RPG Adults
YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME (II)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Acts 1:1-11
Acts 1:8
“But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy ghost is
come upon you.”
YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME (II)
Why did the Lord Jesus ask His disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit while the whole world really needed to hear the Gospel through them as soon as possible? Although they were with Jesus, taught and trained by Him, and given power to heal the sick and cast out demons (Luke 10:17), they were still not qualified for this great Mission without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit and His power, how could the disciples open the eyes of the people and "turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18)? How could they be strong and brave enough to encounter all the enemies of the truth and to preach the pure Gospel without fear or compromise? How could they be able to endure all sufferings, rejection, persecutions, and oppositions for the sake of the Lord Jesus until death? They needed the Holy Spirit and His power for their lives and ministry. Truly, after the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they had the power to preach the Gospel, to stand firm before the leaders of the Jews (Acts 5:29), to rejoice even in their sufferings and persecutions for Jesus’ Name and to press on with their teaching and preaching ministry (Acts 5:41-42).
Without the Holy Spirit and His power, we cannot be faithful and true witnesses unto our Lord until death. We need to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s control and guidance. The Holy Spirit guides us through God’s Word, so we need to read, study, and submit to God’s Word every day. He also may guide us through the timely preaching and advice of His godly servants or through the encouragement of His godly children or through His sovereignty and providence over our lives and our situations. Surely, He is our faithful Guide. Thank God for the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
THOUGHT: Without the Spirit, we cannot be faithful witnesses.
PRAYER: Father, help me to humbly submit to the Spirit’s control.