But you shall have power to be my witnesses
The Spirit brings the Power of the Resurrection
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
Acts 1:8 MEV
What does this mean?
John Follette gives us some understanding:
In Acts 1:8, the Lord is not using the word “witness” about someone who gets up and gives a testimony; He is saying that a person coming up from the power of the Spirit, is willing to let his life be slain in order that the life of the Christ may be lived through him. He becomes a witness, a testimony of the power of God. That is when the individual life becomes a witness; a testimony. The word “witness” here means “martyr”; one who is willing to let his very life go for the sake of the Truth. From Golden Grain, chapter 32
Like much of ministry in power, it starts with our Messiah’s resurrection. Once the Father raised Him from the dead, Jesus had the power to give us the Holy Spirit.
In the same way, when we accept our death in Him and are raised as new creatures, His Life within us enables us to truly be His witnesses. Our new life in Him is that witness to the people around us of the love and power of God, in the Messiah.
Everything starts with the resurrection
Once that power is in us, as long as we keep our relationship clean, our new life is the witness: in our relationships, in our writing, and in our ministry.
