Endorsements for Praying With Fire
“Examining the
prayers of the first Christians is a great start in helping us
recover the meaning and reality of authentic prayer. Jeff Doles has
written a useful book which collects and organizes all of the prayers
found in the New Testament. Praying with Fire is a great
resource for one's own study of how the early Christians prayed.” ~
Frank Viola, Present Testimony Ministries, author of Pagan
Christianity, Rethinking the Wineskin and From Eternity
to Here
“Of all the Christian books out there on
prayer, Praying With Fire is the most deeply rooted in
Scripture I have found, and thus more helpful than anything I have
read. I look forward to putting the book into practice and
recommending it to my staff and friends.” ~ Mo Leverett, pastor and
urban minister, founder of Reborn International
“Praying
With Fire looks at prayer from a refreshingly new perspective.
With typical Jeff Doles clarity and simplicity, it both encourages
and challenges its readers to discover the awesome power of praying
the way God taught us to pray through the many examples in Scripture.
This is a great book to keep handy as a reference and a wonderful aid
to praying powerful, effective prayers that are always in the perfect
will of God.” ~ Ben Peters, Open Heart Ministries, international
conference speaker and author
“Jeff Doles has hit another
home run with his book Praying With Fire. Jeff has an extreme
passion for prayer, worship and healing. This book has become a very
practical tool in my life as an intercessor. I use the different
chapters to target Scriptural prayers from the heart of God for my
family, church, and me. His explanations of the Scriptural passages
cause them to come to life. I highly recommend this book as a weapon
to open the windows of Heaven to bring the will of God to earth as it
is in Heaven.” ~ Rick C. Wilson, pastor, Revival Outreach Center,
Dover, FL; Apostolic Director, International Apostolic
Ministries
“For those who desire to live and walk a
victorious life by the authority that Jesus has given us, this book
is for you. The Lord is on our side and is available to assist us to
develop our potential and destiny for which we were created; but it
can only be done through an intimate relationship with Him, and that
means a disciplined, active prayer life. Need help in getting
started? Praying With Fire, by Jeff Doles, will guide you into
a deeper, passionate relationship with God that will result in
aggressive ‘Kingdom Building’ ~ a must for those who want to be
about their Father’s business.” ~ Rev. Audrey Ann Volz, founder &
director, The Shepherd’s Lambs, Inc., A World Missions Organization
Praying With Fire
Change Your World with the
Powerful Prayers of the Apostles
©2004 by Jeff
Doles. All rights reserved.
Smashwords Edition
Published
by
Walking Barefoot Ministries
P.O. Box 1062, Seffner, FL
33583
For more resources on enjoying new life in Christ,
living in faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, or to find out more
about Jeff Doles, visit our websites:
All scripture
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy
Bible, New International Version. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan
Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations
marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version.
© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken
from the New American Standard Bible®, © The Lockman
Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken
from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, © 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All
rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are
taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked
AMP are taken from The Amplified® New Testament, ©
1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
Contents
Praying as an Apostolic People
Learning to Pray with Apostolic Power
PRAYING WITH APOSTOLIC PASSION
Preparing Your Heart for Prayer
Preaching with Boldness, Signs and Wonders
Anointed Words and Holy Spirit Boldness
Opportunity and Clarity for the Gospel
The Delivery and Reception of the Gospel
Preparing the Ground for Evangelism
Dwelling in the Love of Christ
Endurance, Encouragement and Unity
Supply, Multiplication and Increase
Grace and Peace by the Will of God
Kept Blameless by the Faithful One
Hope, Encouragement and Strength
God’s Love and Christ’s Perseverance
Peace at All Times, in Every Way
Perfected, Established, Strengthened, Settled
Blessing from the Throne of God
For Being Greatly Enriched and Fully Equipped
For Faith in Jesus and Love for His People
For Faith and Love Springing from Hope
For Active Faith, Diligent Love, Enduring Hope
For Receptivity to the Holy Spirit
For Growing in Faith and Increasing in Love
For Being Loved, Chosen, Sanctified and Called
For Relationship and Inheritance
To the God of Wisdom and Knowledge
To the God Who is More Than Able
Introduction
FOR the Christian
who desires to enter into a dynamic and powerful life of prayer, the
Bible is loaded with teachings and models. The Lord’s Prayer is
probably the most well known example, given directly from the lips of
the Lord Jesus Christ as a pattern of prayer for His disciples. After
that, the book of Psalms, prayer book and hymnal of the Old
Testament, dominates the history and practice of prayer in the
Church. There is another group of prayers, though, that is being
recognized and restored in the worship and intercession movements of
the new millennium. These are the powerful prayers offered up by the
New Testament apostles.
Apostles are pioneers. They go before and pave the way. They break the ground, sow the seeds and lay the foundations for new churches, ministries and outreaches. They strategize for growth, build up believers, establish congregations and train leaders. Jim Goll identifies an apostle as “one called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches.”*
The word “apostle” comes from the Greek apostolos, and means “one sent forth.” Apostles do not go out on their own but are sent forth by the Lord Jesus Christ with full authority to speak and act on His behalf:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28.18-20)
The Apostle Paul gives us a very brief description of apostolic ministry in his letter to the Corinthians: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3.6). Here we find three aspects of apostolic ministry: planting, watering and growth. Apostles are responsible for planting and watering; God is responsible for making it grow.
Praying as an Apostolic People
We are not all called to be apostles, but we are called to be apostolic people. The mandate of the Great Commission is upon us just as much as it is upon them. Apostles cannot do this work by themselves. In fact, they are given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the Church in order to equip us for the work of the ministry.
It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4.11-13)
This is often called the “five-fold ministry.” Someone has summed up very succinctly how it functions within the body of Christ: Apostles govern. Prophets guide. Evangelists gather. Pastors guard. Teachers ground. The express purpose of the fivefold ministry is to equip and prepare the people of God for the work of the ministry. The result is that the body of Christ is built up, until we all come to unity in the faith and full maturity in Christ. Apostolic people, equipped for service by the five-fold ministry, help establish the work of God in others.
Learning to Pray with Apostolic Power
The apostles of the New Testament pioneered many different prayers for us, as we discover in their epistles. I have sorted these into five main groups: evangelistic, pastoral, benediction, thanksgiving and doxology. These are powerful prayers because they express, not only the heart of the apostles, but the heart of God. They show His desire to light the world with the Gospel, bless and strengthen His people, and bring them to completeness in Christ.
Evangelistic
prayers are ground-breaking prayers. They prepare the fields, and
the laborers, for sowing the Gospel and laying the foundations of
local Christian fellowships.
Pastoral prayers are
watering prayers. They help establish Christians in the faith, both
as individuals and as congregations, to grow in grace and in intimate
relationship with God, and become a servant community in partnership
with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Benedictions are also
watering prayers, pouring forth with the authority of heaven to bless
and minister the promises of God to His people.
Prayers of
Thanksgiving return praise to the “Lord of the Harvest” for
what He is doing in and through His people.
Doxologies
are prayers that declare the praiseworthiness of God and give Him
glory. The apostolic purpose is all about God from beginning to end,
for He is both the One who sends and the One who gives the increase.
Therefore, He deserves all praise and honor.
These prayers flow easily from the pens of the apostles, often spontaneously and with great passion. They come out of an intimate relationship with the Father and a constant reliance upon the Holy Spirit. The result is that the apostles turned their world upside down (or right side up!) in the name of Jesus.
These are prayers to learn by heart. By that, I do not mean that you should simply memorize them, although that can certainly be helpful. Memorization is learning them by your mind. Learning them by heart means to meditate upon them and begin praying them out for yourself, for your church, for your pastor, and for anyone else who needs a work of God in their life. In this way, these prayers will become a guide for you, and a springboard that launches you out into a prayer experience that is joyful and effective. To help you in this process, I have included a little commentary for each prayer, followed by some “action points” you can do.
When you begin praying, don’t be in a hurry. Take your time and pray slowly. As you do, you may find that you feel an inward desire to expand upon some particular point. That is the Holy Spirit prompting you, and if you listen carefully, He will give you words to pray back to the Father. Go with this as far as the Spirit leads you. When you come to the end, sit quietly and contemplate what the Spirit has given you. Then take up your prayer again, remaining sensitive to what the Lord is showing you. At the end of your prayer time, give thanks to the Lord for what He has done. Then go out in peace, enjoying His presence.
NOTES
*
Jim Goll, Kneeling on the Promises
(Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1999) p. 301.
Praying With Apostolic Passion
FOR the apostles,
prayer was not just a means of ministry, but a way of life. It was
not just about performing a duty, but walking daily in a
relationship, a loving partnership with God. This kind of prayer life
requires a heart that is perfected in love, a habit of devotion, a
deep confidence in God and His Word, and a reliance upon the Holy
Spirit. These are the principles of apostolic prayer as taught by the
apostles themselves.
Preparing Your Heart for Prayer
Prayer is a matter of the heart. For your prayer to be effective, your heart must be prepared, particularly in regard to love. There is a tried and true saying that “Prayer is the key to heaven, but faith unlocks the door.” However, we need to go one step further and understand, with Paul, that “faith expresses itself through love” (Galatians 5.6). This is especially true regarding prayer, and includes both love for God and love for others. James makes the same point, but in terms of desires and motives:
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4.1-3)
Prayer that is full of love for others will not cause fights and quarrels, because it does not covet. Prayer that is full of love for God will not seek to please itself, but God. Part of the problem of unanswered prayer is that we do not ask. But asking out of selfish desires and motives can also keep us from receiving, because we are missing the most important ingredient — love! Peter put it this way, specifically in the context of the marriage relationship:
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3.7)
Lack of love, consideration and respect in our relationships can actually hinder our prayers, keeping them from being answered. The solution is found in the love of God — it must be perfected, or made complete in us. We come to this completion by obeying God and loving one another. “If anyone obeys His Word, God’s love is truly made complete in him” (1 John 2.5). “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4.12).
When the love of God is perfected in us, our prayers will be effective and powerful, for they will be all about Him and not about us. Our prayers will arise out of love, and God will not deny that which He has perfected in us.
The lifestyle of prayer is a habit of devotion, always in communication with God and fully consecrated to Him. It is a persistent attentiveness to God, a life that holds on to faith and hope, regardless of the circumstances. It is a peaceful life of joy, knowing that God answers prayer. The apostles exhort us to cultivate this kind of devotion:
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12.12)
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4.2)
Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5.17)
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. (1 Timothy 2.8)
The end [culmination] of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (1 Peter 4.7)
To be devoted to prayer means to be diligent about it, to go at it with strong commitment, to stick with it until it has achieved its purpose. To be watchful in prayer means to be alert for what the Lord might be saying or revealing to you. Thankfulness is the oil that lubricates prayer, declaring the goodness and trustworthiness of the Lord and creating a divine expectation about what He is doing.
When you pray, expect to receive. The author of Hebrews said, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11.6). James said,
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1.5-8)
Don’t be divided about your prayers, going back and forth, worrying about whether or not they will be answered. Faith pleases God and brings reward, but doubt has no guarantee of receiving anything from the Lord. It is the prayer of faith that God hears and answers:
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5.13-18)
Every believer is capable of offering the prayer of faith. Every Christian is, by definition, righteous, for we have been made the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5.21). Elijah was no more righteous than we are, but he knew how to pray in faith, so he saw his prayers answered.
John also gives us assurance about our prayers:
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5.14,15)
We can have confidence that God hears us when we pray, and that we will have whatever we ask of Him. The secret is to pray according to His will. That is why it is important to study the Scriptures and the prayers of the apostles, for they reveal the will of God. When we pray according to the Word of God, we can know that our prayers are being heard and that the answer is on its way.
Every Christian has a helper in prayer, one that is vital to praying with apostolic fire. This helper is the Holy Spirit, and He comes to assist us. He does not take over and do it for us, but He grabs hold and pulls together with us in prayer. That is what the word “helps” means in this verse:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Romans 8.26)
The Greek word for “weakness” means “feebleness,” as of body or mind. When it comes to prayer, our minds are feeble — we don’t know what to pray! But God has given us the Holy Spirit to intercede for us with words that go beyond human language. There are many ways He may do this. As we see here, it may even be with inarticulate groans. Some people have called this “travailing prayer,” like the cries of a woman in labor. When the Spirit is at work in us in this way, we can know that God is giving life to something in us and through us. There are other ways the Spirit helps us pray. Paul spoke about praying in tongues, a practice he engaged in regularly:
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding; I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. (1 Corinthians 14.14,15 NKJV)
Praying in tongues is an activity of the Holy Spirit at work in our spirit, helping us to pray. In our mind, we may not know what we are praying, but in our spirit, we are communicating with the Holy Spirit. Our spirit knows, even when our mind does not. Paul said, “Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit” (1 Corinthians 14.2). When we pray in tongues, we are speaking to God and uttering mysteries. In the Bible, a mystery is a secret that God is revealing. When we pray in tongues, God is revealing things to our spirit, even though our mind may not yet comprehend what those things are.
Though our understanding may be unfruitful, when we pray in tongues, something definite and powerful is going on in our spirit. Paul said, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1 Corinthians 14.4). When we pray in tongues, we are building ourselves up, getting charged up like a battery. This not only affects us in spirit, but in soul and body as well, for out of the spirit flow all the issues of life.
We can pray with the spirit, but we can also pray with the understanding, that is, in ways which our mind knows and comprehends what we are praying. Even so, we must always be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is leading so that we are leaning on Him and not on our own understanding. Our tendency is to launch out in prayer without listening for the voice of the Lord. Or we simply do not even begin to pray because we do not know what to pray. But if we will stop and listen for the Spirit, He will not only give us what to pray for, but He will also show us how to pray for it.
The Spirit might bring a Bible verse to mind. Pray that verse. He might give a picture or an impression about something. Pray that out. He might show you to pray in tongues for a while, or He might even give you a burden in prayer about which all you can do is groan. Whatever He shows you to do and however He shows you to pray, follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. This is praying in the Spirit.
Paul said, “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6.18). Jude said, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20).
Evangelistic Prayers
EVANGELISTIC
prayers have a missionary focus: They are offered for the sake of the
Gospel and those who proclaim it. They are ground-breaking prayers
that address the heart of the Great Commission Jesus gave to His
disciples:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28.19, 20)
In this Commission, Jesus has given us some wonderful assurances: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me ... Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28.18, 20). We lay hold of these great promises by prayer: In the name of Jesus, we exercise the authority that has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. And by prayer, we enter into the promise of His presence, synchronizing our hearts with His, to go forth and minister with His power. In this way, we fulfill His mandate.
Prayer is vital to the task of evangelism. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father — the gift of the Holy Spirit. “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 world” (Acts 1.8). For ten days, the apostles, along with many other believers (about a hundred and twenty altogether) waited in an upper room, praying until the promise of the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. As a result of that prayer, about three thousand people received the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Church prayed with the Holy Spirit, it produced powerful evangelism.
Prayer is a lifeline for evangelists and others on mission. When we pray for them, we are entering into an important partnership with them, striving together with them to accomplish the goal, even standing guard as watchmen for their sakes. In prayer, we strengthen the bond we have with them and help lay the foundation for their work.
You can offer the prayers in this section for yourself and for all who are doing the work of evangelists and missionaries. Pray that the Gospel will go forth into the world with a powerful testimony and that it will have a favorable reception. Ask the Lord to fill His people with Holy Spirit boldness and to perform miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus. Pray that He will give anointed words for revealing the “mystery of Christ” to others. Look to Him for divine favor and protection. Then expect a joyful harvest, giving Him all the glory.
Preaching with Boldness, Signs and Wonders
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. (Acts 4.29,30)
WHEN Peter and John
healed a lame man at the gate called “Beautiful,” they drew quite
a crowd. Taking full advantage of this opportunity, they began to
preach about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead. This so
enraged the Sadducees, they had Peter and John taken into custody by
the Temple Guard. The next day, after hearing their case, the
magistrates of the Temple spoke among themselves, “What shall we do
to with these men? Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done
an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing
from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men
to speak no longer to anyone in this name” (Acts 4.16,17). So they
commanded Peter and John not to speak or teach anyone about Jesus.
But Peter and John answered, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (vv. 19,20). After they were further threatened by the court and released, they went to the Church and told them what had happened. Upon hearing this, they all lifted up their voices together and cried out to the Lord:
Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.” Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. (Acts 4.24-30)
Peter, John and their friends prayed to the Lord as the Ruler of all and Creator of everything, appealing to the prophetic word the Holy Spirit had spoken through David. This word, recorded in Psalm 2, spoke of a conspiracy of rage and opposition to God’s Anointed One, the Christ. Now this prophecy was being fulfilled, by the likes of Herod, Pilate and others, who tried to silence Jesus and the preaching of His name. So they turned to the Lord with two requests:
First, in view of the threats which were rising around them, they asked the Lord to enable them to preach His Word with great boldness. This means to flow with outspokenness, to speak frankly or bluntly, and with great assurance. To speak the Word of God with boldness is to declare it plainly, openly, freely. There is a clarity and directness to it that comes out of being free from fear. This kind of confidence must come from God and is a work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul reminded Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1.7 NKJV).
Second, they asked the Lord to stretch forth His hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus. Healing reveals the compassion of Jesus, signs point others to Him, and wonders inspire awe about who He is and what He has done. These are important to the task of evangelism because they focus the attention on the Lord Jesus Christ — they are done in His name and bring glory to Him. That is exactly what happened when Peter and John healed the lame man. It captured the attention of a crowd and presented an opportunity for Peter and John to preach about Jesus.
This is the same thing Jesus did in His own ministry. The Bible says, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10.38 NKJV). Along with Jesus’ preaching and teaching, there were healing signs and wonders.
This is also what Jesus chose and trained His disciples to do:“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons” (Mark 3.14, 15). We find this same pattern again in Mark’s version of the Great Commission:
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation ... And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well. (Mark 16.15, 17-18)
Jesus promised them, “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 world” (Acts 1.8). A witness is one who brings evidence or produces proof. In the remainder of the book of Acts, we find believers preaching the Gospel with boldness and bringing forth evidence in the form of signs and wonders. This pattern further continues in the New Testament, as we see in Paul’s preaching ministry:
I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done — by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ. (Romans 15.18, 19)