Luke the physician wrote how Jesus' disciples asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power”, and in chapter one and verse eight of the book of Acts Luke wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” where we read:
But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The verse begins, “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:” Luke began with the words, “but you shall receive power” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover you, disciples of Jesus, will lay hold of, claim and procure strength, ability and influence”, “after that the Holy Ghost” or “behind and subsequent to the sacred, pure, morally blameless and religiously and ceremonially consecrated third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit who is coequal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son” “is come upon you” which means “has arrived, occurred and supervened on you, disciples of Jesus”. Luke shared how Jesus told His “disciples” they would receive “power, influence and ability” once the “Holy Spirit” of God arrived “upon” them.
The verse continues, “and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Luke added the words, “and you shall be witnesses unto me” or “and you, disciples of Jesus, will exist as ones who bear witness, testify and examples of Jesus” “in Jerusalem” which means “within the city of Jerusalem which means set you double peace and is the capital of Palestine”, “and in all Judaea” or “and within each, every, the whole and every location in Judaea which means he shall be praised and was a region of Palestine”, “and in Samaria” which refers to “a territory in Palestine, which had Samaria as its capital and means guardianship”, “and unto the uttermost part” which means “and toward the last, latter, lowest and farthest place” “of the earth” or “belonging to the arable ground, main land, country, land and territory of the inhabited world”. Luke shared how Jesus told His “disciples” they would become “testaments and examples” of Him in their local city – Jerusalem, their region – Judaea, their nearby country – Samaria and to the entire “world”.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus told His “disciples” they would be empowered to be “witnesses” of Him after the “Holy Spirit” of God came “upon” them. They would begin their ministry in their own city, then their county, then their region and afterward to the whole world. The “power” to be “witnesses” of Jesus comes from God, and on their own, the “disciples” would be limited, but when the “Spirit of God” would come “upon” them, their very lives would testify that Jesus is the Savior and Lord of the world. The “Holy Spirit” first came alongside of the disciples, (See John 14:16, 28), then He was “in” them (See John 20:22), and now He was to come “upon” them and they would be empowered to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. God loves everyone, and He sent His Son Jesus to die for the sins of the world. He fills those who believe and trust in Him with His Holy Spirit and comes “upon” them to give them the ability to share Him with others. Let all who read these words receive God's salvation through Jesus and the power of His “Holy Spirit” to be His “witnesses” throughout the world.
Next time Luke shares when Jesus, “had spoken these things … a cloud received him out of their sight”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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