POWER WEEK!

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Disciples Slow to Believe

   The power that raised Christ was a hard sell to the 11 remaining disciples. Jesus suddenly appeared to them while they were eating. He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their refusal to believe the women who had first seen him. They were startled, thinking they saw a ghost.

   Look at my hands and my feet, he said, showing the scars of crucifixion - transferred to his resurrected body. Still astonished, they watched him eat a piece of broiled fish.

   From that moment on, they would never be the same. All were willing to die rather than deny the truth.   

   Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them to stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. – Luke 24:45, 49. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1:8.

   And with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 4:33.

Power Offered to Us

   Ever since, believers are offered the same indwelling power. The Spirit is given to all who ask. He convicts of sin, regenerates, imparts God’s love, and enables us to say, “Jesus is Lord.” He reveals God’s truth and helps to distinguish truth from error, baptizes us into the body of Christ, and gives power and boldness to witness.

   Note: This paragraph replaces one that included many ways the Holy Spirit enables believers. We don't feel qualified even to list them for you. You can find them in New Testament letters. 

   From heaven, Jesus blinded Saul (renamed Paul), saying, I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of darkness to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sin. 

   (Paul’s own account in Acts 26:17-18).      

Tomorrow: End times, and rejoicing in heaven