The Holy Spirit walks with us as we witness

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age'" (Matthew 28:18-20, New American Standard Bible).

More than a ship's captain, God knows how to navigate waters that lie ahead. He can help us walk through whatever comes across the path He leads us, even as we are given opportunities to witness. We are not expected to make disciples and baptize them without God's help.

M. David Sills explained this commandment as he wrote, "Making God known is what faith is all about" ("The Biblical Basis for Missions" article from The Apologetics Study Bible). When Jesus gave this command to the apostles, He knew God would send the Holy Spirit to guide them. In this Great Commission to go and share God's good news with others, we are not expected to go alone. God gives the Holy Spirit to guide each believer.

Lord, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to be with believers. Help us remember that You are Immanuel, God with us. Let us listen to the Holy Spirit's lead as we seek to witness who God is to others who do not know You yet.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo of Mortimer McCarthy at the wheel of the Terra Nova found on www.jamescairdsociety.com.

We ask for guidance

"'But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come'" (John 16:13, New American Standard Bible). 

Campus tour guides at my college impressed me. When I first went on a tour, it seemed like the grounds stretched on for a good five miles as the  guide talked and told us about campus traditions, classes, and campus life.  She kept my attention as I could see they wanted to interact with us, but also I hoped they wouldn't actually run into a tree or something!

In this passage, Jesus was trying to tell His disciples in the Upper Room that He would leave the earth soon.  They wouldn't be left to sort out things by themselves, though - God would send the Holy Spirit to guide them.  God the Father sent His Son, Jesus to die for all, and now God gives the Holy Spirit to help believers through life.  Jesus went on to explain, "'But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you'" (John 14:26, NASB).

Lord,  thanks for what You have revealed to us about Yourself already.  Please teach us more about You, reveal your will to us and help us walk through life.  Please guide us in how to reach out to others and help them see who You are.  Thank You for this new life You've given us.  Amen.

Verse used for study from HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart by Jaye Martin (1999).

Photo above of a University of Missouri (aka Mizzou) campus tour from www.cafnr.missouri.edu