Kingdom Disciples

The Spirit equips and emboldens the Church to bear witness to Jesus, especially concerning his sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead . At the start of the  Book of Acts ,  Jesus told disciples they would be “ baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence ,” and they would “ receive power ” enabling them to become “ My Witnesses  to the uttermost parts of the Earth .” Receiving the Spirit equipped his saints to proclaim his message and empowered them to bear witness “ with boldness ” despite opposition.

Disciples of Jesus should expect suffering on account of their faithful testimony. While it may not occur daily or in every believer’s life, persecution is not, or should not be, something unexpected or shocking to the Church. The primary cause is the faithful proclamation of the Gospel; however, when believers fail to preach the Good News to a hostile world, their sufferings for the sake of Jesus diminish, and persecution becomes a distant memory.

Two repeated themes in  Revelation  are closely related - “ Witness ” and “ Overcome .” Beginning with Jesus of Nazareth and his martyrdom on Calvary, his followers are summoned to persevere in his “ Testimony .” In this way, they will “ overcome ” and emerge victorious in the city of “ New Jerusalem .” They must “ overcome, even as I overcame .” Moreover, Jesus is presented to the “ Seven Assemblies of Asia ” as the “ FAITHFUL WITNESS, the Firstborn of the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .”

Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his people, empowering them to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to the Nations of the Earth . The Messiah is identified in the  Second Psalm  as the Messianic King destined to reign over the Nations of the Earth. In the New Testament, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, equipping him to proclaim the “ Kingdom of God ” to Israel. He gave his disciples the Gift of the Spirit enabling them to announce his message and sovereignty to all nations.

Under the guidance of the Spirit, Stephen gives eloquent and effective testimony to the leaders of Israel .  Early on, the church experienced conflicts between its Greek and Aramaic-speaking members. The apostles instructed the community to select seven men “ full of the Spirit and wisdom ” to take charge of the matter. One of the seven chosen men was Stephen, and  Acts  notes especially that he was “ FULL OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT .”

The  Book of Acts  begins  IN JERUSALEM  with the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit. It concludes with Paul preaching the Gospel in the heart of the  World Empire , the city of Rome. Following his resurrection, Jesus ascended to reign “ at the right hand of God .” He then bestowed the Gift of the Spirit on his Assembly to empower them to proclaim his Gospel to all nations.