We are to understand our assignment given to us by Jesus Himself!
Our authority comes from the commission given to us by Jesus. Our power comes from the encounter.
The Beloved Disciple recorded by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 20:
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.“
20 When He had said this, He showed them His Hands and His Side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
The disciples received salvation when Jesus breathed on them. Before that, they were fearful and were without authority. Once they received The Holy Spirit, they were given authority. The power was a separate event to come later.
To prepare the disciples to walk in power, Jesus spent forty days prior to Pentecost teaching them concerning the Kingdom of GOD.
Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 1, after the resurrection but before the Day of Pentecost:
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which Jesus was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
First, they were commissioned; second, they were to receive power after they had been prepared.
Jesus spoke in Luke chapter 24:
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on High.”
The Promise of THE FATHER is the baptism of The Holy Spirit.
Upon receiving the Baptism of The Holy Spirit, Peter spoke to those who witnessed the outpouring in Acts chapter 2:
32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
33 Therefore being exalted to the Right Hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
And in verse 38:
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Peter speaks of three different actions:
Repent
Be baptized in water
Receive the gift of The Holy Spirit
These are commands, not suggestions!
We must respond to these commands before we can become fully effective in carrying out our assignments.