YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER:
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
“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.”
”You shall receive power…” But for what?
The verse tells us immediately: “You shall be witnesses to Me.”
In our daily lives, are we truly witnessing Christ to the people around us? If not, we need this power.
What Is a Witness?
A witness is someone who gives evidence about something they have personal, firsthand knowledge of. Ask yourself:
Do you have a personal experience of Jesus Christ being crucified for your sins?
Do you see yourself crucified with Him on the cross?
Do you know that your sins are forgiven and that you have been set free from the enslaving power of sin?
If you have this firsthand experience, you are the exact candidate eligible to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
Before the Pentecost, the half-believing, fearful, and guilt-ridden disciples were hiding behind locked doors. Some, like Thomas, even avoided gatherings altogether. Yet, the gracious Lord Jesus appeared to them and instructed them not to run away or abandon the fellowship.
Acts 1:4–5 (NKJV)
“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
Why were they to wait for this baptism?
Because the Kingdom of God is at hand .
What is that kingdom?
Romans 14:17 CEV
[17] God’s kingdom isn’t about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit.
To have this Kingdom within oneself is true witnessing and this witnessing comes from the Holy Spirit .
Luke 17:20-21 CEV
[20] Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God’s kingdom would come. He answered, “God’s kingdom isn’t something you can see. [21] There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God’s kingdom is here with you.”
To have Jesus in you is to have the kingdom.
Taking the gospel of salvation
to the lost world is advancing the kingdom of God.
Human effort alone cannot advance the Kingdom of God. Attempting to build God’s Kingdom through mere fleshly effort results in empty religion, not real transformation.
The Holy Spirit brings the entire God head and dwells in you .
II Corinthians 6:16 NKJV
[16] And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.
When the Holy Spirit flows from God to you, He brings God the father’s unfathomable real Love—because GOD IS LOVE.(1 John 4:8 CEV).
1 John 4:10 CEV
[10] Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.
Jesus demonstrated this ultimate love on the cross:
John 15:13 (NKJV)
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
While we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us. He chose to pour out His unfailing love so that we might be saved by His grace.
1 John 3:16 CEV
[16] We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other.
This be our choice as well:when we choose Christ above everything else.
The True Nature of Holy Spirit Power is love in action.
To receive His power means to receive:
The power to love an unloving and hostile world.
The power to bring healing to the lonely and brokenhearted.
The power to forgive bitter and hurting souls.
The power to lay down our lives and pray for our persecutors, just as Stephen did.
The power to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
This is the power we all desperately need.
God promises that once more He will shake the heavens and the earth and pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord—no matter their past—shall be saved.
Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
It is this divine love that enables anyone to attempt great things for God. It sustains weak vessels, transforms cold hearts into beacons of light, and gives us the courage to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. True power is nothing less than the power of His Love.
Song of Songs 8:6–7 (CEV)
“Always keep me in your heart and wear this bracelet to remember me by. The passion of love bursting into flame is more powerful than death, stronger than the grave. Love cannot be drowned by oceans or floods. It cannot be bought—any offer would be scorned no matter how great.”
May the Lord grant us this burning passion for Him through the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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