Verse of the Day 6-5-22

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 1:8

This is the key verse in the book of Acts. The primary purpose of the baptism in the Spirit is to provide power to communicate the message of Jesus to others. The purpose of the baptism is to receive power to deliver the message that those who do not have a personal relationship with God can receive his forgiveness, learn to follow Jesus and fulfill his purposes for their lives. The end result is that more people come to know, love and honor Jesus as Lord-the Leader and authority in their lives. And there are three things that we need to take away from this most important and key verse in the book of Acts.

1. “Power” (Greek “dunamis”) means more than strength or ability; it refers to a power at work or in action. Luke, both in his Gospel and in the book Acts, points out that the Holy Spirit’s power included the authority to drive out evil spirits (to command them to release their control in people’s lives) and the anointing (the empowering and/or commissioning) to heal the sick. These were described as the two essential signs accompanying the bold message of God’s kingdom. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is God’s way of releasing the power of the Holy Spirit into a Christian’s life.
2. Luke here does not relate the baptism in the Spirit to the first experience of personal spiritual salvation. He describes it as power coming upon someone who is already a follower of Christ, then working from within him or her to effectively communicate Christ’s message.
3. The Holy Spirit’s primary work in proclaiming and promoting the message of Jesus has to do with how he comes upon-or “clothes”-Christians with God’s power. The Spirit is really the one who convinces people of their need for God’s forgiveness and the truth of how Christ’s death and resurrection makes spiritual salvation and a personal relationship with God possible.

Today’s Bible Readings

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25, Acts 3, Psalm 123:1-4 and Proverbs 16:21-23