But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
Jesus’ last command to His disciples, prior to His ascension into Heaven, was to make Jesus known to the whole world and to make disciples wherever they went.
Jesus gave them a mission, but He also gave them a promise. They would receive the power necessary to fulfil that mission.
The mission that Jesus gave His disciples was not only for them, but for every believer.
The power that Jesus promised the disciples was not just for them, but for every believer.
It was this power, the power of the Holy Spirit that would transform the disciples from being lacking to being filled with power, from hiding from those who opposed them, to openly declaring Jesus to their world.
Jesus made it clear that the purpose of the infilling of the Holy Spirit was to make Jesus known, and that the Holy Spirit would be the source of their power.
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33
That same power is available to us today, not only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit initially, but as we are continually filled with the Spirit of God every day.
Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)
In the original Greek translation, the present imperative tense is used, meaning, not simply to be filled once but to continually “be being filled” with the Holy Spirit. This means that we can be refilled, replenished, recharged and re-empowered daily. We can ask God to fill us with His Spirit every day, so that we can fulfil the purpose that He created us for, and be confident that He will do so again and again.
Let’s never forget the source of our power and keep being filled with the Holy Spirit daily, remembering that the “why” of our power is to make Jesus known.
Jesus last command to His disciples was His first priority, let’s make it ours!