You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses to Me . . .
Acts 1:8
Please notice what Jesus said: the object being received is not the Holy Spirit, but power. The disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 21:22. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” That is pretty clear. Here, it is power. This power is administered by the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of power is important. Power with no intended purpose can actually harm you. Electricity flowing through a wire is harnessed for purpose. That same wire with the same amount of electricity flowing through it cut and laid open for anyone to touch could do harm. The wire is not evil or mean but dangerous. The power of the Holy Spirit can actually harm us in the wrong context. This power, like Jesus, is uncontainable in its effect on the world, but it is intended for a specific purpose.
The purpose of this power is to be a witness. A witness is someone who has a personally experienced a certain event. If one was to be a witness in a court of law but only heard about the incident from another source, they would abruptly dismissed. The disciples were to be witnesses of what they experienced concerning Jesus: His fulfillment of the Messianic promises, His teaching, His holiness, His mighty works, His death, and His resurrection. This power was to give them the ability not only to tell of their experience but to bring others into that experience.
Not only were they to tell of Jesus, but they were to reveal Jesus. They were to represent Him, or re-present Him. This power was not to be used on their individual agendas but to witness to the world of who Christ is and what He has done.
Many Christians are wondering if they have this power of the Holy Spirit. They are looking for some sign to confirm it. If someone does not properly understand the purpose and the practice of this power, they might be trying to acquire what they already have but are not using it because they do not recognize its operation in their life. I have met many Christians burdened by false guilt for not having the power of the Holy Spirit. In most cases, what is needed is not a better experience but a better understanding of what they are already experiencing.
If you are a Christian, then give witness to what you personally have seen and experienced. Ask for more power to empower the witnessing you are already doing. That’s a prayer He will answer!