Meet Conner Teaff

The words of Acts 1:8 clarify the mission of the Church; they were also the last recorded words Jesus spoke before His ascension. Why did He choose to say what He did? It reminds us that this mission will not be accomplished by us, but through us. We're not sent into the world to work by our own power toward a goal. We're sent into the world to be witnesses.

We are to be witnesses of what Christ has done. If we have seen Christ, if we've placed our trust in Christ, we are simply to tell others. This was the same mission that the disciples received: to spread the gospel worldwide. And God didn't just leave them to do it on their own. He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower the disciples as they executed their purpose: to bear testimony that salvation was through Christ alone.

As I look to the acts accomplished by the Spirit through the apostles, I'm encouraged as I'm reminded that these men were not great theologians, orators, or bold leaders. They were men who simply responded obediently to Jesus' commission and were guided and empowered by the same Spirit that directed and supported Jesus' ministry. That is all that is asked of us. 

This Spirit is still present in all those who have placed their faith in Christ. He gave us this Spirit so that we would be witness to the worth and wonder of Jesus Christ and to guide the world to repent, trust in Him, and to receive forgiveness. As Ephesians 3:20 says, "[God] is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us . . . ."

If the Gospels have thrilled us because of the fulfillment of God's promises through Christ, then the book of Acts should do the same because it is the story (of which we are a part) that's still going on. God is continuing His redemptive work, and He has given us the privilege to be used by Him through the empowerment of the Spirit!