"BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU,
AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES IN
JERUSALEM,
AND IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA, AND TO
THE ENDS OF THE EARTH."
This is the last recorded statement of Christ on earth. It
is thus final, authoritative, and of utmost importance. The Holy Spirit is a
major theme in Luke and Acts and is the major point of continuity between the
life of Jesus and the ministry of the church.
Who is the Holy Spirit? God is three persons in one—the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God became a man in Jesus so that Jesus
could die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead to offer salvation to all
people through spiritual renewal and rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven,
his physical presence left the earth, but he promised to send the Holy Spirit
so that his spiritual presence would still be among mankind (see Luke 24:49). The Holy
Spirit first became available to all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). Whereas in Old
Testament days, the Holy Spirit empowered specific individuals for specific
purposes, now all believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to
them.
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LIFE APPLICATION: THE CHURCH'S VISION STATEMENT
(1)
The people for the task: you—those
who know Christ, who listen to him
(2)
The power for the task: the Holy
Spirit
(3)
The philosophy of approach to the task: my
witnesses—say what you saw
(4)
The plan for the task: to Jerusalem,
Judea, to the ends—begin where you are and move outward from there.
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Luke's Gospel emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the
ministry of Christ. Luke continued that emphasis here as he focused on the Holy
Spirit's role in the early days of the church. The term "spirit" (pneuma)
occurs nineteen times in Matthew, twenty-three times in Mark, thirty-six times
in Luke, twenty-four times in John, and seventy times in Acts. Christ had just
reminded his followers that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit (1:5). When the
Spirit comes, he told his followers, you will receive power. To do what?
To be my witnesses. Power from the Holy Spirit is not limited to
strength beyond the ordinary; that power also involves courage, boldness,
confidence, insight, ability, and authority. The disciples would need all these
gifts to fulfill their mission.
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LIFE APPLICATION: POWER SOURCE
Jesus promised the disciples that they would receive power
to witness after they received the Holy Spirit. Notice the progression:
(1)
They would receive the Holy Spirit.
(2)
The Holy Spirit would give them power.
(3)
They would witness with extraordinary results.
Often we try to reverse the order and witness by our own
power and authority. Witnessing is not showing what we can do for God. It is
showing and telling others what God has done for us. When you tell others about
Christ, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. You can be a powerful witness.
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The term "witness" (martures) provides remarkable
insight into the nature of the disciples' task. A witness gives testimony based
on what the witness knows, what he or she has seen—not hearsay, not a rumor, not
something someone else saw, but what he or she has experienced,
seen, or heard. This witnessing theme is a repeated emphasis of the apostles'
work—for example, see 2:32;
3:15; 5:32; 10:39; 13:31; 22:15. In effect, Jesus
was saying to his followers: "There is going to be a period of witnessing
by you about me between my two visits to your planet. Go out and tell people
what you know—what you've seen, experienced, and learned. I'll be back."
They were to start right there in Jerusalem (1:4). Judea was
the region surrounding Jerusalem (possibly including Galilee). Samaria
was Judea's hostile next-door neighbor, a more difficult but equally important
place to take the gospel. The "ends of the earth" is actually a
singular form in Greek (eschatou), suggesting that perhaps the reference is to
Rome or the Roman empire, the world power at that time. The direction was of
primary importance: Beginning from where you are at this moment, take the
message of Christ outward, like ripples caused by a pebble thrown into a pond,
not stopping at just your city or state but moving on beyond regional influence
to the very "ends" of the earth. In other words, reach it all!
The disciples took Jesus at his word and went about their
task exactly as he directed: they began in Jerusalem (1-7), spread to Judea and
Samaria (8-12), then filtered out across the world to the imperial capital,
Rome (13-28).
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LIFE APPLICATION: AN EVER EXPANDING WITNESS
Acts 1:8 describes the
manner in which the gospel would spread geographically, from Jerusalem, into
Judea and Samaria, and finally to the whole world. It would begin with devout
Jews in Jerusalem and Judea spread to the mixed race in Samaria, and finally, be offered to Gentiles in the uttermost parts of the earth. God's gospel has
not reached its final destination if someone in your family, your workplace,
your school, or your community hasn't heard about Jesus Christ. How are you
contributing to the ever-expanding testimony of God's mercy and grace?
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Bruce B. Barton et al., Life Application Bible Commentary
– Acts, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1999), WORDsearch CROSS e-book,
Under: "ACTS 1".
"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to
build theirs."
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