Acts 1:4
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
One great need of believers for every generation is to be empowered by the Holy Ghost. Jesus told the early church to wait for the promise of the Father. What promise was He talking about? John 16:7 tells us when it says, Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Though Jesus was going to ascend to Heaven, He would not leave the believer alone on earth to do a spiritual work. Jesus understood that no believer can do a holy work of God with power without being filled with the Holy Ghost. However, we are commanded to wait for the promise of the Father. If we are to wait, what does it mean?
First, it means to pray for the promise of the Father. Nobody has ever been filled with the Holy Ghost who did not pray for His filling. When we got saved we received the Holy Ghost, but we must pray for Him to empower us to do God’s work. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Ghost, which means that though He lives within us, He does not have access to all of us until we yield to Him. The early church waited on the promise by praying, and you will never know God’s power if you do not pray for it daily.
Second, to wait for the promise of the Father means to witness for Christ. Acts 1:8 shows the purpose of the Holy Ghost power is to be a witness for Christ. You will never know God’s power on your life until you are a witness for Christ. When you take the power of the Gospel and a believer delivering that Gospel in the power of the Holy Ghost, you will see many people being saved. The most powerful combination is the power of the Gospel being delivered by a believer empowered by the Holy Spirit to a lost world. If you want to be filled with God’s power, you would be wise to be a Gospel witness daily. We need God’s power every day, so we need to witness daily so that His power can fill us and use us.
Third, to wait for the promise of the Father means to serve God. When a waiter waits on their customers in a restaurant, they are serving their customers. Let me ask, why do you need God’s power if you are not doing a work that requires His power, which is serving God? The best way to get God’s power is to pray for it and start serving Him. As I do the work that requires His power, He gives me the power that I need so I can do it properly and with power. You will only know God’s power if you actively serve God.
Fourth, to wait for the promise of the Father means to attempt faith acts. One reason we read about the power of God falling on the early church is because they attempted to see great amounts of people saved on the day of Pentecost. Those who attempt great things by faith will know what it is like to be filled with God’s power. Faith acts require God’s power to be accomplished. If you never attempt faith acts, you will likely never know God’s power to its fullest extent.
My friend, the world has yet to see what God can do through one person who is empowered every minute of the day. Only eternity will show what God could have done through us had the Holy Ghost empowered us every minute of our lives.