Next Step #5!

Hard to believe we're already at Next Step #5!  Do you remember what the believers did on the first Christian Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and filled them?  They ran out into the streets of  Jerusalem and started telling everyone they could find about Jesus--and they did it in tongues!  The result was that everyone in the city, regardless of their country of origin heard the Good News of Jesus in their own language.  While, we may not (or we may!) be able to speak in another language so that someone from another nation may understand the Good News, we CAN speak in English to those around us who need to hear it.  Remember, the Holy Spirit was given so that we would have the power to be WITNESSES, the actual Greek word is "martyrs" for Jesus!  If we get baptized in the Holy Spirit and don't use the power we've received to share the Good News, then we'll find the power waning in our lives.  Jesus wants all of us to know the joy of the Spirit's presence, but not just for the feeling we receive. He wants us to know the far deeper joy that comes from being obedient to His commands.  As we use His power to tell others the Good News, as we use His power to LIVE out the fruit of the Spirit, others will both hear and see the reality of Jesus' salvation in and through us.  About now, some of you are probably noticing that the "novelty" of praying in tongues is wearing off and you're wondering, "What's next?"  What's next is witnessing?  That doesn't mean you have to get your Bible and go out to the nearest street corner and start preaching.  It means that you need to listen to the Spirit's voice and when He tells you or nudges you to talk with a friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker or stranger to DO IT!  The more we obey, the more clearly we will hear the Spirit's voice in our lives, and the more we want to tell and show others the Good News.  It becomes a great cycle that advances the Kingdom of God, and the "side effect" is that we will experience a greater fulfillment in living than we have ever known before.  Let's DO IT!