So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Acts 1:6-9 ESV
After his resurrection, Jesus spent time with his disciples. As he was preparing to ascend to the Father, he told them to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (V. 4-5). Their first response was to inquire about the coming kingdom. Jesus replied, “None of your business.” The next sentence starts with “But.” Instead of fretting about the political situation in Israel and their place in it, they had a more pressing task. The Holy Spirit, the third member of the triune Godhead, was about to come upon them. He would give them the ability to give evidence of the resurrection to people all over the world. That’s the job description.
The Spirit upon Jesus had empowered him in his earthly ministry. After He was anointed with the Spirit, he boldly announced what he was about to do: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Peter notes that this anointing of the Spirit and power enabled Jesus to go about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38).
That same Spirit came upon the fledgling church in Acts Chapter 2. He still comes upon believers who ask. If you have been baptized with the Spirit, remember your purpose. The Spirit is the same. The job is the same. But, is the church the same? We are the Body of Christ, anointed by the Spirit upon us to go about doing good, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and setting the captives free. This is why we’re here. Don’t settle for less.
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