And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8)
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reprove sin. It is not our ministry. We are simply witnesses. A witness is not the judge or the jury. A witness simply relates what they have experienced, thereby
providing evidence to the truth of something. We are to witness in word and deed to the truth of Jesus being alive in us. Then we step aside and let the Holy Spirit be the one to convict.
In their zeal, some believers have gone beyond the witness stage and have tried to bring people under conviction. Assuming the job of the Holy Spirit not only frustrates their witness, but also it drives many people away from God. We make a very poor Holy Spirit! We should stick to our job of being witnesses and stay out of the Holy Ghost’s business.
Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He declared that the Holy Spirit was given to empower us to be His witnesses, and He specified where we should witness [simple_tooltip content=’But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’](Acts 1:8)[/simple_tooltip]. We start in Jerusalem (where we are), then Judea (those nearby), then Samaria (other religious and racial groups), and finally the uttermost parts of the earth (other countries). There are some practical reasons for this. Jesus said that a prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown [simple_tooltip content=’So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”’](Matt. 13:57)[/simple_tooltip]. Typically, the hardest place to witness is to family and friends. Starting with those who know us best will cause us to humble ourselves and give God all the glory. Any rejection tempers us and our witness, so that we will be more effective and more resilient when we go to the other peoples of the earth.
Today, be mindful that you have a responsibility to share the Gospel as the Holy Spirit leads you, but then it is all up to Him. Knowing this takes all the pressure off you, and if you are rejected, you know they are rejecting Jesus, not you. You can continue to have a great day knowing you have done the Lord’s will.
