By Andrew Williams
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1:4-5
Good morning fellow disciples.
Without the gift if the Father we cannot be effective Kingdom disciples like Jesus was. Before Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit, we do not see Him stepping out to fulfil His God ordained ministry. Jesus sends us the same way His Father sent Him.
John 20:21-22 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus knew that His disciples needed the Holy Spirit to be effective in the ministry that He was leaving to them. We see here that He breathed on them and said, ‘receive the Holy Spirit.’
In Acts 1:4-5, we see Him telling His disciples that they should not leave Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Father. The gift of the Father is the Holy Spirit. They would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we will see in tomorrow’s devotional that when they received this baptism they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Just like Jesus had the Holy Spirit, they would also have the Holy Spirit. It was then that they could go out and do exactly what Jesus did while He was here on earth.
Have you received the gift of the Father? Are you baptized, filled, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be God’s effective Kingdom citizen?
Prayer: Thank You Father God, for baptizing me with Your Holy Spirit. I can now be an effective Kingdom disciple. Amen.