Acting Faith = Joy

Walking through the Brisbane CBD.

Peak hour. 

The signal turned red: "Don't Walk". 

There was a man standing there selling the afternoon paper. 

I decided to witness to him while waiting for the light to turn green.

"Are you a Christian?" I asked.

"I'm a Catholic."

"Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Do you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord?"

"Yes," he said.

That's good enough for me, I thought - I didn't have much more time to asses his spiritual experience. 

So I asked, "Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?"

He seemed unsure how to answer. 

So I quickly told him about the night when I truly experienced salvation by receiving Jesus as my personal Saviour, despite having already attended church all my life; and about the night, three months after that, when I was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit made Jesus all the more real to me, I said. And I told him that God gave me a new language that night to pray and praise God with.

"Would you like to receive the Holy Spirit?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

So I laid my hand on him, and led him in a prayer acknowledging Jesus, and asking to receive the Holy Spirit.

After the prayer he started thanking God for it out loud.

Then I said, "Now start to thank and praise God in a new language".

Immediately he started speaking in a language I didn't understand. It just flowed. He kept going.

I started praising God too!

Then the light turned green.

"I have to go," I said.

And I left him standing there holding his bundle of papers, still overflowing in the language - face glowing, smiling for joy, looking full of gratitude, like he'd just been baptised with love. 

Like he was tasting the Kingdom of heaven!

We both experienced the joy that comes when we act our faith. 

Perhaps Jesus Christ has a gift for you to unwrap today too!