Last Words of Jesus

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

As we open Your Word today, we invite Your Holy Spirit to be with us. Prepare our hearts to listen and understand your message for us.

Lord, give us wisdom to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ final words before His ascension. Help us to see not only the promise of power through the Holy Spirit but also our calling to be Your witnesses in this world.

Remove every distraction and fill us with reverence and humility as we read. Let Your truth take root in our hearts and transform the way we live. May we learn to trust in Your perfect timing and walk in obedience to Your command.

Speak to us, Lord, for we are ready to hear from You.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

ACTS 1:6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

This verse records Jesus’ final words before His ascension, and they reveal three key truths about God’s plan for His followers: they will receive dynamic power, they will be His witnesses, and the process.

1. Dynamic Power — “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”

The night before His crucifixion, the disciples’ weaknesses were laid bare. That very night, every one of them abandoned Jesus. They had followed Him for years, yet in their fear and frailty, they all fell away. Not one of His disciples attended His burial. One, consumed by despair, took his own life; the remaining eleven hid behind locked doors, paralyzed by fear of the Jews. They desperately needed power — a strength far beyond their own.

Jesus, knowing their weakness, promised divine empowerment through the coming of the Holy Spirit. The word “power” comes from the Greek dynamis, meaning dynamic strength, ability, or force — the same root as the word dynamite. But this was not the political or military power the disciples imagined when they asked about restoring the kingdom to Israel. It was far greater — spiritual power: the power to overcome fear, to live in holiness, to love selflessly, and to boldly proclaim the Gospel.

Through the Holy Spirit, weak and ordinary believers are transformed into courageous witnesses for Christ. What fear once silenced, the Spirit would set ablaze with faith.

2. Purpose of the Holy Spirit — “You will be my witnesses”

The purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit is not for personal gain, recognition, or status, but for mission. The Spirit empowers believers to bear witness to Jesus Christ—to testify about who He is, what He has done, and the salvation He offers to all.

To be a witness means to speak from personal experience. The disciples were called to share what they had personally seen and experienced in Christ’s death and resurrection. Likewise, every follower of Jesus today is called to live and speak as a witness of the risen Lord. Our lives are living testimonies: they either declare that Jesus Christ is worth knowing, or they suggest that He is not. If our lives show little transformation, why would others desire to know Him?

However, when the Holy Spirit is truly at work within us—when we depend on Him, trust Him, and draw strength and power from Him—people will notice. Our attitudes, words, and actions will reflect the reality of Jesus’ presence in us. Our neighbors, friends, and families will see the difference, and through us, they will encounter the living Christ. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit always leaves evidence that something divine has taken root within—a changed life that points others to Jesus.

3. Process of Doing It — “In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”

Jesus outlined the divine strategy for spreading the Gospel:

• Jerusalem – Start where you are. This means our immediate circles—our families, communities, and workplaces.

• Judea and Samaria – Move outward to those nearby, even to those who are different, distant, or difficult to reach.

• The ends of the earth – Carry the message globally, to every nation and every people group.

This progression reveals God’s expanding mission—beginning locally and reaching globally, transforming individuals and ultimately impacting the world. It’s the blueprint not only for the Book of Acts but for the continuing mission of the Church today.

Often, the place where we can be the strongest witnesses is where people know us best. They’ve seen our flaws, failures, and struggles. Yet, it’s precisely there that they can also witness the transforming power of Jesus Christ—how He meets us in our weakness, forgives our sins, and changes our hearts. Our personal transformation becomes a powerful testimony to God’s grace.

The disciples were called to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Yet for a time, they stayed in Jerusalem. It was only when persecution arose that they were scattered and began to fulfill Jesus’ command. Sometimes, God must disturb our comfort to direct us toward His purpose. He moves us beyond our comfort zones so that His mission can move forward through us.

The same command that Jesus gave to His disciples then is still His command to the Church today: “You will be My witnesses.”

MATTHEW 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Here, Jesus reveals that the mission of His followers rests not on human strength but on divine authority. Authority speaks of the right to act, while power refers to the ability to act. Authority without power is empty and ineffective—mere words without impact. Power without authority, on the other hand, is reckless and dangerous—force without rightful direction. What Jesus gives His disciples is authority infused with power—the rightful command backed by divine strength. It is the combination of heaven’s authority and the Spirit’s power that enables believers to accomplish the Great Commission. When Jesus sends us out to make disciples, He empowers us with both the right to act in His name and the power to fulfill His will.

ACTS 4:13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

The transformation of the disciples was undeniable. The same men who once hid in fear after Jesus’ crucifixion now stood with boldness before the very authorities who condemned their Lord. What changed? It was not education, training, or human courage—it was the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 

The religious leaders saw something different in Peter and John. Their confidence could not be explained by background or intellect. It was clear that what they witnessed was not the disciples themselves, but Jesus living through them. The Holy Spirit empowered them to speak with courage, act with conviction, and stand firm in truth.

When believers truly spend time with Jesus, His presence transforms them. Fear gives way to faith, hesitation turns into holy boldness, and weakness is replaced with divine strength. The world may still recognize us as ordinary, but through the Spirit, God makes the ordinary extraordinary for His glory. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with humble hearts, thankful for the gift of Your Word and the promise of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus spoke to His disciples before ascending into heaven, remind us today of the same truth — that You have called us to live with divine purpose and power.

Lord, help us to know You more intimately — not only with our minds but with our hearts. Teach us to trust in Your perfect timing and to rest in the authority of Your plan. When we become impatient or distracted by our own desires, bring us back to the truth that our calling is not about earthly kingdoms, but about Your eternal kingdom.

Fill us, Holy Spirit, with Your dynamic power. Empower us to live courageously, to love unconditionally, and to speak boldly about Jesus. Let Your presence transform our lives so that others may see Christ in us.

Lord, make us faithful witnesses — in our homes, our workplaces, our communities, and beyond. Help us to begin in our “Jerusalem,” touching the lives closest to us, and then lead us to reach our “Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.”

May we walk in obedience to Your command, knowing that You have chosen us to carry Your message of hope and salvation to the world. Let our lives bring glory to Your name until the day You return in the same way You ascended.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray,

Amen.