Acts 1

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Right before Jesus ascends into Heaven, He promises His disciples that He will send the Holy Spirit to them, and that they will be given God’s power to use as they travel throughout the Earth preaching the Gospel, teaching God’s commands, and healing the sick.  It is at this time in the Bible that the disciples start to be called apostles.  A disciple is generally thought of as a follower or student of Christ, which is what we could classify ourselves as.  An apostle is a messenger or missionary, which is a better description for the role that these early church leaders played during this time.  The important thing to remember as we read through the book of Acts is that the same Holy Spirit that was poured out on the apostles in 30 AD is the same powerful Holy Spirit that lives in each of us today!  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).  Does the Holy Spirit bring us power as well?  The answer is most definitely yes!  The Holy Spirit brings life, and is powerful enough to heal, comfort, guide, and reveal truth: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.  And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you” (Romans 8:11, NLT). The Holy Spirit is just as much a part of God as Jesus is.  He is a divine person, fully possessing the power and characteristics of God.  He is to be revered as God as He serves in perfect unity with the Father and the Son as they lead us in our spiritual lives.  Thank you God for this amazing and incomparable gift!