The Promise and the Assignment

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
–Acts 1:8

The book of Acts begins with two promises and an assignment. One promise has yet to be fulfilled; the other has already been fulfilled. We can count on both these promises as we continue the work of the early church and carry out the assignment Jesus gave us.

First of all, let’s look at the promise that has already been fulfilled. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples for forty days. Then He gathered them together and told them to wait in Jerusalem. Why? Jesus explained, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). The disciples would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. But today, the baptism with the Holy Spirit happens when somebody trusts in Christ as Savior. You don’t have to wait or pray for the Holy Spirit; Christ immerses you with His Spirit the moment you are saved.

Second, let’s look at the promise that has yet to be fulfilled. In verse 6, the disciples asked, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (v. 7). In other words, “There is going to be a kingdom when I return, but you’re not on the planning committee.”

It’s not for us to know exactly when Jesus is going to return. But it is important for us to know our assignment. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (v. 8).

Jesus did not give us His Spirit so we can enjoy spiritual goosebumps during worship. No, the Holy Spirit is here to empower us to be witnesses for Christ. The Greek word translated as “witnesses” is the origin of our word martyr. Jesus was saying, “You’re going to give your lives to do what I’ve commanded.” Now, God doesn’t call every believer to be physically martyred for their faith. But spreading the gospel is every believer’s primary mission in life. That is our assignment before Jesus returns.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Unstoppable Power” and “The Promise,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.