May 25, 2026
Acts 1:8 records Jesus’ promise that His followers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. That power would not be given for status, control, or comfort. It would be given so they could bear witness to Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Devotional: Before Pentecost came with wind and fire, Jesus gave His followers a promise. They would receive power. That sounds exciting until we remember what kind of power Jesus meant. He was not promising them power to dominate others, impress crowds, or build a name for themselves. He was promising Spirit-given power to witness.
That word witness matters. A witness does not have to know everything. A witness simply tells what they have seen, heard, and experienced. The disciples had seen Jesus heal the sick, welcome sinners, challenge religious pride, forgive enemies, die on the cross, and rise from the grave. The Holy Spirit would give them courage to tell that story with their lives and their words.
Jesus also gave them a widening map. They would begin in Jerusalem, the place closest to them. Then the witness would move to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The Spirit would not let the Church stay tucked safely inside what felt familiar. Pentecost would push them outward.
That still makes us a little uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Most of us like familiar places, familiar people, and familiar routines. Yet the Holy Spirit keeps reminding the Church that the good news of Jesus was never meant to stay locked inside a building, a committee, a preference, or a memory of how things used to be. God’s grace is too wide for that.
The Spirit empowers ordinary believers to carry Christ’s love into ordinary places, homes, workplaces, grocery stores, hospital rooms, schools, church pews, jail cells, nursing homes, and conversations we did not plan. We do not witness because we are impressive. We witness because Jesus is alive, and His grace is still reaching for the world.
Pentecost asks us a faithful question. Where is the Spirit sending us next?
Action: Think of one person or place where you can quietly bear witness to Christ’s love today. Ask the Holy Spirit for courage, then take one faithful step.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me courage to be a faithful witness to Jesus. Help me stop thinking that witness belongs only to people with perfect words or public platforms. Show me where Your love is already at work around me, and teach me how to join You there. Send me beyond comfort when comfort keeps me silent, and help my life point others toward the grace of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Thought for the Day: The Spirit gives power so ordinary people can point others to Jesus.
Acts 1:8 reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives power for a purpose. Jesus did not promise His followers influence so they could make themselves important. He promised them Spirit-given power so they could bear witness to Him.
That witness started close to home, but it did not stay there. Jerusalem became Judea, Judea became Samaria, and Samaria became the ends of the earth. The same Spirit still pushes the Church beyond comfort, routine, and fear. We do not have to know everything to be faithful witnesses. We simply tell, with our words and our lives, what we have seen and known of Jesus.
Pentecost reminds us that God’s grace is always moving outward. The Holy Spirit still sends ordinary believers into ordinary places with extraordinary good news.
