May 30
Bible Reading: Acts 1:6-11
Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus had previously spoken to his disciples of His plan to build His church (Matthew 16:18). Here, in a mere 37 words (in the NASB), we read of the simplicity of His plan. There is no church growth strategy or elaborate organization or methodology. Jesus spoke about a message and how His followers would proclaim it. Ordinary men, supernaturally empowered, were to proclaim His extraordinary message.
Key to Christ’s plan was the promise that the disciples were to receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. “Power” translates the Greek word “dunamis,” which refers to “strength, power, or ability.” It is the root word of our English words: dynamite, dynamo, and dynamic. Jesus was telling His disciples that they would soon receive the strength and ability, by the Spirit, to bear witness of Him.
Power was something which they previously lacked. Keep in mind, when Jesus was arrested, they all fled. And Peter, the soon-to-be chief spokesman in the church, denied Jesus three times. Even following the resurrection, they hid out in fear behind locked doors. They lacked, in themselves, the spiritual strength and ability to proclaim Jesus. But behold the mighty change that occurred when the Spirit was poured out on them at Pentecost! Cowardly Peter was made courageous and proclaimed Jesus before a crowd of thousands. Peter and John stood boldly before the powerful religious Council and proclaimed Jesus to be the only means of salvation (Acts 4:12). The Council took note: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished” (Acts 4:13). In the midst of intense opposition, the church “continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). And so on through the book of Acts—it was the Spirit who enabled Jesus’ followers to continue proclaiming the truth with supernatural strength and boldness.
We are prone to self-reliance, but the Apostles have set forth a good example to us with regards to our witnessing efforts. It is by the Spirit we are made strong. Paul himself acknowledged the temptation that exists to be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8). The Spirit is the only source of strength that enables us to overcome that struggle that we might boldly declare the truth.
“Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him…that the Spirit’s power might be manifested? We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power.” – Hudson Taylor
LET IT BE SAID OF US
Let it be said of us that the Lord was our passion,
That with gladness we bore every cross we were given;
That we fought the good fight, and we finished the course;
Knowing within us the power of the risen Lord.
Chorus:
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!
By mercy made holy, by the Spirit made strong.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!
Till the likeness of Jesus be through us made known.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.
Let it be said of us, we were marked by forgiveness;
We were known by our love and delighted in mercy;
We were ruled by His peace, heeding unity’s call,
Joined as one body that Christ would be seen by all.
Author: Steve Fry
Copyright 1994 Maranatha! Music (ASCAP)/ASCAP) (admin. by Music Services).
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