To empower the Jewish believers to continue the miracle-working ministry of Jesus and persuade the nation of Israel that He is the Messiah.
Les Feldick teaches that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, a Jewish feast day, to give these believing Jews the same power Jesus and the twelve had shown for three years—power for miracles, signs, and wonders. That power made them an extension of Christ's earthly ministry. They were to use it while presenting the King and Kingdom to Israel, hoping the nation would repent and receive Him.
Acts 1:8 — Jesus explicitly connects the coming of the Holy Spirit with the power to be His witnesses, beginning in Jerusalem.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His apostles: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." In the preceding verse, He said, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." The biblical text thus places the coming of the Holy Spirit directly before the promise of power for witness, beginning in Jerusalem where the nation was gathered. It also leaves the timing of the Kingdom in the Father's hands.
Les Feldick teaches that the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost on a Jewish feast day, when the nation of Israel was gathered, and it was a valid offer to the Jews to experience the power of the Holy Spirit—the same power that Jesus had exercised for three years. Its purpose was miracle-working power: signs, wonders, and the ability to continue Christ's earthly ministry. The eleven apostles and the Jewish believers with them were to be an extension of that ministry, dealing with the same nation of Israel and trying to convince them that Jesus was who He said He was and would still fulfill His promises. The miracles were necessary because, as Les notes, the Jews require a sign. The continuing signs were meant to persuade Israel that Jesus was the Messiah and that He could still return to set up the Kingdom if the nation would repent and believe. Les explains that the disciples were to stay in Jerusalem and present the King and Kingdom to Israel, in hopes that Israel would still accept their King. He also observes that the disciples never did go to the ends of the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom, because the nation was rejecting it. Les also points out that every manifestation of the Holy Spirit in Acts was for a divine purpose—to prove something. The Spirit manifested during this transitional period to show Israel that God was now moving in a new way, based on the work of the cross: His death, burial, and resurrection.
Les teaches that the Jewish believers received miracle-working power so they could be an extension of Christ's earthly ministry. Everything Jesus and the twelve had performed in those three years, Peter and the eleven were to continue, because they were dealing with the same people—the nation of Israel. They were trying to convince Israel that Jesus was who He said He was, and that He was still going to fulfill His promises if they would believe. Les explains that the Jews require a sign, which is why the miracles were central to this witness.
No. Les emphasizes that the immediate purpose was not the ends of the earth. Jesus could have stopped at Samaria in His Acts 1:8 commission, because that is where the Jewish believers actually went with the Gospel of the Kingdom; the nation was rejecting it. The disciples were to stay in Jerusalem and present the King and Kingdom to Israel, in hopes that Israel would still accept their King and Christ could come and set up the Kingdom.
Les points out that whenever the Holy Spirit was manifested in the Book of Acts, it was for a divine purpose, to prove something. It was to show Israel that God was now moving in the work of the Holy Spirit, and it was manifested in these twelve Jews to show that there was now a change in the overall program—no longer based on John's baptism and Christ's earthly ministry, but on what followed the work of the cross: His death, burial, and resurrection.
Scope of the Acts 1:8 Commission
Les shows the command to go to the uttermost parts did not happen with the Jewish believers because Israel rejected the Messiah; the work focused on the nation.
Pentecost Power for Jewish Believers
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, a Jewish feast, to give believing Jews power to do miracles, signs, and wonders as Jesus had done.
Extension of Christ's Earthly Ministry
Les explains that the apostles were to continue everything Jesus had performed—signs and wonders—in the Temple, using that power to convince Israel Jesus was the Messiah.
Divine Purpose of the Spirit's Manifestation
Les shows that each manifestation of the Spirit in Acts proved a divine purpose, demonstrating a change in the program to the work of the cross.
Power to Continue Christ's Ministry
Les says the whole idea of the Spirit's coming at Pentecost was to give Jewish believers power to continue the signs and miracles beyond human understanding that Christ had done.
Extension Confirmed in the Early Church
Les describes the early Jewish believers as an extension of Christ's earthly ministry, continuing in wonders and signs by the Spirit's power.
Presenting the King to Israel
Les teaches that the believing Jews were to stay in Jerusalem and present the King and Kingdom to Israel, hoping Israel would accept their King.
Why Miracles Were Needed
Les cites 1 Corinthians 1 to show that Jews require a sign, explaining why miracles and wonders were necessary to prove who Jesus was.
Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Jesus promises the Jewish believers power through the Holy Spirit for witness beginning in Jerusalem.
Acts 1:7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Jesus did not reveal the timing of the Kingdom, but instead pointed to the Spirit's power for the interim.
1 Corinthians 1:22: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Les cites this to explain why miracle signs were central to the Jewish believers' witness.
Les teaches that the Holy Spirit's coming gave Jewish believers the prospect that they could literally carry on as individual, believing Jews what Christ had been doing for three years. The apostles, especially Peter and the eleven, are the ones who visibly continued with signs and wonders, but the power was offered to the believing Jews in the nation of Israel.
No. Les notes that the disciples never did go to the ends of the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom, because the nation was rejecting it. Instead, the believers remained focused on Jerusalem, presenting the King and Kingdom to Israel.
They proved that Jesus was who He said He was and that God was continuing His offer of the King and Kingdom through the Jewish believers. Les also says the miracles were necessary because the Jews require a sign.
Watch the Teaching: Why the 12 Disciples Never Preached to Gentiles — Acts 1:8