus by any great power, but to be placed in the same destiny as Jesus.
It is purely because of the cross of Jesus that this baptism of the Holy Spirit is possible for sinners. Because all human beings are sinners, we cannot know the things of heaven. Because we do not know, we cannot speak, and we cannot do the work of the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit that human beings are able to do the work of the kingdom of God. Humans cannot. But those who have received the Holy Spirit can do it.
How, then, is the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit? In other words, the work of heaven is to do something concretely. It is said in verse 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.”
In the Old Testament, God spoke of Israel as a witness of God. “Ye have been chosen to be my witnesses and my servants, that you may know and believe in me and understand that I am he” (Isaiah 43:10). But Israel failed in its role as a witness. Israel was deaf and blind (Isaiah 42:18). How can the deaf and the blind serve as witnesses? Ears, eyes and mouth should be open. That way you can hear, see, and speak properly.
That is why God promised that He would send His true servant to this earth and give him the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 42:1). Indeed, as a true servant led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was the perfect witness of God the Father (John 17:4). The servant's promise to open the eyes of the blind was fulfilled (Isaiah 42:6,7). In the end, the baptism of the Holy Spirit became possible because of Jesus' crucifixion, and our ears, eyes, and mouths were opened.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon anyone, he becomes a child of God and he receives the power of God. But that power is nothing but the power to be a witness of Jesus in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Either way, the Holy Spirit makes us witnesses of the Lord. The one who has received the Holy Spirit testifies, not himself, but only Jesus.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, but will speak what he hears, and will make known to you things to come; and he will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and make it known to you” (John 16). :13,14) said. The evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit is none other than that you have become a witness of Jesus.
He used to prove himself and boast of himself, but now he has changed into a witness to testify of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Who is Jesus and what did He do on earth? Or, as a child of God and a person who has received the Holy Spirit, it is necessary to prove that he is still alive and reveals what he asks of us.
It is the Holy Spirit who knows both God's circumstances and ours. He is claiming us so that we can testify of Jesus. It is to make known and testify of the things that have been given to us.
Not all of us know and believe in Jesus. It's about knowing what you have been given by grace. Studying the Bible does not mean you can know everything about Jesus. When those who have received the Holy Spirit read the Bible, they can understand the mystery of Jesus and the cross he carried. So, is there no need to study the Bible? It's not like that. At this point, Bible study is just a level of organizing what we believe.
We quench the Holy Spirit in our weakness, and sometimes we boast while revealing ourselves by trying to turn away, but what is ultimately important is who we are witnessing to. In the end, only Jesus is supposed to boast and testify. What kind of sermon are you good at? This is not to say that you should judge with your own thoughts. Jesus is to be seen by the preacher.
They list the terms God, Jesus, the cross, and the gospel with their mouths, but in the end, if you ask them to donate and be loyal to the work that makes the church they have established well, it is clearly a fake. Those who spread fake Jesus and fake crosses. The church should be the gathering of those who can boldly drive out such a person.
Starting with Jusung Church, I did not reach out to anyone for help. Even the presbytery did not ask for help because it was a new church. People criticized me for not asking for help because I had enough money to live on, and they said that I was very proud of myself. However, it is not my intention to build a proper church with my own strength. Of course, if you want to help Jusung Church, do whatever you want. I won't stop it.
It means that the name of a person is revealed, the pride of sinners is built up, and the church where witnesses who boast only of the cross of the Lord are gathered, not the church where each individual's merits are proud, begins with the decisive determination that the body of the Lord is the body of the Lord. We are not our witnesses, nor are we witnesses of the Holy Spirit. Because we are only witnesses of Jesus.
The same concern for the disciples and today's church members was when Jesus would come again. When, it is about me. It's not our business. What is important is the role of a witness who only shows Jesus who was crucified in front of the stark fact that Jesus is coming again and also Jesus who will come again.♣