Acts 1:8, “You will receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon you, and you will be witnesses.”

Let’s follow up with the previous post and talk a little more about being a witness. The most common reason I’ve heard people give over the years for not being witnesses is fear. Without delving into all the theological debates in this devotion, the best explanation is that they lack the power Jesus promised immediately before He ascended back to heaven.

An alarming number of people in the church are afraid or embarrassed to make a public stand for Christ. They want the promise of a home in heaven when life is over, but they want to blend in with the crowd in an attempt to shelter themselves from any mockery or persecution.

There are many blessings associated with the gift of the Holy Spirit, but in His final words to the disciples, Jesus emphasized “witnessing.” Some of it is lived out, and some is verbal; it takes God’s power to do both. For the disciples who heard Jesus say this, the promise was fulfilled ten days later. We live in the day of fulfillment, but receiving the power will require some tarrying in God’s presence.