The Empowered: Holy Spirit For Those Who Obey

“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” (Matthew 10:20)

When Jesus was arrested and taken to the religious leaders, Peter—the rock of the disciples of Jesus followed at a distance. A servant-girl saw Peter and said “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” Peter denied the relation three times before the rooster crowed. He even used profanity to emphasize the seriousness of his denial. And to think, this man had been hand-picked by Jesus (Matthew 26:58, 69–75; John 15:16).

After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, Peter was restored to fellowship with the Lord (John 21:15–17). During the next forty days Jesus met with His apostles to teach them (Acts 1:1–3). When it was time for Him to ascend into heaven Jesus told them, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). Ten days later Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within Peter and those gathered with him, just as He had promised (John 14:16–17). On that day Peter stood with the eleven and proclaimed the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus (Acts 2:1–42).

At one point in time Peter publicly denied he had any association with Jesus. However, when he was empowered by the Holy Spirit he was suddenly preaching boldly and publicly about Jesus the Nazarene. As Peter explained, this was prophesied by Joel: “I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind” (Joel 2:28–30). The result of this empowerment by the Holy Spirit was the conviction and conversion of about three-thousand souls (John 16:7–11; Acts 2:41). Peter and his brethren continued in the Spirit to upset the world (Acts 17:6–7).

When Jesus had commissioned His apostles to go and preach the gospel to every nation, they were powerless to do it. But when they did as they were told and waited in Jerusalem, they were rewarded for their obedience. In their own words, “we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:29–32). The ministry of the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to go into the world and make disciples. That ministry continues today as the church continues to obey the commands of Jesus.