What is it that Empowers Believers?

After Jesus’ resurrection and before His ascension, He stayed with the disciples for 40 days comforting and teaching them more about the kingdom of God. Starting in verse 4 of Acts chapter 1 we read,

“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”” (Ac 1:4–5)

And a little bit later in verse 8, Jesus tells them the benefit of the Holy Spirit when He says,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” (Ac 1:8)

So we see, then, that

We are empowered for our mission by the Holy Spirit.

He is the reason we are able to make disciples, boldly proclaim the gospel to others, answer their objections, and convince them that following Jesus is what’s best. He’s the reason we are able to write books, preach sermons, and teach Bible studies. He’s the reason we are able to learn foreign languages, culture, and practices, and leave a comfortable life to live as missionaries in an uncomfortable or dangerous environment. He’s the reason we are able to do what we have and will do for the kingdom.

Making disciples, then, isn’t something we do in our own strength, rather it’s something we are empowered to do by God Himself. He calls us to the task, and He empowers us to complete the task.

Seek His Power

If that’s true. If the Holy Spirit is the One who empowers us for the task of making disciples, then we need to make sure that we are depending on Him and seeking His power to accomplish our mission. The way we do that is by praying for Him to empower us on a daily basis. You see, prayer is powerful. It accomplishes a number of things, including us being empowered for the task of making disciples.

Looking Forward

But the Spirit doesn’t just empower us to accomplish our unified mission, He also empowers us to accomplish our unified devotion, and that’s what we will talk about next time.

 

Question for Reflection

1. Do you see that the Spirit is the one who empowers for ministry?

Resources

Post adapted from my sermon The Unified Mission, Devotion, and Power of the Church

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