The disciples were still hungry for political power even after the cross and 40 days of witnessing the Risen Lord. They still had not gotten over their hunger for a Rome-crushing victory, for their side to win. They wanted political power when what they needed was Holy Spirit power. Jesus bequeathed no other power to His followers than the Holy Spirit. He returned to the Father with the command to tarry “until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The Spirit is the secret power of the Kingdom of God; the Spirit alone enthrones Jesus in the heart. The more we hunger for political power the more Holy Spirit power will become a distant forgotten memory in the church.
“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” Acts 1:6-9 (ESV)
