“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
As Jesus ascended into heaven, He reminded the disciples gathered around Him of the Great Commission call to make disciples. The gospel message was entrusted to those present.
His imperative, be my witnesses, was also prophetic: you will be my witnesses.
Indeed, you and I know Jesus as Savior today because of their faithfulness. They were witnesses to their generation … and for 21 centuries since, the baton of faith has been faithfully carried to the next generation. Christianity has never disappeared from the planet. And it won’t happen on our watch!
But Jesus didn’t just leave them with an assignment. He also left them with a plan. Like dropping a rock in the water and seeing the concentric circles ripple out, so would the gospel go forth. It would begin right where they were: Jerusalem. From there it would be carried to Judea, Samaria, and the entire world. But they were to begin at home.
When you and I think of missions, we most likely think of missionaries in Africa or a remote village in the 10/40 Window. We pray for them, send money to them, and love hearing stories from them.
But missions isn’t just “out there” – it must begin “right here.” At home. Our Jerusalem may be Arkansas, Alabama, or Alaska. God may call us to go across the street or across town before He calls us to go across the world.
In many ways, it is easier to take a short-term mission trip and share the gospel with strangers than it is to share the gospel at home. It’s riskier, more challenging, and more difficult to talk about Jesus in our Jerusalem – with the people we live and work with, our neighbors and people who know us.
In fact, we might feel it’s not only hard … it’s impossible.
And that’s why Jesus not only gave us a plan, but the power to complete it: the Holy Spirit. He didn’t leave us to our own devices or natural abilities. He gave us a super power! Holy Spirit power!
In Him and through Him, we can do what we could never ever do our own. We can step out in faith rather than fear. We can open our mouth when we feel like keeping it closed. We can stand and share, when we really want to run and hide. We can love. We can love the unlovable. We can release love when anger or hatred is given in return. We can be relentless, and faithful, and hopeful. We can lean into Paul’s words to the Romans:
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
The first-century believers were a group of “uns” – they were uneducated and unlikely. No one would have thought a few folks in Jerusalem could change the world. And that would have been true if they relied on themselves to bring the change. But the Holy Spirit brought the power they needed to share the gospel message. And the gospel, as we know, changes everything.
Sharing the gospel is both an obligation and a sacred privilege. Each of us should hear the words Jesus spoke to the disciples then as if He were speaking them directly to us today:
- You will be my witness on Oak Street, Overland Road, and Orange Avenue.
- You will be my witnesses in Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan.
- You will be my witnesses at home first.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, He did not leave us on our own. He sent the Holy Spirit and through Him, the promise of Jesus in Matthew 28:20b is fulfilled:
“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Are you ready to embrace your Great Commission assignment? Are you ready to rest in the truth you are never alone in that calling? The One who calls you is faithful and ever present with you!
Are you ready to go out? Jerusalem is waiting!
More than half of April still remains and it’s not too late to join this month’s study of the Holy Spirit. Visit the Downloads page to get your copies of the April ‘Write The WORD’ bookmark and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages!
The ladies Bible study in Romans has concluded! If you haven’s yet seen the most recent teaching lecture on YouTube, you can watch it here:
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