And They Received – And what are you receiving from God?

Following Jesus From the Edges

And They Received

Pastor Calvin Cook

June 6, 2026

Scripture Focus: Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” — Acts 1:8

“And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 2:38

As I continue reading through the Book of Acts, one word keeps catching my attention: Received.

The word has reminded me of a recent conversation with someone who was complaining that God did nothing for them. I gently tried to assure them that God was still working that they and all of us for that matter do not receive what God is desiring to do.

The early followers of Jesus were not simply people who believed something about God. They were people who received what God desired to give them.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples did not immediately rush into ministry. They waited. They prayed. They trusted. They obeyed. And then they received!

They received the Holy Spirit.

They received power.

They received courage.

They received direction.

They received purpose.

They received a community of believers.

They received forgiveness through Christ.

They received the Word of God and allowed it to transform their lives.

What strikes me most is that none of these gifts were earned. They were received. The same is true in today’s church and in the people called Christians. God is doing more than we can ask or imagine but we are not receiving it. Instead our focus is on self and what makes us comfortable and not what God is desiring to do in and through us.

Too often we live as though the Christian life is something we must accomplish through our own effort. We strive, struggle, and push harder, believing that if we work enough, pray enough, or serve enough, we can somehow manufacture God’s blessings.

Yet Acts tells a different story.

The disciples waited in obedience, and God gave what they could never do on their own.

The same invitation remains for us today.

We can receive the Holy Spirit’s guidance when we feel lost.

We can receive God’s forgiveness when guilt weighs heavily upon us.

We can receive courage when fear threatens to overwhelm us.

We can receive wisdom when decisions seem impossible.

We can receive the truth of God’s Word when the voices of the world create confusion.

We can receive the gift of Christian community when loneliness surrounds us.

The question is not whether God desires to give. The question is whether we are willing to receive. Receiving begins with surrender. It begins when we stop trying to control everything and start trusting the One who holds all things in His hands.

The disciples waited because Jesus told them to wait. Because they waited, they received power. Because they received power, they became witnesses. Because they became witnesses, the world was changed.

Perhaps the greatest lesson of Acts for us today is this: God still gives. God still fills. God still empowers. God still transforms. And God is still looking for people who will wait upon Him long enough to receive what He desires to give.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to be a receiver of Your grace rather than merely a worker striving in my own strength. Help me to wait upon You with trust and expectation. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Let me receive Your forgiveness, Your wisdom, Your courage, Your Word, and Your direction for my life. May I live each day dependent upon what You provide rather than what I can produce on my own. In Jesus’ name, Amen.