Wait for the Promise of the Father
Month 12: On Mission & Finishing Well · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 1:4-8
4 And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Memory Verse
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””— Matthew 28:19-20 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Romans 1–3
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 335 of 365 — Paul shows the whole world stands guilty, so that grace can be for everyone.)The Heart of It
This is one of the most surprising commands in the Bible. Jesus had just told His followers to go to "all the nations." It was the most urgent task in all of history. And then He told them to wait. "Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father" (). Why hold back when the world needs the message? Because Jesus knew the mission cannot be done in human strength. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" (). Before they spoke a single word, they needed to be filled. The disciples already loved Jesus. They already believed He had risen. But loving and believing weren't enough. They needed power for witness. And that power is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
This is what we mean by the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is a real, fresh filling that Jesus pours out to clothe ordinary believers with boldness and with the Spirit's gifts for the mission. It isn't a reward for the super-spiritual. And it isn't about working ourselves up into excitement. It is a promise. It is "the Promise of the Father," offered to every follower of Jesus, your children included. And notice the order. The power comes for witness, not for showing off. The Spirit doesn't fill us so we can feel amazing. He fills us so we can point the world to Jesus. The same kind of waiting and asking is right for our family today. We don't rush out in our own strength. We come, like those first disciples, and we ask the Father for the power He loves to give ().
Around the Table
Jesus told His friends, "Wait! I'm going to send you a special Helper to make you brave!" That Helper is the Holy Spirit.
Let's do it: Sit and wait with your hands open. Then say, "Holy Spirit, fill me up to be brave for Jesus!"
The disciples loved Jesus, but they still needed the Holy Spirit's power before they could go. We need His help too. We can't do it alone.
Let's talk: Why do you think Jesus made them wait, instead of sending them out right away?
"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (). The baptism in the Spirit is a real empowering for witness. It is promised to every believer, and the power is for mission, never for show.
Let's go deeper: You can ask Jesus to fill you with His Spirit today. What would change if you went into this week clothed with His power instead of your own willpower?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's something you're really bad at on your own, but you can do when someone strong helps you? That's a picture of waiting for the Spirit's power.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The disciples changed suddenly. One day they were hiding behind locked doors. Just days later they were fearlessly preaching in public. That needs an explanation, and "they got an idea" doesn't cut it. Something real happened. The risen Christ poured out the Spirit, just as He promised (). Changed cowards make a better case than clever theories.
For Dad · Go Deeper
There's a quiet rebuke for busy, capable fathers in this passage. Jesus told willing, eager disciples to wait. Our instinct is to launch. More activity. Better plans. Harder effort. But mission attempted in our own strength produces noise without lasting fruit. Classic Pentecostal teaching understands the baptism in the Spirit as a distinct empowering for witness, available to every believer. And it always insists that character outranks gifting. No hype. No prosperity. No chasing experiences for their own sake. So here is the searching question. Are you leading your family in the Spirit's power, or are you running on your own fumes? You cannot give your children what you are not receiving. Before you press them to be bold witnesses, kneel and ask the Father afresh: fill me. Then lead from fullness, not from effort.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story; Derek Prince, The Holy Spirit in You.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, we don't want to go in our own strength. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, just as You promised. Give us power to be brave and kind as we tell others about Jesus. Keep our hearts humble. Keep them full of love. In Jesus' name, amen."
The mission needs more than my willpower. It needs the Spirit's power. So I wait, I ask, and I'm filled.