THE SEND: Luke & ActsSample

Jesus is faithful to his promises.

He had told his disciples to wait to receive power when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8), and we turn the page and see this happening in Acts 2-3! When the Holy Spirit came, he even gave his followers the ability to speak in other languages and tell others about the wonderful things God had done in and through Jesus (Acts 2:11).

Can you see how the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost wasn't about giving the disciples warm, fuzzy feelings but was about empowering them to take action?

Check out these examples. Peter didn't listen to the crowd's ridicule; he took action and "stepped forward" (Acts 2:14) to preach. The believers weren't passive in their faith but "devoted themselves" to teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer (Acts 2:42). When Peter and John see a crippled beggar asking for money, they don't pass him by but "look at him intently" (Acts 3:4) and pray for his healing. And when the man was healed, Peter didn't focus on the crowd's amazement but "saw his opportunity" (Acts 3:12) to tell the crowd to repent and place their trust in Jesus. The disciples loved to take action.

Not that long ago, Peter the fisherman was denying Jesus (Luke 22:54-65), and now we see him preaching in the street and seeing thousands become Christians (Acts 2:41). That's a pretty drastic turn around, don't you think?

What enables Peter to do the things he does in these two chapters is not a qualification, or a set of skills, or a fancy title. What enables Peter is the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the power that Jesus was talking about in Acts 1:8.

In Acts 3:6, we see Peter meet a lame beggar asking for money. Peter responds, "I don't have any silver or gold for you. But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!" Peter didn't have money to give to the beggar. He had something much better. He had the Holy Spirit empowering him to bring the Kingdom of God to earth, just like Jesus did.

I wonder who God has put in front of you. Where is God calling you to step forward? Maybe it's in your school, university, or workplace. Maybe it's your family, a friend, or someone on the street.

I don't know if you've ever felt like you're not qualified to be a witness for Jesus, but the Bible tells us that we are not qualified by our age, abilities, or fancy titles. We are qualified by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to take action in the places that need the Kingdom of God the most.

Where is God calling you to step forward?