But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Imagine seeing a ship being made so massive and powerful. When you ask why did they build such a massive and powerful ship, the designers tell you that they did that so that it they designed it with three purposes in mind. The ship was created to have power to cross the deep seas. It was created with the ability to stay afloat while carrying heavy cargo and even multitudes of passengers. It was massive and powerful so that even if there are storms that come its way, it will remain afloat and persistent to its intended destination.
Fast forward a year, you see the ship completed. You see that all is tested and at place, and the ship is ready to go. You then start to see the ship leaving the port and sailing away, and away, into the distance. Yet, you notice something peculiar, the ship still remains at the sight of the shore. After three days, no, after a week, you still see the ship near the shore. You wonder why? Is there a problem with the ship? Was there a failure in the structure of the ship? As you inquired, you finally discovered the problem: despite the ship being able to sail the deep sea, the pilot of the ship is afraid of the deep seas and the storms. You realize despite the massive structure and power of the vessel, it’s power is useless if the one piloting it doubts its power.
Isn’t that the story of some of you Christian young adults? Why despite being made and empowered for ministry, you hesitate to be faithful in serving God where He calls us?
You know that God has saved you, and rooted you in faith. I know that you are thankful for the countless teachings, preaching, and care groups where God had nourished us with His Word. I know that you believe that God has empowered you to live for Him, to serve Him.
Yet, your daily life and choices cry out that deep down inside, you are unsure if God’s power is real.
There are days you dread the battles you have with your sins, knowing that you will return to the vomit you promised to repent of. Maybe there are times you are discouraged to continue serving God, wondering why despite being faithful in your ministry, it is not growing in number, but rather diminishing. There are times you want to be faithful in ministering to your family, yet, they don’t seem to be getting closer to going to church than the last time you shared the Gospel 20 years ago.
And so, maybe you have wondered why does it seem that God’s power is not in work in you:
- If God does empower me, why am I stuck in my sinful desires?
- If God does empower me, why is it that those whom I minister to seldom, if ever, change?
- If God does empower me, why is it that whenever I try to lead a ministry, or lead my family, nothing seems to change?
At the core of these questions are two concerns. First, what does God’s empowerment look like. Second, if God’s empowerment is true, how does it happen in my life?
The book of Acts will be helpful in giving us an answer to these two concerns. Acts 1:8 reads as the following:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
According to this passage, it’s clear that the presence of the Holy Spirit brings power. As believers, we believe upon faith in Christ, being born again, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and also empowers you for His work. What is His work? Why are you empowered? What are you empowered for? Three points of instruction are expressed to us in this passage.
Point 1: You were empowered for a specific assignment
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my…
First, take note of this important truth: God has empowered you for a specific assignment. You will receive power… and you will be my… In this passage, the disciples are promised that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon him, and then, they will be Jesus’s witness. Again, don’t miss the order, first the promise, then the precept. First the assurance of power, then the clarity as to why the power is given.
Of course, it is important to clarify what this verse is not about. First, it is not about Jesus promising you power to attain every wish and desire you have. He never said that the you will receive power to attain your wishes and dreams. And so this is not about getting your dream promotion, your dream house, or your dream family. Second, it is also not a transaction. He did not say that as you fulfill this mission or assignment you are given, then you will be given power. No…
This verse emphasizes two important things you need to hear. First, God is warning us that when you sway away from the mission, don’t expect the power to be evident. If you will not be a witness, then you cannot expect God to empower you for nothing. If you live a life of disobedience, of refusal to be humble and repentant of the sins that God has revealed you are in, don’t wonder why God is not intervening in the consequences that follow. Don’t be like Samson, thinking that his strength will remain even if he ignores God’s command to never have his hair cut. Don’t be like Eve who thinks that her life can be preserved by disregarding God’s assignment.
The power is real, it is given. Yet it is given for a specific purpose.
Point 2: You were empowered for a specific action
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witness…
The power that Jesus has promised His disciples are given by the Holy Spirit for an assignment that entails a specific action, and that is being a witness.
Being a witness involves three important roles and experiences. First you must have seen, heard, or experienced something. A person who says, “I saw Minnie and Manny walking down the street holding hands while swaying,” is a true witness if he was really near the street where Minnie and Manny walked. If he said, no I was not there, but I heard it from a friend that he saw Minnie and Manny, he may be an amplifier or a gossiper, but he is not a witness.
In the same way, one who is a witness of Jesus is someone who has seen, heard, or experienced Him. Yes, we do not see Him physically now (images of Jesus on your family’s altar or in the Chosen series do not count, really it does not). Yet, His sheep hear His voice through His Word proclaimed and Word read. His sheep has experienced His goodness, His realness. His sheep has experienced Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Second, you must have been affected or transformed by what you witnessed. A person who witnessed a crime or an accident tends to be affected or transformed by what they witnessed. Their emotions are heightened and trauma can set in. Change happens when one is a witness. So have you. You who are in Christ, have you not been changed in your desires, in your priorities? Did you not once loved to drink, party, lust after women, pursue your pleasures? Did He not change your desires, that now the things you once loved you now hate? A witness truly experiences change.
Finally, a witness is one who speaks or shares about what he has witnessed. If a person was in the vicinity of a crime, and saw the crime happened, and is profoundly affected by it – but does not testify about what he saw – he is not considered a witness. So it is with being a follower of Christ. The Word, it’s truthfulness, sweetness, bitterness that Jesus brought forth and enabled you to experience it – you would want to share it with others as well – and will share it with others.
That’s your job, your role, your duty. To share who Christ is and what He has done in your life.
Now before you become disappointed or apathetic at such a seemingly lousy and tedious action, let me explain why it’s actually a blessing that God has empowered you to be a witness.
Some of you are wishing that God would have given us power to do something more. Maybe what you want is the power to save yourselves from your sins. You want to be able to stop watching porn at the flick of a finger. You want the power to stop your fornicating or adulterous relationships. Maybe you want the power to restore the broken relationship of your parents. Maybe you want the power to return your prodigal child back to the Christian faith. Despite the best wishes and intentions we have regarding God’s power, we are empowered to be a witness, not a savior – and that’s ok.
So, no you don’t have the power to change someone, but God has given you the power to remain faithful even if the person is not yet visibly changing. That’s what a real witness is. A real witness doesn’t change his or her statement or belief. He testifies to what he has seen and trusts that the change He was given, God can and will give to the one he is praying for.
So be a witness, not a savior. Don’t try to change or manipulate people. Let God do it, and let Him do it. How?
Because you were empowered for this action – to be a witness.
Am I empowered? If yes, what’s next?
A follower in Christ is indwelt by the same Holy Spirit who dwelled and empowered the apostles. When they started, they were not concerned nor worried about things in the distant future or the distant lands. They started in two important aspects.
First, they started with the right Person. They started by listening to Jesus. Jesus told them not to go anywhere but to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit. So should we. No, we are not to buy a ticket to Jerusalem today and wait for the Holy Spirit there. We should, however, listen to Jesus in His Word. What does Jesus want me to do. Where does He want me to live and work as a faithful witness of His?
Second, they started in the right Place. They started in Jerusalem, then God brought some of them to Judea, and Samaria, and some he brought to the ends of the earth. They did not start elsewhere, they started where they were. So, yes, you don’t have to wait until you complete your bachelor’s degree in theology or mission in order to be an empowered witness. You don’t have to wait until you reach a certain station in your life or a certain nation before being a faithful witness.
Start now where you are – in your family, among your friends, in your school or workplace or neighborhood.
And start with something simple.
It means praying before eating in a family that is rushing to eat. It means saying no to classmates who tell you to join their Mobile Legends tournament on Sunday morning. It means taking every opportunity to share Christ to your grandma who is a devout Catholic, even if she ignores or rejects you every time.
Why?
Because the Holy Spirit has empowered you to be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ. How we pray that as you become a faithful witness, He will also enable you to witness His full power in display through your faithful witness – souls saved, churches planted, families restored, men and women who love God and are used by Him in every aspect of their lives.