My God and My Country

Word of God

But he answering, said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The Gospel According to Matthew 4:4

The Acts of the Apostles 1:8

Commentary prefaced & edited by Dr. Riktor Von Zhades

8 But ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Brethren:

Continuing with yesterday’s study, we read above how that spirit will give us courage and power to witness to the world the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are commissioned (Read John 20;21)¹ by Him to do so, and to present Him in the light that He would wish us to, in order that we by our words, and more importantly our actions will guide others to Him.

There is a tool, a study site, that this editor uses in my studies; it is an interlinear bible. Within it’s pages, (actually a PDF), there are both Hebrew (for the Old Testament), and Greek (for the New Testament) written in the grammatic formats of those languages. It helps in the understanding of what has been written. Please find below, the translation, as written in the Greek formant of the

above verse.

But Ye shall be getting (obtaining) ability (power) of on coming of the Holy Spirit on You. And Ye shall be to me witness in besides (both) Jerusalem and in every (entire) the Judea and Samaria and till of last (as far as limits) of the land (earth)

Admittedly it can be difficult to read, (even more so typing it), but it is thought by this editor, to be of a good use.

Additionally, it is also useful to use commentary from others; theologians, past and present to see their thoughts on the verse or verses that is used. Herein below we read:

“You shall receive power. Our Savior Christ doth here call them back as well unto the promise of God as also unto his commandment, which was the readiest way to bridle their curiosity. Curiosity doth rise almost always either of idleness or else of distrust; distrust is cured by meditating upon the promises of God. And his commandments do tell us how we ought to occupy ourselves and employ our studies. Therefore, he commandeth his disciples to wait for the promise of God, and to be diligent in executing their office whereunto God had called them. And in the mean season he noteth their great hastiness, in that they did preposterously catch at those gifts which were proper unto the Holy Spirit, when as they were not as yet endued with the same. Neither did they take the right way herein, in that being called to go on warfare, they desire (omitting their labor) to lake their ease in their inn. Therefore, when he saith, you shall receive power, he admonisheth them of their imbecility, lest they follow before the time those things whereunto they cannot attain. It may be read very well either way, You shall receive the power of the Spirit; or, The Spirit coming upon you; yet the latter way seemeth to be the better, because it doth more fully declare their defect trod want, until such time as the Spirit should come upon them.

You shall be my witnesses He correcteth two errors of theirs in this one sentence. For, first, he showeth that they must fight before they can triumph; and, secondly, that the nature of Christ’s kingdom was of another sort than they judged it to have been. Therefore, saith he, You shall be my witnesses; that is, the husbandman must first work before he can reap his fruits. Hence, nay we learn that we must first study how we may come unto the kingdom of God, before we begin to dispute...Let every man, therefore, apply himself in his work which he hath in hand; let us fight stoutly under Christ’s banner; let us go forward manfully and courageously in our vocation, and God will give fruit in due time (and tide.)

In all Judea Here he showeth, first, that they must not work for the space of one day only, while that he assigneth the whole world unto them, in which they must publish the doctrine of the gospel. Furthermore, he refuteth the opinion which they had conceived of Israel. They supposed those to be Israelites only which were of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh. Christ testifieth that they must gather thereunto all Samaria; which, although they were nigh in situation, yet were they far distant in mind and heart. He showeth that all other regions far distant, and also profane, must be united unto the holy people, that they may be all partakers of one and the same.” - John Calvin

1 - “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you”.