Promise Of Power

But you will 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. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1: 8 – 9.

Straightaway, the conjunction, but, lashes out at us. The word, but, speaks of a contrast, a difference, an opposite even. We are correct and right on track, for this Bible text is a continuation of yesterday’s Bible text. Here is yesterday’s text and some of today’s, put together. And He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1: 7 - 8

It is important, truly helpful, and encouraging to know that Jesus did not just tell the disciples that their position of Him was very wrong, and subsequently theirs as well, as His workers. Instead, He positioned or placed them where He wanted them, with a different kind of power. He wanted them, not with human, military power, but with spiritual, supernatural power

We conclude Ascension week, where Jesus makes a promise of power to His disciples. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. What a promise! What anticipation! What expectation!

Can you get your carnal minds to wrap around this? You are a very poor person, barely able to put food on the table for yourself and your family. Then, you are given a promissory note from a reliable and trusted source, telling you to wait in your poor place and you will receive money without measure. However you are able to process such, the promise of the Holy Spirit surpasses any such riches and power. Jesus knows that we are weak, poor, helpless creatures in this trying world, without Him. He knows that just to live in this world, we need supernatural help, far more to be able to do His work in the world.

We have already been blessed by the promises given so far at Jesus’ final farewell with His disciples, before He left them in Resurrected Body, to ascend to His Father in heaven. However, just before we conclude with the promise of power, let’s be refreshed with what we have received so far. In our Lord’s final farewell, we have His trusted promise of Protection, His truthful promise of the Pentecost Gift, and His triumphant promise of Position. With all these promises, as a cloud is about to receive Him out of their sight, this is the final promise which they receive.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. As we are given a more comprehensive understanding and receiving of this promised power, may faith blossom and bloom with the freedom, fullness and faithfulness to be our Ascended Lord’s witnesses.

One thing we must all be ever mindful and readily conscious of is this fact. The power Jesus promised His apostles, disciples, you and me, is not military power. In other words, it is not the carnal power where physical strength, in any or all of its many forms and facets, is given. Jesus promised us, His believers, supernatural power. In other words, it is the Spiritual power where divine strength, in any or all of its many forms and facets, is given. It is with this understanding, this receiving that we are able to fully and freely understand more of the power given to us. Here are just two, of many reasons for this power.

The first reason for receiving Holy Spirit power is, to be. Jesus said, And you will be. The verb, be, in this placing, is most commanding, enabling and defining. This is a promise that is self-ruling and self-activating. The very use of the word, will be, spoken by Jesus, seals it for ever and ever; no retracting, no rescinding, no restructuring, or any kind of perceived changes whatever. This power is self-energized for it makes you be all Jesus, in every single part of your spiritual nature. In other words, Jesus is saying that it is through the power received, His disciples, you and me, will be as He is – Name, Nature and Nurture – His fullness. 

The other reason for receiving Holy Spirit power is, to be witnesses. Jesus said, And you will be witnesses to Me. To be Jesus’ witnesses or to witness to Him, lets us know upfront that we are not being witnesses of others or even of ourselves. This had me terribly uneasy and uncovered. When I look at myself and what I witness to others, as Jesus’ disciple, is it truly being our Risen, Ascended Lord? To be Jesus’ witness, is not for me to go about looking for, seeking and observing in others and in nature even, that which witnesses to Jesus. No! That is not the promise in any form or fashion. The promise is that I, you, and all believers will receive the power of the Holy Spirit on us and in us, the complete and absolute filling of our Heavenly Father’s promised Gift, so that you and I will be to others, Jesus Himself. We will be Jesus in words and works; speech and actions; name and nature, without fear or favour.

Spend a second to think honestly about this everyday fact of truth. When an ordinary human being, regardless of status and standing; poverty or wealth; creed or race; gender or age; is fully spirited with the wine of this world, is this not what is observe? Absolutely no effort of the spirit-filled or intoxicated person is needed to produce words and works; speech and actions; name and nature, without fear or favour, bearing undeniable witness to the power of the alcoholic spirit in that person.

It is no different for us who are Spirit–filled with the wine of Holy Spirit power. It is therefore impossible to not be witnesses of Jesus. You will be witnesses to Me.