“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. …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” (Acts 1:4–5, 8).
One of the great needs you and I have is the need for power—not the power the world seeks in order to dominate others…nor the self-absorbed power that ruins lives.
No, the power you and I need is the power of God Himself living through us in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus knew this. He knew that if we were to live for Him as we should, then we’d need the power only He can provide.
That’s why He said what He did to the disciples just moments before He ascended into heaven, as recorded in Acts 1.
He wanted them to understand that He was about to unleash the most powerful force in the universe into their lives.
The evidence of that power in their lives is irrefutable.
After the disciples were filled with the Spirit in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the power of God became immediately evident. It was displayed instantly in Peter’s preaching…the one who had been afraid to associate himself with Christ the night our Lord was condemned to death!
It was also exhibited in the miraculous signs and healings that occurred in the following days. Reading through the book of Acts, you’ll see the sick being healed, demons being cast out, and the name of Jesus being glorified.
Acts 4:31 and 33 are a great summary of what transpired, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit…. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives today. Here’s how one believer recently described it…
“I have just prayed for salvation. It was like Jesus speaking to me. Telling me how much He loved and missed me. My heart was set on fire. Where I expected rebuke, I found His love and acceptance. Where I offered my broken soul, Jesus has offered healing.”
You too can experience that same power in your life through the Holy Spirit, as you seek to live a truly Spirit-filled life.
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