LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
You Will Receive Power
Acts 1:18.
The Lord is about to depart from this world, no longer as one who is going to death, but as one who, having passed victoriously through it, will ascend to the right hand of the Father on high.
But, before leaving this stage, he must insist on the only thing that mattered at that historical moment for his restless and weak disciples: "Stay in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49), "...do not leave Jerusalem, wait for the promise of the Father ... you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, not many days from now" (Acts 1:4-5). The repeated demand of the Lord makes us think that he was taking even the minimum precautions, for they had demonstrated many times their carelessness in deciding for themselves.
There was also an enormous risk in leaving them "alone", although no more than ten days would elapse between His ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit. Hence the Lord's firm demand, with rebuke included: "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power: but ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." (Acts 1:8). They were still unaware of their lack of power, but not the Lord. They had the privilege of walking with him for about three and a half years, but their history did not guarantee them power; they had listened attentively to all his teachings, but knowledge is not power either.
They ran the risk of interpreting those teachings, and resorting to his story as they saw fit. In reality, the Lord did not want them to depend on themselves. The human soul's own attributes were absolutely insufficient (or a formidable hindrance!), to carry out the divine purposes on earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not want to use any of the human faculties in His work. The Comforter would come to take the place of Christ Himself in their hearts, guiding them into all truth (Jn. 16:12-13), revealing to them those things for which they were not before prepared, to restrain them when necessary (Acts 16:6-7), and to strengthen them in the midst of the fires of trial that would come upon them (Acts 7:55).
"Ye shall receive power...", i.e., "ye have not yet my power in you, ye have in me only an outward example, ye have my teachings, but ye have not the power of my life within you". The subsequent coming of the Spirit and all the fruits that were seen in our first brethren (9:31), demonstrate the seriousness of the matter. Definitely, without the presence, power and presidency of the Holy Spirit, they would have failed utterly.
It is worth asking ourselves: How are we disciples of the Lord Jesus today? Are we facing the challenges of the present time based on our history and biblical knowledge? Or, rather, having learned something from the terrible failures of church history and our own history, are we learning to wait for "the power from on high", the blessed person of the Holy Spirit, to come first and clarify the way forward, equip us for the task and preside over the battle?