Daily Devotional - Transition to Power - WK23 - 06/04/24 - Day 135 - “Yea Shall Receive”

Author: Elder Larond Sheppard

Author: Elder Larond Sheppard

“Yea Shall Receive”

Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be [a]witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Devotion:
This is the key verse in the book of Acts. All the patriarchs of the New Testament, after the death of Jesus Christ, would not be able to do things they were able to do if it were not for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Jesus in His departure to go back to His Father said, I will send you another comforter, this is the Holy Ghost. He empowers the believer to be bold and courageous in ministry and in miracles, signs, and wonders. The primary purpose of the baptism in the Spirit is the receiving of power to witness for Christ so that the lost will be won over to Him and taught to obey all that Christ commanded. The end result is that Christ may be known, loved, praised and made Lord of God's chosen people (Mat 28:18-20; Luke 24:49; John 5:23; 15:26-27).

"Power, (dunamis) means more than strength or ability; designates especially power in operation, and in action. Like in the book of Acts, it emphasizes that the Holy Spirit's power included the authority to drive out evil spirits and the anointing to heal the sick as the two essential signs accompanying the proclamation of the kingdom of God. The release of the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts, in and through the believers' lives, caused them to witness with all boldness, with great power, with many signs, wonders, and miracles. Here Luke does not relate the baptism in the Spirit to personal salvation and regeneration, but to the power within the believer to witness with great effect.

The Holy Spirit's principal work in witnessing and proclamation concerns His coming upon believers for power and His testimony to Christ's saving work and resurrection.
"Ye shall, be witnesses'', the baptism in the Holy Spirit not only imparts power to preach Jesus as Lord and Savior, but also increases the effectiveness of that witness because of a strengthening and deepening relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that comes from being filled with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit discloses and makes more real to us the personal presence of Jesus. Any witness to an intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ Himself will result in an ever-growing desire on our part to love, honor and please our Savior.

The Holy Spirit witnesses to "righteousness" and "truth," which "glorify" Christ not only with words, but also indeed. Thus, we who have received the witness of the Spirit to Christ's Redemptive Work will necessarily manifest Christlikeness, love, truth and righteousness in our lives. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live right, love right in spite of, and talk right. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to make right decisions in times of choices.
I can go on, however, I do believe we have an understanding of the purpose of the Holy Spirit and His power in the believer.....-