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Happy New Year! Thank God who is the giver of life and the time that he has set a new year 2011 and a new decade before us. Multitudes of people celebrated the New Year with glamorous fireworks. All people seem to seek new things. But we believe renewal comes from God. At the starting point of this New Year and new decade we have come to worship him. We ask for his blessing on this New Year worship service to give us his holy word. We began 2010 with the key verse, Zechariah 4:10b, “Not by might nor by power, but my Spirit.” We wanted to have spirit-filled worship and life, and raise disciples in U of T campus by the power of God’s Spirit. In some extent we could experience the work of the Spirit of God. In the coming New Year 2011, we all the more desire the Holy Spirit’s working in our personal lives and doing God’s mission. So Acts 1:8 is chosen as our key verse. As we study Acts 1:1-14 focus on 1:8, may God speak to each of us personally. First, wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit (1-5). Look at verses 1 and 2. “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” Theophilus was the recipient of this book, most probably a Roman official or at least a man of high position and wealth. The name means “one who loves God.” In truth the book is written for all those who love God. In verse 1 Luke pointed out that what Jesus did and taught in the former book, the gospel of Luke was what Jesus began to do and to teach before his ascension. The gospel is the collection of the life and work of Jesus, the visible person while he was on earth. Jesus’ earthly ministry was finished. But his work would continue through his apostles, while he is in heaven. When Jesus began his earthly ministry, God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10:38; Lk 4:15). Jesus’ earthly messianic ministry was the work of the Holy Spirit displayed publicly through him. At the end of Luke’s gospel, before his ascension, Jesus gave the apostles instructions that he was going to send the Holy Spirit and they were to stay in the city of Jerusalem until they had been clothed with power from on high (Lk 24:47-49). This is written again at the beginning of this second book, in verse 4. Prior to this verse, verse 3 is about what Jesus did after his resurrection and before his ascension: “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave them convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ resurrection, “He is alive,” is the foundation of the Christ’s kingdom to come, and the preceding of the Holy Spirit’s coming. No resurrection, no assurance of the kingdom of God and no ground of the Holy Spirit’s coming. But Jesus rose again and spoke about the kingdom of God, and then now the coming of the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 4. “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." Right before his ascension what could Jesus say to his beloved disciples? Jesus could have said some words like this, “I will not be here anymore. God will be with you. Depend on him absolutely.” But he gave them a single command, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift…” According to the gospel story, Jesus is the gift of God (Jn 4:10). God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. We celebrated 2010 Christmas for granting us his wonderful gift, the Son to be laid in a manger. But we must know that the Holy Spirit is also the gift the Father God promised, another gift of God like another Counselor (Acts 1:4; 2:38; 8:20; 11:17; Jn 14:16). Our holy God does not give us a cheap or ordinary gift. He gives us a priceless and extra-ordinary gift. This gift of the Holy Spirit is truly wondrous. Jesus used the word “gift” in regard to the Holy Spirit so that his apostles might expect for the gift and yearn to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift of the Holy Spirit is promised to all whom the Lord our God will call, men and women, young and old and even children (Ac 2:39). Our God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (Ja 1:17). He is especially eager to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to all of his people (Lk 11:13). But if we are ignorant of this gift or have not much interest in the gift, how disappointing it will be to our God the Father! Since our God is eager to give this gift, he wants us to be also eager to receive this gift of the Holy Spirit. He had waited and waited so long to impart this gift to his people. He spoke through an old prophet Joel, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people…Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29). Our God wants us to be given the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). Jesus continued to speak to his apostles, “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” May God help us to have an undying desire and unceasing waiting for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us and fill our hearts. Second, receive the power of the Holy Spirit (6-8). How did the disciples respond to the command, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift…”? Did they respond, saying, “Lord, we will not leave Jerusalem. We are excited to hear about the gift. We will certainly wait for the wonderful gift. Don’t worry about it, Lord”? No. Not at all. Look at verse 6. “So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’” They were talking about quite a differing thing. They were only interested in the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, which had been their never-fading human desire and dream. Likewise, most people are interested in their own kingdom and their own matter, dragged by their own desires. They have no interest in God’s kingdom and God’s will. How did Jesus help them? Look at verse 7. “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’” Jesus wanted them to entrust the restoration of Israel’s kingdom and their future to the sovereign God. Then he said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” These words of Acts 1:8 are the last words of Jesus on earth just right before his ascension. It is his sure promise of hope and vision for his disciples. They would be people with power and powerful witnesses of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. In the lives of people power is important. We need power for living, money power, muscle power that comes from good health, thinking power and intellectual power, etc. Each individual wants to have power. TIME’s 2010 Person of the Year was Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (26), Facebook founder. He displayed his intellectual power. Now he has money power and the power of popularity as a young man. Each nation also wants to have power. Each country wants to show her power through sports, nuclear weapons, or space-launching, so on. In 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Canada won the most gold medals, obtaining the championship in both men and women hockey games. Sidney Crosby became a national hero. At that time Canada’s athletic power was imposing. Since the fall of Soviet Union, America used to be the only super-power nation. But many foresee that China power will rise above that of America in several decades. Now G20 countries are powerful and significant in their roles for the global world. In 2010 Canada and South Korea were both hosting countries for G20 submit. Look at verse 8 again. “But you will receive power…” What a promise! Yet, this power is different from all the powers mentioned above. This power is far more important and necessary in life. This is the power that truly influences people’s lives. Here “power” is in Greek “dunamis.” It is inherent and dynamic power. The same word was used in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...” Also, Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” In the Old Testament when most religious leaders were wicked hating good and loving evil, the prophet Micah said, “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might…” (3:8) In Acts, when the apostles had the power from above, they were not daunted by worldly authorities but could boldly preach the word of God. They obeyed God rather than the people of authorities. The Jews saw the power working through them, unschooled, ordinary men (Acts 4:7,13), and became very sensitive and fearful. This is also the power of love. Stephen was one of the seven deacons in the early Christian church, a man full of God’s grace and power. When he was persecuted to the point of being stoned, he prayed for them breathing last, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). He exhibited the power of Jesus’ love. We need power in life, particularly the power of love and courage. We want to live a powerful life to influence others and our campus and our city and our country. The powerful life is not for some specific people. According to Jesus, we can also have power for life. Look at verse 8 again. “But you will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” This power is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is given through the Holy Spirit. Anyone on whom the Holy Spirit comes can receive and have this power. In truth God wants all of his children to have this power of the Holy Spirit that the life of each one may become powerful and influential. Bible says that the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength and power (1 Cor 1:25). Then the Holy Spirit’s power is incomparable to man’s power. Jesus said continually in verse 8. “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” At that time the disciples’ spiritual condition was that they would not be witnesses of Jesus even in Jerusalem. The word witness is in Greek, “martus,” having the meaning of martyr. Being witnesses to Jesus was more than human affairs. With their own strength and power, they could not be witnesses to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection even in Jerusalem. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, they would be Jesus’ witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but also in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They would conquer the whole world with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a man, George Kovoor. His spiritual and ethnic roots are in the ancient Orthodox Church of St. Thomas in India. “Kovoor” means the land of God and Kovoor family served God for 44 generations. George Kovoor came to England in 1980s according God’s calling. He has been the Principal of Trinity College Bristol since July 2005, and a Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen since 2003. When he assumed the principal-ship, the Trinity College Bristol had only 13 theology students and 4 professors. Now after 5 years, the school has 460 students and 22 professors. This is the revival of the almost dead seminary, and the sign of reviving gospel work in England and Europe. He said, “Missionary work is the sound of God’s heart beat.” Stopping missionary work is the stop of God’s heart beat. And he added, “Missionary work should be the centre of our lives.” I newly realize how precious our invitation for Bible study and 1:1 Bible teaching is. Our Lord Jesus wants us to be empowered for this precious missionary work. He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We can say that witnessing to Jesus is the sound of God’s heart beat and it should be the centre of our lives. With the Holy Spirit’s power may we become powerful 1:1 Bible teachers in our campus. May we be powerful and living witnesses of Jesus through our 1:1 Bible teaching and our practical lives of faith. In Joel it is written, “…I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions…” (Joel 2:28-29). When the Holy Spirit comes on us, we can have hopes and visions. The power of hope is immense and motivates us to endure any kind of hardships and prepare for the future. In UBF history there was a remarkable event. One hot summer in 1971 Dr. Lee announced a prayer topic that God might allow UBF to have a Niagara Fall SBC with 200 attendants in 1981, although in 1971 they were just a few missionaries in USA. They said that the prayer topic was Don Quixote-like prayer topic. But when they prayed, God heard their prayers and fulfilled it by enabling them to have 1981 Niagara Fall SBC with 220. At the beginning of a new decade we can have 10 years plans as the Holy Spirit moves our hearts. May the Holy Spirit lead each of you in his hope and vision. Now looking 10 years ahead, I pray that God may establish 12 Canadian shepherd families from among U of T students, and each 2nd gen be raised as a promising and influential spiritual leader for this generation. Third, join in prayer (9-14). Look at verse 9. “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Right after talking about the Holy Spirit’s coming on the disciples, Jesus left them. He did not leave east, west, south or northward. He went upward in the air like balloon. The law of gravity could not pull his body on the earth. He was lifted up and suddenly disappeared into the cloud. This was truly amazing. But a more amazing thing was promised to take place. Look at verses 10 and 11. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’” It is the promise of the glorious second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus showed his disciples his resurrection with convincing proofs and then now his ascension vividly so that they might believe and anticipate and visualize his coming back in the same he ascended. During the period between his ascension and his coming again, the Holy Spirit would work powerfully. When Jesus was taken into heaven all of a sudden, the disciples must have been shocked and felt helpless. They became like children who suddenly lost their parents. They could no longer see the visible Jesus. Now what they had was only the command and promise of Jesus, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” With the command and promise of Jesus they returned to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. What did they do? Look at verse 14. They all joined together, constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” In this way they prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them. May God help us to be equipped with prayer spirit and his word until we are filled with the Holy Spirit. May Jesus’ promise of Acts 1:8 be ours and we become powerful witnesses of Jesus through our powerful 1:1 Bible teaching and powerful lives by the Spirit in 2011.

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