Empowered

I heard a good message this morning that was very appropriate for Pentecost Sunday. The minister focused his sermon around the first to chapters of the book of Acts. It's pretty standard issue stuff, facts I have heard many times before. But as a human voice intoned, I could sense the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart at the same time. Now normally I tend to have trouble focusing when someone else is preaching because I have become accustomed to delivering the morning message, not listening to it. But today, with no pulpit to call my own, everything was so much more raw and fresh and new. It was like the first message of this next phase of my life.
Were I to have preached from the chosen text today, I likely would have included this point in the message. But sitting in the congregation, receiving the message the Holy Spirit had placed on the preacher's heart, it hit me hard. One aspect of Pentecost Sunday, the celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is the power the Christian is given to witness. When the Christian is baptized with the Holy Spirit, she or he is empowered to resist temptation, to serve others with effectiveness, to live a holy life. All of this is true. But the thing we so often would rather not talk about is this power to share with others the Good News of what Jesus has done for us. That may be because so many of us are nervous about turning the conversation from the weather and the politicians to spiritual things.
My heart pounds in my chest when I sense the Spirit's tug to stop talking about the football game and start talking about Jesus. In my flesh I am so afraid I am about to turn this person off and that they won't even want to talk about how hot it is outside after I bring up Jesus. But there is such a rush when I push past the fear and begin to present the Gospel.
Now here's the thing. There's a technical issue involved with this friendship evangelism. What do I do once I have been used of God to persuade my friend to make the move from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light? Naturally, I invite them to church with me. But what is natural normally is challenging today. I am currently in search of a church home myself. I mean, how awkward would it be to come to that point in the conversation and then say, "see that church over there? You should go. I won't be there, but I know they will treat you well."
I don't know just what to do about all that. But I do know that regardless of my church status, I do not get a pass from the Great Commission. I am still responsible to share the Good News as effectively as I know how with whoever I meet. So... I will witness... I will disciple those the Lord allows me to lead to Christ... and I will follow the Holy Spirit's direction for the baby Christian's choice of a church when the time comes. I have been empowered today. And I do not intend to waste this empowerment.