I used to walk around my neighborhood handing out tissue packs with Bible verses on them. Most of the people I encountered would receive them gladly as a free gift; still a few rejected the tissue as another advertisement campaign. I consider the giveaway of tissue packs was a great opportunity of sharing the good news with strangers, because it would be awkward or even impolite to approach the strangers with God’s message.

One day a friend of mine knew what I was doing and talked to me if he could join me in giving away the packs. He was not a believer, but thought it was “a good deed” like working on a philanthropy job. I rejected his offer, instead inviting him to accept Jesus as his personal savior.

When God gave Paul the power to perform extraordinary miracles while he proclaim the gospel, many people were amazed at what he had done. Some would take pieces of clothing like handkerchiefs or aprons that he touched and place on the sick and then they were healed of their diseases (Acts 19:11-12); others would imitate him in terms of casting out evil spirits. We learned from the seven sons of Sceva, a jewish priest, that they tried their hand at driving out the evil spirit from a man by proclaiming the names of Jesus and Paul. It turned out that they were beaten up by the spirit, running away naked.

The power of the gospel is not from the person who announce it, but derives from the Holy Spirit. It is written, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit” (Zechariah 4:6). When Christians preach the word of God, the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrates only if they truly believe in God and surrender themselves to Him and make the Spirit do his own work.