A Promise And A Fact

“But you shall 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 promise in this verse is “you shall receive power; the fact is “you shall be My witnesses”. The promise of the Holy Spirit coming into the lives of the disciples was fulfilled just a few days later and occurs today immediately when an individual trusts the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. We can count on that because it is a promise from the Lord. The fact is that as a Christian we are a witness to those around us. The quality of our witness depends on our relationship with the Lord.

Let’s dwell for a moment on the thought that we are a witness. We may be a good witness or we may be a poor witness. If we are known as a Christian do others see in the quality of our lives something they desire or do we live in such a way that we hinder them in trusting the Lord. We can be either a positive influence or a negative influence. The Bible gives us an example of a poor witness as we read of Peter denying any relationship with the Lord (Matt. 26:69-75). We also read of him being a positive witness many times.

The disciples were also being challenged in this verse to spread the gospel all over the world. That same command applies to us today. God doesn’t ask everyone to go to a remote part of the world to be a witness, but he does want our availability if that is what He desires. Rev. 5:9 says “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Jesus also challenged the disciples in Matt. 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…”

As a child of God you are a privileged person. You are also one who has responsibilities to Him. I pray that you will be sensitive to the Lord’s leading in your life and will be willing to go wherever He leads. Many Christians do not lead fulfilled lives because of their unwillingness to be obedient in this area. I can assure you that you will be most satisfied in your life by following God’s will.