Treasure or Trash?

“I will not waste my life! I will finish my course and finish it well. I will display the Gospel of the grace of God in all I do.” - John Piper (paraphrasing the Apostle Paul)

Christians have a priceless, powerful, gift that is beyond all worth; a treasure by every definition of the word. This gift is God living in us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Think about it: a blameless, holy, all-knowing, all-powerful God taking up residence in our messed up lives! It almost doesn’t make sense really! Could there be a better gift received through the duration of our lives? Could all of the other gifts that we receive combined in our lifetimes add up to its value? No! The greatness of this gift should make us pause and reflect on the value and purpose of It’s significance.

Scripture details many attributes of the Holy Spirit and how God’s power is manifested in our lives through it. But focusing on the Book of Acts, there is one recurring theme that points us to why exactly Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. In fact, these passages show us a singular purpose for why God has given us this great treasure and it is this: So we can be His witnesses. God has chosen to live in us so He can live through us and we can bear witness to Him to everyone around us. That is what this gift is for!

Let’s dig into some of the verses that unveil this truth. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that “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.” See here why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit: “you will be my witnesses.” Look what happens then in Acts 2 & 3 when the believers receive the Holy Spirit – they start witnessing of Jesus to all of the people. It then happens again in Acts 4. Acts 4:8 says “then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them….” Finally, Acts 4:31 says that “and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.” The examples go on and on as we study the Book of Acts further.

Our friends, we have been given a priceless gift. A gift that is a treasure with a singular purpose. What are we doing with it? Are you allowing it to be used as it was intended? Let’s not be a waste of the greatest gift of God! May we be His witnesses! May we all speak the Word of God boldly to everyone around us.