And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).
The Lord Jesus spent about three years with His disciples before His death, burial and resurrection. During the period, they learnt from Him, walked with Him, watched His miracles, heard His message, and received direct impartations from Him. They had a message, they had the calling, and they had been trained.
Yet, before they could take a step into ministry, He gave them this vital instruction: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). In other words, even though they were ready in every other sense, they needed one more thing: the promise of my Father.
That promise was the Holy Spirit, and without Him, their efforts wouldn’t produce divine results. But with Him, they would be effective. And that’s exactly what happened. Luke, in Acts 2:14-41, describes how the same Peter who had once denied Jesus (Luke 22:61-62) stood up boldly on the day of Pentecost and delivered a powerful message that transformed three thousand lives: “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them…” (Acts 2:14).
He didn’t stop there. In Acts 4:4, after he and John healed a lame man, he preached boldly again and the Bible says, “…many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.” That’s effectiveness. That’s divine speed. Through the Holy Spirit, Peter’s outreach expanded rapidly, resulting in thousands being saved within a very short time.
Today, we have the same Holy Spirit, and the results are the same. He’s made us effective witnesses. We’re not trying to get into that place of power; we’ve already been endued with power (Acts 1:8). We’ve been empowered to change our world as able ministers of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). We’re making an impact, transforming lives all over the world. We’re functioning exactly as God intended, with power, with dominion, and with undeniable results.
We’re moving with the speed of the Spirit, for the Bible says, “A quick work will the Lord do, and cut it short in righteousness” (Romans 9:28). This is not by might, nor by human power, but by the Spirit of the living God. It’s God’s wisdom, God’s speed, and God’s ability at work in us. The Gospel is prevailing. The nations are open. The harvest is abundant. And this is all to His glory!
Prayer / Confession
Dear Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who lives in me and has made me effective in life and ministry. I’m walking in power, wisdom and dominion, producing results that bring you glory, advancing your Kingdom with divine speed, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
