“Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 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.” Acts 1.6-8
This is the good stuff. When Jesus is still with the disciples, when he has been raised from the dead but is walking about in first century Israel. Could it get any better than this? Jesus is actually with his peeps. He’s not distant, he’s not absent, he is there. And they have all kinds of questions for him like, ”Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He was certainly going to bring restoration but it wasn’t necessarily for the nation of Israel as a whole but a work in the individual hearts of thousands.
The restoration would begin with an act of power, “dunamis“, as the greek word suggests — from which we get the word ”dynamite.” “But you will receive ”dunamis” (power) when the Holy Spirit comes on you….” The power that is coming, says Jesus, is not something one experiences from afar. It’s up close and personal. It’s in your face kind of encounters. It’s restoration of the heart, mind, soul and body. It’s power that the Spirit of God the Father and God the Son pours into each believer. It enters into the body, communes with the soul, becomes one with the persona of individual followers.
And the purpose of this power isn’t to be self-aggrandizing it’s to be shared — “….and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The power is for proclamation. It’s not just for personal gain, appeal or a feel-good experience.
I received this power initially by faith when I believed on the name of Jesus and committed by life to him. His power came upon me and I continue to experience him on a regular and daily basis. And I use this power to proclaim, to encourage, to teach and to love. But a benefit of receiving the power is also personal. Meeting with the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit is the most beautiful encounter for which we were created.
Have you received this transforming power? Have you met with the Lord, surrendered to the Christ, submitted to God’s will? Are you being used by him to share this message with others? We experience restoration so we might help restore. Why not invite the power of the Holy Spirit to fill your heart today?
“O Jesus, you are good. You are holy and you are just. Thank you for loving your people. For allowing us to know your grace and find you just and trustworthy. Come now, Holy Spirit, upon our land. Do what only you can do. Bring about miracles and healing so the world might know your love. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen