Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 35

February 4;   Acts 1:8;   90/260(VI);   ‘Power Upon’ 

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me……

The Lord Jesus, having risen from the dead, appears to His disciples and commands them not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the miracle power of the Holy Spirit.  This is so critical to understand.  The Lord Jesus came to earth as a Man, He somehow ‘left’ His deity in heaven.  The Lord did this so that His ministry could continue through us, His Church, when He had returned to heaven.  Here, just before the Holy Spirit came upon those in the upper room, Jesus is telling them what is going to happen.  The Lord Jesus’ ministry began after the miracle working power of the Holy Spirit came upon Him.  He was empowered to teach, preach, heal and do miracles.  If the Lord Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit to minister, so do we.  Shortly after telling them this, the day of Pentecost arrived and the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and all the others in the upper room (about 120).  They were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence that they were, was that they prayed in tongues.  With that same empowerment that the Lord Jesus ministered by they began to minister with that power as well.  They went forth with powerful preaching and teaching, healings, miracles, signs and wonder.  Imperfect as the disciples were, when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, they went forth, just as Jesus did, flowing in the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Christianity is supernatural, with the Holy Spirit’s power flowing through us to minister to the lost and lead them to Jesus.  If you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit, seek it.  It is a gift and the Lord wants and needs you to have it.