Acts 1:6–11 (NKJV)
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Understanding verse 8 is the key to understanding of what comes later. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
If you were there, what power would you be thinking you would receive from the Holy Spirit? What power would help you follow this great commission? Remember, Jesus had given seventy of them spectacular powers when He sent them out on a mission.
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” — Luke 10:17 (NKJV)
We don’t know exactly what they were thinking and praying for, but it turns out that this specific promise is fulfilled in a precisely targeted way in Acts 2.
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. — Acts 2:3–4 (NKJV)
Of course! To be His witnesses “to the end of the earth,” they’ll need to be able to communicate with people from every nation. That’s the super-power they’ll get from the Holy Spirit that’ll enable them to carry out the great commission.
Why didn’t I think of that?
One of the great challenges of discipleship is trying to figure out what the Lord is saying to us. Between distractions and our own sinful attitudes, we often miss the message—or it is clear but we don’t want to hear it. Then there are the times when we thought we understood, but later events seemed to refute that.
Be honest about your weaknesses and pray for clarity. Ask God to make His will obvious.
If you think you know what He wants, bring that up and ask for confirmation—or a sign.
