The Spirit shall come upon you!
Acts 1:8 You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses......
Did you ever wonder what the disciples perceived when Jesus uttered these words? They spent three years following him after they saw the Holy Spirit come on him at his baptism and witnessed firsthand the things he did under the power of the Holy Spirit. Was his life the only reference they had of what it looks like when someone functions with the power of the Holy Spirit on them?
Almost every believer I know has heard Acts 1:8 quoted a hundred times, if not more. So, what do you think Jesus says when he states that his empowerment will cause us to be witnesses? Unfortunately, most people have a very small repertoire of testimonies of when the Spirit came upon them.
The disciples understood this statement differently than how we perceive it in the 21st century. Our culture in America is disconnected from the spiritual world when directing our lifestyle, decisions, and politics. The separation of state and the church is how we live. We are a democracy, not a theocracy. Israel lived and understood everything through the lens of God's perspective given by the Law and the Prophets. Most middle eastern countries don't see their daily life as separate from their belief system.
Here are some historical examples of what the disciples knew and believed. This was not the first time they encountered the concept of the Holy Spirit coming upon someone. The history of Israel is full of examples.
Othniel was a judge in Israel. When they sinned, God sent the king of Mesopotamia to oppress them. God raised Othniel to deliver Israel from the king of Mesopotamia. This is what happened.
Judg 3:10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
The same thing happened with Gideon. God raised him up as a judge in Israel, and he and his 300 men defeated the Midianites. How did he do it?
Judg 6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
The same thing happened to Jephthah. Another judge in Israel. How did he deliver Israel?
Judg 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead, he advanced toward the people of Ammon.
Samson was a judge in Israel. So, God used him to defeat the Philistines. He also killed a lion before his marriage. Samson gave the people a riddle to solve, and when they cheated, Samson went out and killed 30 men to take their tunics from them. How did he do it?
Judg 14:6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
Judg 14:19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So, his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father's house.
Then there is Saul. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he prophesied when he met the company of Prophets - 1 Sam 10:10.
The Spirit of the Lord came on David when Samuel anointed him as the next king in Israel 1 Sam 16:13. In The very next chapter, David kills Goliath in the battle with the Philistines. How did he do it? The Spirit of the Lord was on him.
The Spirit of the Lord came on, David's mighty men, when they came to him in the wilderness - 1 Chron 12:8-18.
When Israel faced the Moabites and Amonites in battle, God used Jehosophat to defeat them. He placed worshippers in the front, and God fought for them. How did they know what to do? The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehaziel, and he prophesied to Israel and the king - 2 Chron 20:14.
The Spirit of the Lord fell on Zachariah, and he prophesied - 2 Chron 24:20. The Spirit of the Lord fell on Ezekiel, and he prophesied - Ezek 11:5.
In the same way, Mary, the mother of Jesus, became pregnant - Luke 1:35.
The Spirit came on Jesus at his baptism - Matt 3:16. So the very first statement Jesus made when he started his ministry was:
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.
The people hearing Jesus saying: the Spirit will come on you, had a different understanding of what he meant. Their history proved that anyone that has the Spirit on them is powerful and used by God. So, when he comes on you, you will see things happen. You will witness things you have never seen, and you will see God do some amazing miracles and give you some significant victories.
What is your expectation of Acts 1:8? Do you understand the full implication of what can happen when the Holy Spirit comes on you? How will this change your prayer and your expectation of what God can do when you pray?
Paul says that he did not come with a good message only but also with a demonstration of power - 1 Cor 2:4-6.
I pray that this will raise your expectation for more extraordinary things.