“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
This was our Lord Jesus Christ’s mission on earth. He prioritized the preaching of the Gospel everywhere He went. And when the disciples received these words from our Lord, they did not know what to do or where to start. They had no idea what laid ahead of them. Jesus Christ’s ministry had come to an end and He was on the brink of His ascension. The disciples were confused and afraid. And God knew that they could do nothing without Him. But God was not in a hurry. His plans are always timely and His timing always perfect. The disciples only had to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. And on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in person!
In the Old Testament, the day of Pentecost was when Moses received the 10 commandments on stone tablets, written by the finger of God Himself. After Jesus’ Resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended and now the center of the Church is Jesus Christ, and it is the Holy Spirit who enables the ministry of glorifying Jesus to continue and thrive. The days of simply striving to keep the Law was over and the days of the Holy Spirit had begun. The disciples also had one thing left to do, to follow, fellowship with, and enjoy the presence of the Spirit of God. They simply had to go through the open doors of the Spirit. Acts chapters 2-7 show the explosive revival the Holy Spirit brought to Jerusalem. However, all of Judah and Samaria were yet untouched. This ministry was actually started and accomplished by Philip in Acts 8. Due to the martyrdom of Stephen, the Gospel was able to go outside of Jerusalem, where the Jewish believers were comfortably enjoying the faith to themselves.
And in Acts chapter 10 we see the Roman Centurion Cornelius receive the Holy Spirit and how the believers were all dispersed throughout the Roman Empire to spread the Gospel. In other words, the words God give and speak are accomplished by the Holy Spirit Himself and not by the efforts nor plans of man. The Apostles simply followed the leading of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit intimately and directly guides all those who in such ways acknowledge and rely on Him for life guidance to accomplish God’s plans and purposes for His glory. (Translated from Pastor Joseph Lee’s Blog from Korean)
brother steve kang 