Scripture: Acts 1:8 ~ “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Some Thoughts: Yesterday (Sunday) was two weeks since Easter Sunday. The 50 days to Pentecost begins on Easter Sunday. (Today is Day 16). This time leading to a celebration of Pentecost, is an opportunity time to grow in Christlikeness through prayer, meditation, and allowing Holy Spirit to search our hearts.)
Before sharing some thoughts, I want to give a little background information on “The Half Million Mobilization” initiative, which began in 2022 within the United States and Canada. This call was initially for 500,000 Nazarenes across the region to pray. There were four “heart cries” that came out of that initial prayer launch. These were framed into what has been called the “Cycle of Resurgence”. All churches were invited to engage in “Mobilizing all Nazarenes,” “Blessing our Community,” “Bringing People to Jesus,” and “Becoming Christlike Disciples.” The Church of the Nazarene in Canada and the United States is into the fourth consecutive year of praying for a move of God. (The cycle of “Becoming Christlike Disciples.”) The emphasis of this time of prayer leading to Pentecost (and the whole church year of 2026-2027) is to pray for a pursuit of holiness as a way to prepare followers to grow in Christlikeness. “Blessing, bringing, and becoming are all parts of our calling into holiness.” (Jeff Alexander)
There is a downloadable “Prayer Journal” available at this link. https://www.usacanadaregion.org/cycle-of-resurgence
I am sharing some thoughts from this Prayer Journal:
Acts 1:8 can feel “weighty” or even “guilt-inducing” to us because we put the emphasis of being a witness on ourselves. However, it’s God’s part that matters the most. The main idea of the sentence is found in the beginning of the sentence: “You will receive power”…Our ability to witness comes from the Holy Spirit. We absolutely cannot reach our Judea, Samaria, and the “ends of the earth” on our own and He doesn’t expect us to.
We immediately jump to the “do-ing” part of Acts 1:8 “…and be my witnesses.” What we need more than anything is the Holy Spirit to guide and teach and empower!
We live in a time which is unprecedented in our access to information. We could be considered the most-informed generation in history! YET, our knowledge doesn’t always lead to spiritual transformation. Why not? Could it be that we have difficulty (in all our acquiescence of information and knowledge) in surrendering and embracing that “we don’t know it all”?! (ouch!). We fall short on surrendering to God’s ways. “The essence of true discipleship is not just gaining knowledge but surrendering our will and putting his will into practice.” (Jodi Getson)
Psalm 25:4-5 is a good one to post somewhere as a reminder daily. “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” Pray First before doing.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for being our source of power to be witnesses. We ask for Your direction and for opportunities to love those nearby (our Judea), those who aren’t like us (our Samaria), and ways to support global missions (the ends of the earth).
Lord, just like David, may we long to know Your ways and walk in surrendered obedience. Help us to be humble and teachable. Transform us by Your Truth which sets us free, and through Your Grace which saves, sanctifies, and sustains.
Quotes from:
Jeff Alexander, Director of Strategy, USA/Canada Region Church of the Nazarene)
Cheryl Crouch, Director, Global Nazarene Missions International
Jodi Getson, Lead Pastor, Oxford Church of the Nazarene (Nova Scotia)
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