Deeper Life #324

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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

—Acts 1:8

LUKE 24:50–53 RELATES A POWERFUL revelation to the disciples as they saw the ascending Christ disappear. In Acts 1:11, the angelic proclamation says that this same Jesus will come back again. Many a commentator has spiritualized these passages to say that the promise was fulfilled at Pentecost. But the Holy Spirit has no wounds in His hands; the Holy Spirit has no atonement. Therefore, Pentecost cannot be the fulfillment of the angelic proclamation.

Pentecost is the fulfilling of the promise of the Lord, not the manifestation of a new Lord. We are to receive the Holy Spirit for quickening; and this quickening is preparation for a sacramental life of service. Our submissive waiting until the mighty fusing of the baptism with the Holy Spirit will allow us to be carried into the mystic body of Christ, for the mighty purposes of omnipotent God.

Prayer Thought: Thank You, Lord, for the promise of Your return. Let me live and serve in the fullness of Your Spirit until that great day.

SUGGESTED READING: Luke 24:50–53