Clothed With Power From On High

"And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you;

but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed

with power from on high."

Luke 24:49

Jesus continues in His final address to the disciples by reminding them that they will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. That is what He means by the phrase "clothed with power from on high." Notice He told them to stay in the city until that happens. There are a couple of points we should notice from this comment. First, in order for them to be effective in their ministry it was critical that the Spirit minister in and through them. He did not want them to go out on their own. He wanted them to recognize their need for the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Secondly, all they were to do was wait. There was nothing they could or needed to do to earn the presence of the Spirit. Jesus had told His disciples earlier (John 15:7) "it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." He also told them that the Spirit would "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (John 14:26). In (John 16:13) He further explained "He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come."

I like what Bruce said the apostles would gain from the presence of the Holy Spirit "enlightenment of mind, enlargement of heart, sanctification of their faculties, and transformation of their characters." The Holy Spirit is active in the heart of every Christian today accomplishing those same things. He is severely limited in some of our lives because the presence of sin and our refusal to yield to God’s will for our lives. Others have not been properly taught about His present ministry and because of that His effectiveness is limited.

I pray that you will realize the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life as a child of God and will allow Him the full orbed ministry He desires.