Commentary on Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Footnotes
Acts 1:8 NU My witnesses
Acts opens with Luke’s two-volume work addressed to Theophilus, tracing what Jesus began to do and teach through his life, death, resurrection and ascension. After forty days of post-resurrection appearances, Jesus instructs the eleven disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the promised gift of the Father—the Holy Spirit. When the disciples ask if this is the time for Israel’s restoration, Jesus redirects them from human timetables to divine authority, culminating in the promise recorded in Acts 1:8.
Exegesis of Acts 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- “Power” (Greek dunamis) denotes not merely strength but the enabling presence of God for mission. The verb emphases divine enablement over human effort.
- “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you” ties the outpouring of Spirit at Pentecost to Jesus’ earlier promise (Luke 24:49; John 16:7–15). This is the Spirit’s inaugurating work in establishing Christ’s kingdom.
- “Witnesses” (Greek martus) links testimony to sacrificial witness (martyr). Believers testify both in word and life to the resurrection and lordship of Jesus.
- The geographical sequence—Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, ends of the earth—reflects progressive expansion from local to regional to global mission, shaping the outline of the entire book of Acts.
Theological Insights
- God’s Sovereignty and the Spirit’s Mission
Mission flows from God’s sovereign initiative. The Spirit’s coming is an act of the Father’s will, equipping the church to carry forward Christ’s work on earth. Human planning and methods serve the Spirit’s purpose, not vice versa. - Christ’s Mediatorial Headship
As Mediator, Jesus commissions his body on earth. His ascension does not remove him from mission but relocates him to heaven’s throne, where he sends the Spirit to accomplish his purposes (Ephesians 1:20–23). - Covenant Continuity and Expansion
The church inherits Israel’s call to be a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). Under the New Covenant, the Spirit applies Christ’s atoning work to believers from every nation, fulfilling promises to Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). - Union with Christ and the Spirit’s Indwelling
Receiving the Spirit is receiving union with Christ (Romans 8:9–11). The same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in believers, assuring both sanctification and effective witness. - Importance of Corporate Witness
Witnessing is corporate as well as individual. The early church’s unity in prayer (Acts 1:14) models how communal dependence on the Spirit undergirds faithful testimony.
Application to Modern Christian Living
- Prioritise dependence on the Spirit
Before programmes or strategies, churches and individuals must wait on the Spirit in prayer and Scripture, seeking divine guidance for mission. - Start locally, then reach out
Personal witness often begins within one’s sphere of family, workplace and community (Jerusalem). From there, believers can partner in regional outreach (Judea and Samaria) and support global missions. - Cultivate sacrificial testimony
True witnessing may require costly obedience. Sharing Christ can lead to rejection or persecution. Yet the Spirit’s presence sustains believers in adversity. - Embrace a global vision
Support cross-cultural mission through prayer, giving and, where possible, personal involvement. Acts 1:8 calls every church to partner in taking the gospel to “the ends of the earth.” - Foster corporate unity
Regular gatherings for prayer and Scripture build the communal fabric necessary for Spirit-empowered mission.
Teaching from Acts 1:8
Believers are divinely empowered by the Holy Spirit to bear unified witness to Christ, beginning in their immediate context and extending to every nation, as part of God’s sovereign plan to redeem a people for himself.
[i] Acts 1
New King James Version
Prologue
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which [a]He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many [b]infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit Promised
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [c]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
The Upper Room Prayer Meeting
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one [d]accord in prayer [e]and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Matthias Chosen
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the [f]disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the [g]wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his [h]entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
‘Let his dwelling place be [i]desolate,
And let no one live in it’;
and,
‘Let another take his [j]office.’
21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Footnotes
Acts 1:2 He ascended into heaven.
Acts 1:3 unmistakable
Acts 1:8 NU My witnesses
Acts 1:14 purpose or mind
Acts 1:14 NU omits and supplication
Acts 1:15 NU brethren
Acts 1:18 reward of unrighteousness
Acts 1:18 intestines
Acts 1:20 deserted
Acts 1:20 Gr. episkopen, position of overseer
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