“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 KJV
As it is popularly said, “a man’s last words are his most important”. In our anchor scripture, Jesus was with his disciples on the Mount of Olives giving what we now know to be His last words. He asked them to wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with power by the Holy Ghost.
It is important to note that during Jesus’s ministry from city to city, His disciples followed him and they saw Him heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils and perform numerous signs and wonders (Acts 10:38).
However in John 16:7, He said to his disciples; “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you”.
Jesus here reiterates the importance of Him leaving. He makes them understand that it is more beneficial for them if He is no longer physically present with them since that will cause the Holy Spirit to come.
This means that the Holy spirit in every believer today, is of more advantage to us than if we had Jesus physically present with us. Reason being that while Jesus was on earth, he could only be at a particular location, at a particular time.
However the Holy Ghost has come to make Jesus unlimited, now every believer in every city, town and nation of the world can do exactly what Jesus did while he was on earth. Because of the Holy Spirit, the workings of Jesus have been multiplied on earth.
No wonder Jesus said “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12 KJV).
Jesus called the Holy Spirit another of the same kind as him, that is the believer having the Holy ghost invariably means that he has the presence of Jesus living and active in him. He can do what Jesus did; He can act in Jesus’s stead, like Peter and John at the beautiful gate, he can say “such as I have, I give unto you”.
As a result of the indwelling of the spirit, the possibilities of Jesus have become the possibilities of the believer. He can cast out devils, He can lay hands on the sick and they will recover.
To top it all up, this isn’t for a short while, it is forever, Hallelujah! Glory to God!
Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 11:37-54, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-12, Psalms 145, 2 Chronicles 20-21