Acts 1:8 NKJV
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
When one is commissioned they must be empowered to fulfill whatever they have been commissioned to do. Jesus commanded the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 3 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
When the 120 who were in the upper room are filled with the Holy Spirit, their first inclination is to get out. Peter stands and boldly preaches a sermon and 3000 people get saved. Remember, Peter was a fisherman and not a teacher of the law. This same Peter had denied Jesus 3 times because he was afraid for his life. Now we see him boldly preaching, indeed, something had happened to him. He had been empowered to fulfill the great commission, not just him but the whole group who were in the upper room.
We too have the same Holy Spirit and we have been empowered to GO into the world and make disciples. Remember Moses at the burning bush? God was calling him to go back to Egypt and face Pharaoh to set the children of Israel free but he had so many excuses. The same is true for many of us today. Though we have been commissioned and empowered to go into the world and make disciples, we have a ton of excuses.
We have not been empowered to sit down but to go. It is in the going that we will witness the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in us just like Peter on the day of Pentecost.
Reflections
- Have you ever tried to do something that you have not been empowered to do? What was your experience?
- Do you believe that you have been empowered to be a witness for Jesus Christ? What does that mean to you?
- Peter saw an opportunity on the day of Pentecost and when he took it to preach, 3000 people came to Christ. When have you ever seen and opportunity to share the love of Christ and taken it and what were the results?
