Thursday, February 27, 2025
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit… He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:4-5; 7-8
Read Acts 1. How does Jesus equip His disciples for His purposes? Where are they to go? How does the choosing of Matthias demonstrate the beginning of this work?
The Promised Power of the Holy Spirit
The disciples are with Jesus after His resurrection. He spent 40 days with them learning more about the Kingdom as they were preparing to be His witnesses. They grew during this time and His presence was proof of His resurrection. Lots of people saw Him during those 40 days. Twenty-five years later some of those people were still alive and Paul spoke of it in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Jesus spent time with the Disciples during that time telling them what to do in His absence. Then, before He ascended, He said His final words to them - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
In verses 3-5, Jesus told the Disciples that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus had previously spoke of this promise in John 14 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. v16-17 This is Jesus telling them the promise of His Father of the Holy Spirit. When they received the Holy Spirit, they would receive power from the Holy Spirit right away. Not in 10 years, or 5 years, but right away. With this power, they were to be witnesses for Jesus. In the power of the Holy Spirit they would spread the news of the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
At this time, the whole Roman Empire was considered to be “the ends of the earth. ” How could the Church be established and the gospel spread so quickly? This could only happen with the power of the Holy Spirit - the gift from the Father. This power was the same power that powered Jesus’ ministry, including the miracles He performed. It was also the same power that rose Him from the grave.
The disciples knew they needed to replace Judas who had betrayed Jesus with someone else to take his place to fulfill the scriptures. For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and Let someone else take his position. Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection. So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs. Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:20-26
Matthias was chosen to take Judas’ place as one of the twelve. He would be going out with the disciples to witness so it was important that he knew what they were doing any why. He had been a faithful follower of Jesus since John was baptized and had witnessed the resurrection. He knew Jesus, saw his work miracles, and spent time with the risen Messiah, he was just not one of the original twelve. He fulfilled the scriptures and now they could get busy with the work Jesus commanded them to do.
As believers, we often strive to do everything in our own power, including share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We forget, or fail to understand, that we have that same gift, or power from the Holy Spirit. We have been given this gift to rely on as the Holy Spirit’s power working through us to reach people for Christ and lead them to salvation. We don’t have to worry about not having the right words. His power is far greater and more effective than anything we could possibly do on our own. He has gone before us and prepared the way - softened hearts and made them open to hearing and receiving His good news. Trust Him to lead you in His power to share His gospel.
