Acts 1:8 Meaning — Ye Shall Receive Power

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me. Acts 1:8 are among the last words of Jesus before he ascended, and they set the course for the whole church.

The promise is power — not human ability, but the Holy Spirit's enabling. The disciples were ordinary, frightened people; what would turn them into world-changers was not more courage of their own but the Spirit coming upon them.

The purpose of the power is witness — in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth, in ever-widening circles. God gives power not for our comfort but for his mission. The same Spirit still empowers ordinary believers to bear witness to Christ, starting right where they are.