and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth."
-Acts 1:8, New American Standard Bible
As Jesus was leaving the earth, He told His disciples to share the good news of His sovereign grace. He told the disciples they would not be alone in this. We may not physically see Jesus, God in flesh, but we know that God sends the Holy Spirit to believers to guide us. The Holy Spirit has power, because the Spirit is a part of who God is. The thing about our own power is that it is not perfect or strong when we compare it to God's holy and almighty power.
Luke continues in Acts to explain how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of disciples committed to sharing Jesus' message. In Acts 8:1b we can read, "And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." Acts 8:4-5 explains how Philip began sharing His faith, "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them." In Acts 8:26-39, we can read how God led Philip to share who He was with a eunuch from Ethiopia. You see, God was making things happen. Word of Him and the power of His salvation was being spread across different peoples and communities. What He had instructed the apostles to do, to share His message with the world, was happening before their eyes as they trusted in His power to lead them and speak through them.
Lord, thanks for being there for us, and thank You for the transformation You make in people. Give us faith and power to reach out and share, to share who You are and Your love, to a world in need. Amen.
Devotion based on a guided prayer in the workbook, HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)
Clip art "Dove in Glasswindow" by Stefanvon Halenbach (openclipart.com)
