WATCHWORD:
3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with[b] water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:3-8
Meditation:
Ever consider yourself a power source? Well, you are. So am I.
First thing in the morning, I reach over and turn on my lamp and there is light. I did not say, “Let there be light”, as my creator-God did. I start my Keurig and make coffee, and I don’t celebrate, “Hey, look what I did! See what I created!” No, not that kind of power.
I’m talking about the power, or the energy for the Christian life and where that comes from.
One of the most important commandments that Jesus left us with before he was taken up to heaven is contained in the first chapter of the book of acts.
The book of Acts tells us that, after his resurrection, Jesus spent forty days teaching them about the Kingdom of God, and just before He left them, He gave them a last, important commandment. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his apostles:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
There are two things that we can easily see in this last commandment that Jesus left his apostles, and by extension, one that He commands all of us.
First, that we are to become witnesses for Jesus, and next, that our ability to witness shall be powered by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Whoa! Okay, how does that work? Did you go through a Pentecost experience, like the disciples? No? Yes! Yes, you did, exactly like the disciples. Now don’t get lost in the physical experience, think spiritual. The in-filling of the Holy Spirit, the gift. When did you get the gift? Remember, at one time or another you prayed “Come Holy Spirit, fill the heart of this sinner,” or words to that effect. Or maybe it was as simple as, “Yes, I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”
Okay, so we have the Holy Spirit, we are now equipped. We understand that a Christian must first have a personal experience of Jesus Christ. Once we have that, we have access to the truth, and so our witness can be credible. Without that Holy Spirit, we cannot witness. The good news is, that is all we need to be a witness. Now we are commanded to go and be a witness. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Prayer reminder: We have several with this network for which prayers are still needed: Becky Oden, Nancy Jamerson, Dan Speicher, the safety of all as this pandemic continues, our nation. We rest in the assurance that God is in charge and He loves us.
Prayers:
O Lord, we asked to live in the Thy way, that more and more the ways of God may penetrate our ways and feelings and our outlook on the way of life.
O Lord, we thank Thee that we do not go wrong against great restraint. Grant to us some better sense, day by day, of what the influences are that play upon us. May we know how to regulate our lives and make the most of ourselves.
Help our words to be clearer, our feet to be surer and more directly in the way of God. We know that encouragement comes from the deepening joy that we experience as we walk in the Thy way. Help us to keep close to Thy way. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.
–Edward Increase Bosworth, 1933
