The Hand of God Empowers the Church

The transformative reality of the church is that it cannot function without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 and 4, we see that the early church didn't begin with strategy or self-improvement plans, but with supernatural power. The disciples were instructed to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high, and when the Spirit came, ordinary fishermen became apostles, tax collectors became evangelists, and women became prophets and leaders. The remarkable aspect of their prayer in Acts 4 is what they didn't ask for: they never prayed for persecution to end or threats to disappear. Instead, they asked for boldness to speak God's word in the midst of opposition. This shifts our perspective from seeking comfort to seeking empowerment.