ACTS 1:8-9 POWER TO PRAISE AND PREACH

POWER TO PRAISE AND PREACH

But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses³¹⁴⁴ unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things,

while they beheld, he was taken up;

and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Acts 1:8-9

In His parting words before returning to the Father’s side, Jesus assured the disciples they would be filled with power as the Holy Spirit came upon them. Power to do what? The power of the Holy Spirit would enable them to fulfill their calling to be His witnesses. We read that word and think of people going out and sharing a gospel tract or a memorized message to “win” people to Christ. But the word is much deeper than that. A witness testifies as to what he or she has seen or heard. They would do that. But the Greek word for witnesses (Strong’s G3144) is the same word used for martyrs. They would receive the strength to boldly proclaim the Gospel and even to be persecuted or martyred. After telling them they would spread His message all over the world, Jesus miraculously rose up into the sky until a cloud hid Him. Remember, the story of the Exodus? God’s presence led the Israelites as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Could it be that as Jesus was enveloped by the cloud, He was being welcomed into His father’s presence?

Father, because we are Your children, we are filled with Your Holy Spirit. Our witnessing, our representing You on earth as Your ambassadors is the direct result of being Your children. Help us to honor You in all we say and do.  

LUKE 24:41a TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Now their fear gives way to joy;

but it seems too good to be true,

and they’re still unsure.

Luke 24:41a

The disciples in Jerusalem had been joined by two disciples who had talked with Jesus on their way home to Emmaus. Those in Jerusalem testified that Jesus was alive and appeared to Simon Peter, and the Emmaus travelers told how He had explained Scripture to them and revealed Himself as He broke bread and blessed it. Suddenly Jesus appears in the middle of them even though they were in a room with the door locked! At first, they were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. Then Jesus invited them to examine Him closely and even touch Him to prove He had flesh and bones. Now their abject fear turned to joyful confetti bursting forth inside them and they were exuberant. However, the whole situation made their brains go tilt. A little nagging voice in their heads tells them it is all too awesome to be real, too good to be true. Jesus patiently indulged their doubt and proved the reality of His bodily resurrection by eating a piece of fish in their presence.

When presenting the Gospel, we are sometimes met with skepticism. Salvation, forgiveness, and Heaven without having to do anything to earn them seems too good to be true. However, the fact is that we could never be good enough to earn or deserve what God has offered us for free. Jesus died to make our salvation possible. It was not free to Jesus because He paid the price for us. Scripture confirms that salvation is a gift. The facts are there. We can only present them and pray the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the person in need of Jesus.

Father, like these first disciples, You sometimes inundate us with undeniable facts, yet we still doubt. Father, please forgive us for doubting and increase our faith!

LUKE 24:32 HEART AFIRE

HEART AFIRE

And they said one to another,

Did not our heart burn within us,

while he talked with us by the way,

and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Luke 24:32

Have you ever experienced this type of “heart burn?” I would welcome this heart burn every day! It is a reminder of Jesus’s presence, His nearness to us. I remember an incident that the Holy Spirit used to set my heart ablaze. A man I did not know at the time, but I would later admire greatly stopped me as I rolled past him and another man talking on my way out of a worship service. He said, “Excuse me. When you walked past me, I felt the power of God all over you and your life. May I pray for you?” He prayed, “May all the dreams and visions according to God’s will for your life come to full and complete fruition.” He then assured me that God said I was loved and beautiful just as I am, cerebral palsy and all. I left feeling as if I were impermeable, insulated by the Spirit of God. I knew I was empowered as if I could soar to the highest heavens. It was a supernatural high that no drug could possibly imitate. This burning awareness of the Lord’s presence lasted for several hours. I was overwhelmed with joy, and the limitations of my earth-suit could not affect it. My shell no longer mattered. I was aware only of the wondrous connection of my relationship with Jesus.

Father, thank You for the times that we literally feel Your power burning within us. Help us to remember those moments in the times that we may feel distant from You. Reveal Yourself to us in Your word and draw us nearer to You. 

JOHN 20:18a I HAVE SEEN THE LORD

I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

John 20:18

Mary Magdalene had gone early in the morning with some of the other women to complete the process of putting spices on Jesus’s body for burial now that the Sabbath had passed. The stone had been rolled away, and the astonished women reported this to the disciples. As Peter and John entered the empty tomb, Mary stood outside weeping. Two angels asked why she was crying and she, still not comprehending the meaning of the empty tomb, told them the body of her Lord had been moved. Mary turned around and saw Jesus behind her but thought He was the gardener who had moved the body. When Jesus called her by name, she fell at His feet and called Him “Teacher.” Jesus urged her not to cling to Him, giving her a message for the disciples that He would soon be returning to be with God the Father. At first the disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene or the other women. After all, a woman’s testimony would not hold up in their courts of law. But Jesus chose to have women be the first to see the resurrected Savior standing before them in human skin. According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus reproached those unbelieving men. Mary Magdalene, who was not only a woman but had once been delivered from demons by Jesus Christ had the extreme privilege to be the first to see Him alive and give testimony to His resurrection! We may think, “How dense could these disciples and women followers of Jesus be to not realize immediately that the empty tomb meant He had risen from death. After all, on more than one occasion, Jesus had point blank told them He would rise on the third day.” However, can we honestly say if we had seen Him hanging drained of life on the cross, wrapped in linen, and laid in the tomb, we would be able to fathom the idea that He was alive again?

Father, we thank You that Jesus not only died for us but was raised to life again to pave the way for us to be resurrected and join You in Heaven. As Gloria Gaither penned, “Life is worth the living just because He lives.” We thank You that Jesus’s death purchased us not only life, but abundant life both here on earth and eventually in His presence.