Daily Devotionals

Stages of the Cross: Easter - Saturday

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

What is the best gift you have ever received? Do you remember the joy and excitement you felt as you opened that gift? One thing about me is true: when I receive a special gift, I have to tell others about it. The news is too good to keep to myself. Can you relate? If we can't keep the good news of receiving a good gift to ourselves, how much more should we be motivated to tell others about Jesus' gift of salvation through His death and resurrection?

Acts 1 records the last words of Jesus to His disciples before His ascension to heaven. Right before He returned to heaven, He looked at them and said, "You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). His disciples had seen the death of Jesus, some of them had even seen Jesus' empty tomb, and now they were talking with the resurrected Jesus. As Jesus was talking to them, He was telling them that He was passing the torch of His earthly ministry on to them. In His absence, it was time for these 11 men to continue spreading His mission. They were to continue to tell others about Him. After all, they had experienced the greatest event in human history. How could they not tell everyone about Him?

My friend, if you are a follower of Jesus, you, too, are called to share the good news of Jesus. You are called to spread the name of Jesus to all you come in contact with. This is not a burden, but rather a joy, because we are simply telling others about the greatest gift they could ever receive. As we do this, we can follow Jesus' instructions in Acts 1. We can start with those closest to us, like our neighbors, coworkers, and friends. Next, we can reach out to those further from us until, finally, we have taken the message of Jesus to the very ends of the earth. Who can you tell today about the good news that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death?

Moving Toward Action

Find someone today and tell them your story about how you began to follow Jesus. Tell them about the difference He has made in your life. Tell them that He, too, can save and change their lives.

Going Deeper

Read Acts 1:1-11 (NLT)

In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”