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Acts 1 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. When you're ready, let's dive
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  into God's word together. In the 1st chapter of Acts,
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  we're given another account of Jesus ascension into heaven.
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  In Acts 1/6 through 8, we see Christ's parting words to his
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  disciples. The disciples asked him in verse
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  6, Lord, is it at this time you're restoring the Kingdom to
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  Israel. They're awaiting the end.
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  They're looking forward to the forever reign of Christ.
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  And so they ask, is this it is now the time?
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  Are you about to claim your rightful throne in Israel?
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  Look at the response of the risen Jesus.
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  Verses 7 and 8 say he said to them, It is not for you to know
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  times or epochs which the Father has fixed by his own authority,
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  but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
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  you. And you shall be my witnesses,
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  both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to
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  the remotest part of the earth. He tells them that they don't
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  need to worry about the wind. They don't need to concern
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  themselves with trying to figure out the timeline of God's coming
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  Kingdom. Instead, he tells them two
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  truths that will set the course of the rest of their lives.
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  First, he tells them, you will receive power when the Holy
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  Spirit has come upon you. The Holy Spirit is coming, God
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  himself, the very one who was in the pillar of fire and cloud,
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  the very one who was in the Holy of Holies, the very one in the
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  burning Bush, He is coming upon you, He is coming to dwell
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  within you, and when you receive him, you will receive power.
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  Now that by itself is huge. Almighty God dwelling within his
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  people and filling them with power, that's amazing, but that
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  isn't all. That power has a purpose.
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  Listen to the second truth Jesus tells his disciples as he
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  instructs them not to worry about the timing of the Kingdom.
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  He says You shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, in
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  all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the
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  earth. That power, the indwelling Holy
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  Spirit, will enable us as believers to be witnesses for
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  Jesus both locally and globally. So as Jesus tells the disciples
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  to not concern themselves with the when of the Kingdom, he
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  gives them something better. The what and the how of the
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  Kingdom. What is it?
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  A world transformed as believers bear witness to the work of
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  Jesus in the world and in their lives.
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  And how will this take place? By the power of the Holy Spirit
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  in dwelling those witnesses and empowering their witness.
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  We have been given all we need to live out and welcome in the
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  Kingdom of Jesus in this world. We don't need to fret about the
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  times we live in. We need to lean into the power
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  that is ours as recipients of the Holy Spirit of God and live
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  our lives as bold, joyful witnesses for Jesus.