Power from on High

“You are witnesses of these things.” “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:48-49, NASB

“Power from on high” means: All that the apostles were to gain from the mission of the Comforter- enlightenment of mind, enlargement of heart, sanctification of their faculties, and transformation of their characters, so as to make them whetted swords and polished shafts for subduing the world unto the truth; these, or the effect of these combined, constituted the power for which Jesus directed the eleven to wait. The power, therefore, was a spiritual power, not a magical; an inspiration, not a possession; a power which was not to act as a blind fanatical force, but to manifest itself as a spirit of love and of a sound mind.” The Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce, pp. 536.

Prior to all this growth in the disciples’ lives, Jesus raised ignorant fools to the plan of God, as a father teaches his children, in the plan for the world He came to die for. These men would soon experience more rational, non-whimsical behavior  with calm, clear, dignified behavior which is recorded in Luke’s account in the book of Acts. They would soon change from their previous behaviors: “no longer ignorant, childish, weak, carnal, but initiated into the mysteries of the kingdom, and habitually under the guidance of the Spirit of grace and holiness.” (Bruce, pp. 537)

As I read this today, it brought me to think about my own life. Maybe you may think this way as well. As the Spirit of God was about to come into their lives, these men were about to experience transformation, which changed them into the men who “could” change the world around them. They would have supernatural power unparalleled to anything they ever saw.

Then the question hit me… How much of the Spirit of God do I give possession of myself each and every day? You see He can bring forth change in my life by His indwelling power and I can experience that same power as they.

As even a pastor, I must admit that many times I try to “do” too much without praying and submitting things to His power for ministry. We as pastors are fallible and able to fall into the same areas as each Christian struggles. We are mere men who struggle like you. 

These men were about to be transformed by the power of God into men who were serious minded, guided by the Spirit of God, to transform the world and present to it the gift of God; salvation.

Do you identify with me sometimes feeling as if you don’t have enough power each day to do God’s work? I know I do. If you don’t, maybe you are way more spiritual than I. Maybe it's time for us as we take this journey for our Lord each day to take a hard look at ourselves and decide we need Him every day a little more. The more the apostles faced adversity, the more they proclaimed their faith in Jesus: even to the point of their own death.