Practical Power

Before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus told His disciples that He had a job for them to do. He would come back and establish His kingdom (see Acts 1:6–8), but until then, He wanted them to go out and bring the gospel message to others and see His kingdom established in their lives.

It was a daunting task. The apostles were not ready for such a work. There were things they still did not understand. Their faith was relatively weak. How could they be expected to stand up before thousands and proclaim the gospel?

They could do this with a power they had never known: “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).

Power is an exciting thing, isn’t it? We always want a faster car or a more powerful computer. We work out to get stronger. God says, “I have power for you. It is power with purpose. It is practical power.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us power to live the Christian life.

It is impossible to live the Christian life successfully, except by the power of the Holy Spirit. But the glorious thing about Christianity is that even though we can’t measure up to God’s standards, God will take residence in our hearts so we can live this life through His power. God’s calling is God’s enabling. He will enable us to do what He has called us to do.