You Shall Receive Power - Christ's Last Command and Our First Priority

In this teaching, Mel Purvis unpacks Jesus' final instructions before His ascension and shows why the disciples needed the Holy Spirit before they could carry out their mission. Rather than allowing them to speculate about prophetic timelines or earthly kingdoms, Jesus redirects them to the one thing that matters for New Testament ministry: the power of the Holy Ghost. Purvis emphasizes that the Greek word for "witness" (martys) means martyr—someone whose life becomes an offering. He shows that Jesus ties the global mission of the church not to intellect, not to end-times knowledge, but to spiritual power. He highlights the ascension as a literal, historical event, witnessed by real people whose testimony could have been easily contradicted if it were false. The sermon concludes with a stirring vision of Christ's return: "This same Jesus… shall so come in like manner."