What if we’ve overlooked why Jesus promised the Holy Spirit? Acts 1:8 reminds us of God’s original purpose for empowering His Church.
The Holy Spirit Was Given to Empower Our Witness
Along the journey in my spiritual walk with Jesus, my heart has been dislocated for the lost, especially the unreached—those who have little or no access to Jesus and the life-giving hope of the Gospel. You might say I have become more intensely missionary than ever.
As I reflect on that journey, I find myself returning to one question: Have we forgotten why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit in the first place?
If your heart is not yet becoming more intensely missionary, I hope it will. After all, isn’t that the unavoidable pull of Christ’s call on every believer’s life? Think about the outcome of the Great Empowerment that Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, along with the responsibility of the Great Commission found throughout the Gospels. I believe they all point toward the same truth.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus said,
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus didn’t simply promise power; He told His followers why that power would be given: they would become His witnesses.
Pentecostal power, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, is not primarily for spiritual language (speaking in tongues), spiritual gifts, or spiritual fruit—although each is a precious gift—but for sharing a witness of the Good News.
Think of it this way, when you fill up your car with gas, you don’t just sit there and wait for something to happen. No, you go! And just like the believers in the early church, we have been empowered for the purpose of taking the Gospel across the street and around the world. So let’s not waste the power to go!
You were saved, filled with the Spirit, and commissioned by Jesus Himself for this very purpose!
The Great Commission Echoes the Same Calling
This same message is repeated throughout the Gospels.
In Mark 16:15-17, Jesus said,
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved, but those who don’t will be condemned. And these signs will go with those who believe…”
Do you want to experience miracles through your life? Jesus promised supernatural signs for those who go with the Gospel.
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Do you want to sense that Jesus is close to you? He has promised that his presence will go with you, as you go with the Gospel.
In Luke 24:47-49, Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, saying,
“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And I will send you what my Father has promised: power from on high.”
Do you sense the need for more than just your own power to share your faith? Jesus promised the enabling power of the Holy Spirit as you go with the Gospel.
Finally, in John 20:21-23, Jesus said,
“As the Father sent me, so I’m sending you.” Then he breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they’re not forgiven.”
Do you desire to walk in divine authority? That is exactly what Jesus promised you as you go with the Gospel.
Who wouldn’t take the Good News across the street or around the world, in your praying, giving and going, when all of heaven’s resources are guaranteed: miraculous signs, Christ’s presence, enabling power, and divine authority?
Allow your heart to become more intensely missionary, and this is what you will get!
God’s Heart Has Always Been for the Lost
And best of all, what God will get is you doing what matters most to Him: sharing and showing lost people how much they matter to Him. His heart beats for the lost, and He earnestly desires to bring them under His glorious rule.
2 Peter 3:9 says,
“God’s not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Applying Romans 9:17 to us, the Apostle Paul says,
“I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
My friend, that is the purpose for which Jesus was born, why the Father sent the Holy Spirit, why Jesus will return, and why He’s called you!
Acts 1:8 Today
The same Holy Spirit who empowered the early Church is still empowering believers today.
Faithful Witness Changes Hearts
There was a man in Adoshe’s village known for drunkenness and involvement in devil worship. Each time Adoshe shared the Gospel, the man resisted him. Yet Adoshe continued faithfully sharing the Good News and praying for him.
One day the man’s two-month-old child became critically ill. With nowhere else to turn, he came to Adoshe asking for prayer. Adoshe prayed, trusting God to do what only He could do. The child recovered, and the man’s heart was transformed. He, along with five members of his family, placed their faith in Jesus.
Acts 1:8 is not just history. The Holy Spirit is still empowering ordinary believers who are faithfully sharing the Good News across the street and around the world.
Reflection
Who is the Holy Spirit inviting you to faithfully share the Good News with today?
