Acts 1:8 promises us, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
The Greek word used to mean "power" in this scripture is the word dunamis, which is where we get the word dynamite. The word dunamis is used 120 times in the New Testament, mostly describing God-given power to heal the sick and drive out demons.
God promises us power when His Holy Spirit comes into our lives. Imagine what kind of power we now hold. In the Old Testament, various accounts point out the power of God working through men when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Take for instance the Judge Samson who received extraordinary and explosive physical strength when the Spirit came upon Him. Dunamis power. Extraordinary and explosive power.
And let us not forget Jesus himself, who moved in signs and wonders through the power and partnership of the Holy Spirit. Feeding thousands, casting out legions of demons and even raising people from the dead. Dunamis power. Extraordinary and explosive power.
It doesn't end there. Jesus promised to us in John 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." What extraordinary and explosive power we have access to through Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit comes upon us.
But what's the point of all of this power? Can I get this extraordinary and explosive power to get more money? Or to become an extraordinary and explosive professional basketball player? Possibly, but not quite.
Looking back into Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses." God gives us extraordinary power to be a witness for God -- to give glory to Him, to bring people to Christ no matter the cost and no matter the sacrifice. That's the extraordinary, explosive, dunamis power that God gives to us as His Holy Spirit comes upon us.
Remembering Samson, no matter how powerful and extraordinary the move of the Holy Spirit was in His life, all that meant nothing when disobedience and selfishness got in the way. God promises us the same power, and even greater, today to move miraculously through our ministry, our jobs and our relationships, but He gives us this power not to be witnesses for ourselves but to be witnesses for God.
