YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER

ACTS 1:8 NKJ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the gospel of St. Luke. He starts this book with some of the last instructions from Jesus to His disciples.

Jesus instructs them to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father. He was not talking about salvation, that comes from believing on the resurrected Jesus. Rather, He was talking about an immersion in the Holy Spirit, which would take place in a few days. When the disciples started asking about Israel's return to power, Jesus went right back to the purpose of His command to wait. He told them don't worry about these other things but . . . You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. The purpose of this power was to enable these men and women to be witnesses of Him all over the world. This book of Acts is the story of what these power endowed witnesses did in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the known world.

APPLICATION

The great news about this passage is that this same power is available to us today. This same Holy Spirit is equipping people from all nations, walks of life, gender, education levels, advanced and primitive cultures to be witnesses of Jesus to their world.

PRAYER

Dear Father, please open my eyes to Your promise, the Holy Spirit, and what His power can do in my life. More of Your power makes me more effective in living for You - that's something worth pursuing.