God’s Great Power 上帝的大能
Dexu Xia
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
Today's Scripture Acts 1:1-9
Today's Insights The book of Luke ends with Jesus’ ascension into heaven (Luke 24:50-53). The book of Acts, also written by Luke, begins with him reminding his reader, Theophilus, of that earlier account by referring to “my former book” (Acts 1:1). Luke then affirms the truth of Christ’s resurrection: “After his suffering, [Jesus] presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive” (v. 3). Luke concludes his introduction by assuring us of Christ’s return: “This same Jesus will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (v. 11). The reality of Jesus’ triumph over death and His promised return are foundational to our faith—faith that allows us to live out His power in our lives
Today's Devotional Our city fell almost dark after a massive ice storm took down miles of power lines, leaving many of our friends without electricity to heat their homes in the dead of a frigid winter. Families longed to see repair trucks in their neighborhoods working to restore power. Later, I learned that a church parking lot served as a temporary command center for the vehicles being sent out to assist those in need.
Hearing about the repair trucks brought to mind Jesus’ command to His disciples in the book of Acts. For forty days after His resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples to encourage and teach them about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Before Jesus’ return to heaven, He gave them one last promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (v. 8).
Christ promised that God’s incomparably great power would be available to the disciples through His Spirit. But the purpose of having power wasn’t to keep it to themselves. Instead, the disciples let God empower them in the mission of telling others how to experience once more the connection to God’s power and love that was broken by sin.
As we go out into our communities, we have the same power and calling. Empowered by God’s Spirit, we can care for those who are suffering and share how they too can have access to God’s power.
Reflect & Pray How have you experienced the power of God’s Spirit to help you? How might you share that message with others?
Dear God, thank You for the gift of Your power and love to fulfill your mission of sharing the gospel with others.
By Lisa M Samra
神的大能
“圣灵降临在你们身上，你们就必得着能力，并要在耶路撒冷、犹太全地，和撒玛利亚，直到地极，作我的见证。”（使徒行传 1:8 ）
今日经文 使徒行传 1章1-9 节
今日心得 路加福音以耶稣升天结束（路加福音 24:50-53）。使徒行传也是路加所写，他开篇就提到“我先前所写的书”的读者提阿非罗，以此提醒大家他写的路加福音（使徒行传 1:1）。之后，路加证实了基督复活的真实性：“耶稣受害之后，用许多确实的凭据，将自己显明给门徒看，证明他是活着的”（3节）。路加在引言的最后，向我们保证，基督必再来：“你们见他怎样往天上去，他还要怎样来”（11节）。耶稣战胜死亡的现实，以及祂答应再来的应许，是我们信仰的基石，这信仰使我们能够在生命中活出祂的大能。
今日灵修：一场巨大的冰暴摧毁了数英里的电线，导致我们城市几乎陷入一片黑暗，许多朋友在严寒的冬日里无法取暖。家家户户都渴望看到维修车在附近工作，恢复供电。后来，我得知教堂的停车场被用作临时指挥中心，指挥这些被派去援助有需要的人的车辆。
听到维修车的事，使我想起使徒行传中耶稣对门徒的吩咐。基督复活后四十天之久向门徒显现，鼓励他们，教导他们关于神国的事（使徒行传1:3）。耶稣升天之前给了他们最后一个应许：“但圣灵降临在你们身上，你们就必得着能力”（8节）。基督应许，神那无比浩大的能力将藉着住在我们里面的圣灵赋予门徒。但拥有能力的目的并非独占。相反，门徒们让上帝赋予他们力量是去完成上帝的使命，去告诉其他的人，如何再次体验到与上帝的大能和爱的连接，而这种连接曾被罪破坏。走进社区时，我们拥有同样的力量和呼召。在圣灵的感动下，我们可以关爱那些正在受苦的人，并与他们分享如何获得上帝的能力。
反思与祷告 你是如何体验到圣灵的大能来帮助你？你会如何与他人分享这些信息？
亲爱的上帝，感谢你赐予我们能力和爱与他人分享福音。
作者：丽莎·M·萨姆拉