The Spirit's Witness Conference

In Acts 1, Jesus gives His disciples an urgent and sober task to carry out in the interim between His ascension and that long-anticipated time (see, e.g., Is. 40, 62; Zc. 14) when He will return and “restore the kingdom to Israel” (Ac. 1:6): Being His “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Ac. 1:8b, NIV). However, He knew that apart from “the promise of the Father” (Ac 1:4)—that is, the Holy Spirit by means of whose coming those witnesses would be “clothed with power from on high” (Lk. 24:49)—the mission would be fruitless, powerless, and ineffective. Therefore, He prefaces the assignment with these words: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Ac. 1:8a, NIV). Like our spiritual forebears, we, too, if we are to be effective witnesses and faithfully represent our Lord to the world in both word and deed, desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit to operate through us and in our midst. Our own witness, like that of our spiritual forebears, is doomed to futility apart from the Spirit’s witness. This One Hope, One Boast Conference is dedicated to examining different aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work and ministry. What does it mean to be a faithful “witness” to the gospel, and why is the Spirit’s power so vital to that process? What is the framework within which the apostles understood and interpreted the Spirit’s work? What does Paul mean when He refers to the Holy Spirit as a “down payment” (Eph. 1:14), “seal” (1 Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13, 4:30), and “deposit” (2 Cor. 1:22)? Why does he encourage us to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 14:1), and what does it look like for those gifts to be stewarded responsibly and in a way that brings glory to God? How does the Spirit shape us in patterns of thinking and behaving that differ from those of the world around us? Historically, how have various groups and movements understood and related to the activity of the Holy Spirit? These are the types of questions we will be exploring together at this year’s conference. We pray these teachings will be a time of rich fellowship, sound instruction, and strengthening ministry through the Spirit’s power.