Power

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses......Acts 1:8

We began a study last night in Prayer Meeting on the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 is the thesis statement of the book. The book of Acts accounts how the early members of the church were filled with the Holy Spirit. Once they were filled with the Spirit they went about declaring the gospel. They were beaten for sharing the gospel, they were jailed for sharing the gospel, they were threatened for sharing the gospel, yet nothing would stop them. Quite a different bunch from the ones who were hiding out for fear of being discovered. What is the difference? It is the power of the Holy Spirit.

Inseparable in Acts 1:8 are the concepts of the filling of the Holy Spirit, receiving power, and being witnesses. It is the Holy Spirit's power that transformed those in the early church from cowards to courageous.

If we are not being witnesses we must conclude that we are not operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit made witnesses out of wimps in the early church and He will still do that today. As you examine your life ask yourself this question: "Am I really a witness? When is the last time I shared the gospel?" If you are not being a witness, it is probably because you are not appropriating the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

More to come in future posts about how to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.