You Shall Receive Power
Month 12: On Mission & Finishing Well · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Acts 1:8
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
“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.””— Acts 1:8 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Romans 13–16
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 339 of 365 — Paul's longing to preach Christ where He is not yet named.)The Heart of It
Our verse is small enough to hold in one hand. But it carries the whole mission of the church. Jesus says three things in one breath. First, you shall receive power. This is not power to get rich or to look impressive. The Greek word is dunamis. It means the strength of God working through ordinary people. Second, the power comes when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. So the power is a Person, not a feeling we work up. Third, you shall be witnesses to Me. The whole point is Jesus. A witness simply tells what he has seen and knows to be true.
Then Jesus draws a map. He says, "Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Start at home. Move to the neighbors. Reach the people who are different from you. And keep going to the farthest places on the planet. That is not four separate jobs. It is one circle of love that keeps growing wider. For your family, "Jerusalem" might be your own dinner table and the kids next door. "The end of the earth" might be a missionary you support or a country you pray for. The Spirit gives the power. We give the witness. Jesus gets the glory.
Around the Table
Jesus gives His friends power from the Holy Spirit. He gives it so they can tell people, "Jesus loves you!"
Let's do it: Flex your arms for "power." Then point all around the room for "everywhere."
Try saying the verse with motions. Hands up for power. Hands on heart for Holy Spirit. Point out the window for to the end of the earth.
Let's talk: Who is one person close to home, in your "Jerusalem," who needs to hear about Jesus?
The word for power is dunamis. It means God's own ability at work in weak people. The witness starts near and moves far, but it never skips home.
Let's go deeper: Jesus ties power directly to witness. Why do you think He does that? What does it tell us power is really for?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine our family is a group of "witnesses" giving a true report about Jesus. What is the most amazing true thing we could tell people about Him?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
A witness tells what he has actually seen. So this verse fits a real event, not a legend. The apostles claimed to be eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus. And they spread out exactly as maps it. They went to Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and then outward. That is just what the historical record of the early church shows.
For Dad · Go Deeper
is the table of contents for the whole book of Acts. There is Jerusalem (chapters 1–7), then Judea and Samaria (8–12), then the end of the earth (13–28). Luke is showing us something. The Spirit-empowered mission is not optional spirituality bolted onto the gospel. It is the shape of the Spirit-filled life. Pentecostal writers rightly stress that the baptism in the Spirit is for empowered witness, not for status. The power lands in our mouths and our feet, not on our trophy shelf. So model the rings of this verse for your children. Pray by name for someone close, someone different, and someone far. A father who actually witnesses raises children who expect to do the same.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Empowered for Witness; supported by Tony Evans, Theology You Can Count On.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, we receive Your promise. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Help us tell others about Jesus. Start with our own home and our neighbors. Then take us all the way to the ends of the earth. In Jesus' name, amen."
God gives the power. My job is simply to tell what I know about Jesus.