“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses.”
—Acts 1:8

At Pentecost (Acts 2:1–31), God’s people received His Spirit as an indwelling possession, and it marked the fulfillment of the Old Testament Shavuot. (See Leviticus 23:15–21.) Through the Holy Spirit, we now have intimate relationship with the Father.

There is no greater event in the history of the church, aside from the death and resurrection of Jesus, than the giving of the Spirit of God. When the Father gave us His Spirit, He gave us Himself. In His Spirit is love, power, joy, and victory! Through His Spirit we can go through, and get through, whatever tribulation we may be experiencing right now and whatever trials we will face in the future. But we cannot know the power of the Spirit unless we obey the Spirit. “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8).

In today’s verse Jesus commands us to be His witnesses. Beloved, we are not going to know the fullness of God’s Spirit unless we are obedient to Him in the realm of witnessing. We have a mission in this world, and it is to be light in the darkness. You don’t have to always give a complete presentation of the gospel. Just let your love for Jesus shine in both your words and deeds. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men” (Matt. 5:16).

I want to encourage you to begin making Jesus known to the people around you in a stronger and more loving way. Now is the time to share Jesus with others and tell them of the power He has to change their lives. You can be a bold witness for Him because His Spirit lives in you.

Father God, equip me with boldness and wisdom to be an effective witness for You. I pray that You teach me how to present Your Son in a relevant way to those around me. Help me to never underestimate the power of sharing my testimony and just showing someone Your love by offering to pray for them. Father, thank You for sending Yeshua to die for me and for giving me Your Spirit so I can walk in power and be Your witness.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.