Empowered by the Spirit to Engage Others with Jesus

What is our fascination with superheroes? Batman and Robin, Spiderman, Captain America, even Super-Grover! What makes us want to leap tall buildings in a single bound?  Is it because we too often feel so weak? We want to make a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. We want to save the day, but we seem powerless to do it. So many times, we are just swept along by life, unable to resist its currents.
Christians can sometimes feel this way towards evangelism. We want to make a difference, but when we look at our ineptitude, weak faith, and the strength of the enemy, we lose heart. Jesus has words of encouragement for us: “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” (Acts 1:8). The Spirit empowers us to engage others with Jesus.
The truth is that we, by ourselves, are powerless to effect spiritual change in our lives or the lives of those around us. As the Small Catechism says, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him.” St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). When we approach evangelism from the perspective of our strength, we will be disheartened; we are weak. Thankfully, evangelism is not about our power. The Holy Spirit is the strength of our efforts to engage others with Jesus.  He has given us His mighty Sword, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), to save the day.
Imagine for a moment that you are mowing the lawn tomorrow and an object streaks from heaven and crashes in your backyard. After the dust settles you see a rock with a sword protruding from it in the crater. You can’t help but tug on the hilt. To your surprise, the sword comes out. It is obvious that this is no ordinary sword. You can feel its special power tingling through you. You feel yourself being changed within. You are not the person you used to be.  With the sword in hand, you are something greater, more powerful.
In much the same way, Christians wield a mighty sword. It is the Word of God. The Spirit has sent the Word down from heaven to change hearts and empower Christians to engage others with Jesus. It begins its work by convincing us that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to take away our sins. It assures us of God’s love in Jesus for sinners. But it’s not just for us. Jesus’ death and resurrection paid for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, everyone needs to hear about Him. It compels us to apply the Sword to the hearts of all around us and to engage others with Jesus.
We might, like some of our superheroes, struggle with learning the bounds of our new powers. Therefore, we should take up our Sword daily through studying God’s Word and learn to wield it with skill. Let Christians and the Church no longer claim weakness and impotence. Let us be swept along by the world no more. We have the Word! We are empowered by the Spirit! Let us then unsheathe the Sword of the Spirit, take the fight to Satan, and save the day by setting men’s souls free through the Gospel. Let us boldly engage others with Jesus.
Timothy Hartwig is pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in North Mankato, Minnesota.