“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†(Acts 1:8).
Using your imagination, travel with me to the place where Jesus bids farewell to His disciples. It is an emotional scene. The disciples are feeling sadness, fear, and bewilderment. Christ had completed His mission on earth and was going back to the Father. However, the disciples still had their mission to complete. This may be a play on words, but, the disciples had to be asking themselves, “what on earth are we going to do?†In the midst of all the emotions Jesus had a plan.
He was heading up to His Father but He wasn’t going to leave his disciples and future followers comfortless or powerless. The Holy Spirit would be given to help them carry the good news of the gospel. God’s work would continue on earth. We can be eternally grateful it did. In our verse today we see the, who, what, and where of a missions lifestyle. He didn’t say pastor, evangelist, or missionary but “ye.†Along with the “ye,†He added “shall be witnesses.†Lastly, we see it is to be a global venture. All of this is futile without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
We can be witnesses because we know first-hand what Christ has done for us. Even if we aren’t well-versed in the Word, our personal testimony can be shared at first. Then we can share scriptures we have learned that helped bring us to Christ and to grow in Him. This cycle should not be broken. All of this is meant to be a lifestyle for the child of God.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Ask God to give Deborah St. Lawrence (FWBIM) and Ida Lewis (FWBHM) wisdom and strength as they prepare missions-related print materials.
