Promise and Power of the Holy Spirit

KEY VERSE: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” —Acts 1:8

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-4

THERE was a great work to be accomplished in God’s divine plan before Jesus would establish his kingdom. That work involved his disciples being witnesses “both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” It is obvious from the geographic extent of this commission that it would include far more people than the eleven disciples to whom he was speaking.

The Scriptures clearly teach that the followers of Jesus are commissioned by the Holy Spirit to be his representatives in the earth, his ambassadors. (II Cor. 5:18-20) Representing Christ in the earth through the proclamation of the Gospel of his kingdom, is not an incidental aspect of the Christian life, but one of its main features. It is in the pursuit of this vocation that a Christian lays down his life. When the Apostle John was shown in vision those who were to live and reign with Christ, they were described as having been “beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God.”—Rev. 20:4

The truth the Heavenly Father has given us to witness to mankind is a light within us—not our own light, but the knowledge of Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior; and it is this knowledge that glorifies our God. Paul wrote, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”—II Cor. 4:5-7

From this it is apparent that when Jesus said let your light shine before men, he referred to the light that would be given to us concerning him. This is our light in the sense that we make it our own by our wholehearted acceptance of it, and our complete yielding to its influence in our lives. In proclaiming this light we are not our own representatives, but Christ’s, his ambassadors, holding forth the “Word of life” received from the Lord.—Phil. 2:15,16

One of the elements of Christ likeness is self-sacrificing zeal in the proclamation of the truth concerning the divine plan. We have a beautiful example of this in the case of Peter and John, who, shortly after they had received this power or ability to understand and communicate the truth, were found faithfully proclaiming the glad tidings in the face of much opposition. We read concerning them, “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”—Acts 4:13

When we make known the glad tidings of the kingdom, we do not know just who may be blessed by it. At times it might seem that our efforts are in vain, or empty. In a lifetime of diligent effort the Lord may not bless us with a knowledge of a single individual who really embraces the message and dedicates himself to the Lord. However, there are sure to be some whose hearts are touched to some degree because of having been given a better understanding of God.

Our witnessing the Gospel of the kingdom to the world is sure to be rewarded in God’s own due time and way. Solomon wrote, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good.” (Eccles. 11:5,6) If we continue to witness, sowing the seeds of truth in the morning, and in the evening withholding not our hands, some will find its way into hearts which will bring forth fruitage for the purpose of this age—the taking out of a people for his name. Some other of this seed will mature in the next age, seed which we sow now through the privilege of letting our light shine, even though it seems to fall in a dark place. God has assured us his Word does not return unto him void.

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