Jesus Promises the Spirit's Power
Month 9: The Spirit's Power for Witness · Bible Story
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
“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)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 58-60
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 241 of 365 — David crying out for God's help against his enemies.)The Heart of It
Imagine being one of Jesus' friends in those last minutes before He went back to heaven. You have seen Him alive after the cross. Really alive! You are ready to go tell the whole world. But Jesus says something surprising. He says, "Wait." Don't rush off yet. Wait in Jerusalem until the Father sends what He promised. He is going to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew His followers could not do God's work in their own strength. They needed power from above first. So He gave them a promise. He said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." That power wasn't for showing off. It was so they could be His witnesses. A witness is a person who tells others what he has seen and heard about Jesus.
A witness isn't someone who knows everything. A witness is simply someone who saw something true and tells about it. Jesus mapped out exactly where His witnesses would go. First Jerusalem, right where they were. Then Judea and Samaria, the neighbors nearby, even the ones they didn't get along with. And finally "to the end of the earth." That means everywhere else, including the very places you and I live today. That plan is still running. The same Holy Spirit who filled those first believers wants to fill us too. Then we can tell our family, our friends, and one day far-off people about the Jesus we know. We don't go alone, and we don't go empty. We go full of His power.
Around the Table
Jesus said, "Wait for My helper — the Holy Spirit — and He will give you power to tell others about Me." A witness just tells what is true!
Let's do it: Flex your muscles and say, "Holy Spirit, give me power to tell about Jesus!"
Jesus told His friends to start at home (Jerusalem), then go to the neighbors, then the whole world. Where is your "Jerusalem"?
Let's talk: Why do you think Jesus told them to wait instead of rushing out right away?
Notice that Jesus connects power and witness. The Spirit's power has a purpose. It is for telling people the good news. It is not power just to have power.
Let's go deeper: Think about something you love, like a game, a team, or a hobby. You could tell people about it easily. What makes telling about Jesus feel different? And how could the Spirit help with that?
💬 Conversation Starter
Has anyone ever asked you, "What happened?" And you got to tell the whole story? That is what being a witness for Jesus is like!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes someone will say faith is just believing without any evidence. But remember this. The first Christians were witnesses. They reported what they actually saw. Their message rested on real events, not on wishful thinking. With gentleness and respect (), we can say, "I follow Jesus because people who saw Him alive told the truth, even when it cost them everything."
For Dad · Go Deeper
It is easy to read as a Sunday-school slogan and miss how strategic it is. Jesus gives the church both a power source and a mission map. The power source is the Holy Spirit. The mission map runs from Jerusalem outward. Notice He doesn't ask them to manufacture courage or charisma. He tells them to wait until they are empowered from above. Classic Pentecostal teaching sees this empowering as available to ordinary believers, your children included, for the ordinary work of witness. As a dad, your "Jerusalem" is your own home. It is the most natural mission field you have. Before you worry about the ends of the earth, ask whether your kids have heard you talk plainly about what Jesus means to you. Witness is caught at the kitchen table before it is carried across oceans.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Empowered for Witness.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for not sending us out alone. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Give us power to be Jesus' witnesses. Help us start in our home, then go everywhere You send us. Make us brave and kind. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Spirit gives me power not to show off, but to tell others about Jesus.