Power from on High
In this week's readings, we see the power of our almighty God at work. Be blessed as you read through God's promises that we, too, have the power to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
"And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49
In the Gospel of Luke and in the Book of Acts, there is a tremendous amount of focus on God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is indeed the power from on high who indwells us (John 14:16-17) and who empowers us. As the Lord was preparing his disciples for his crucifixion, He comforted them and calmed their anxieties by explaining that He will not be leaving them as orphans. He will pour out His Spirit upon them (Acts 2:17), and He will be with them and in them forever. What a promise! We as sinful, weak, fragile, and vulnerable creatures will house the power of God Himself. This is a truth that is too wonderful to grasp and to comprehend, and yet, it stands eternally secure.
"In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach...." Acts 1:1
Luke, who authored the Gospel of Luke and Acts, began the book of Acts by stating that the Gospel of Luke was about all that Jesus began to do and teach. It becomes clearer as we study Scripture and as we live out the Christian life that what the Lord has begun during His earthly ministry, He is continuing to do through us. The Lord Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, is now God in us through the Holy Spirit. We see this in John 14:23: "Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'" The Lord also identifies Himself in union with His body -- the Church. When Paul was ravaging the church and arresting Christians, The Lord said to him in Acts 9, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
The Lord Jesus came to preach the good news, to heal the sick and the lame, to raise the dead, to cast out demons, to be persecuted for righteousness' sake, and to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ proceeded through the apostles and the believers. They preached the good news (Acts 2:14-39); they healed the sick and the lame (Acts 3:1-10); they raised the dead (Acts 9:36-43); they cast out demons (Acts 16:16-24); they were persecuted for righteousness' sake (Acts 4:1-3); and they sacrificed their lives in service to others and in love for the Lord Jesus (Acts 7). In the Book of Acts, the power that was at work in the Lord Jesus Christ was also at work in the apostles and the believers. That very power, God the Holy Spirit, is at work in us at this very moment. We are clothed with power from on high. We are called, and we are empowered to continue the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
~ Lawrence Haddad
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November 4th Readings
MARK 15:21-24
MATTHEW 27:32-34
LUKE 23:26-31
JOHN 19:17
MARK 15:25-32
MATTHEW 27:35-44
LUKE 23:32-43
JOHN 19:18-27
MARK 15:33-41
MATTHEW 27:45-56
LUKE 23:44-49
JOHN 19:28-37
November 5th Readings
MARK 15:42-47
MATTHEW 27:57-61
LUKE 23:50-56
JOHN 19:38-42
MATTHEW 27:62-66
MARK 16:1-8
MATTHEW 28:1-7
LUKE 24:1-12
MARK 16:9-11
JOHN 20:1-18
MATTHEW 28:8-15
November 6th Readings
LUKE 24:13-43
MARK 16:12-13
JOHN 20:19-23
MARK 16:14
JOHN 20:24-21:25
MATTHEW 28:16-20
MARK 16:15-18
LUKE 24:44-49
November 7th Readings
MARK 16:19-20
LUKE 24:50-53
ACTS 1:1-2:47
November 8th Readings
ACTS 3:1-5:42
November 9th Readings
ACTS 6:1-8:1
November 10th Readings
ACTS 8:1-9:43
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