A Power to Change the World

I am always interested in last words, in knowing the last thing that someone said.

Jesus was leaving. Prior to His ascension, He took the apostles to a mountain in Galilee, where He gave them marching orders for the church:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

How would they pull this off from a human standpoint? They were in no way ready for such a task. There were still things they didn’t understand. Their faith was weak. They had failed in their public witness and also in their private faith.

After all, Simon Peter, their acknowledged leader, had openly denied the Lord. If Peter could be demoralized by the words of one woman, then how could he (and they) be expected to go into all the world and preach the gospel?

How? They would do it with a power they had never known before, a power to change the world: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). It’s power to be a witness . . . power to share your faith . . . power to turn your world upside down . . . power to do what God has called you to do.

The same power that was poured out at Pentecost is available to us today. The Bible has promised a dimension of power for every believer who would ask for it from the Lord, to be a witness for Him.