You Want Me to Witness Where?
Scripture Reading — Acts 1:6-11
“. . . and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8
Have you ever received a gift but were not quite sure what to do with it? I once received some freeze-dried army food. I didn’t need it right away, so it sat in my closet for a long time, waiting for the right moment to be used—which never came. One day I quietly got rid of that unopened gift.
Jesus’ gift to us is not like that. He gives us the Holy Spirit, and he explains what this gift is for and where we will use it. “You will be my witnesses,” he said to his followers, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Those locations had specific meanings for Jesus’ first disciples. Jerusalem was the place they were in, and the Spirit would send them to be witnesses to the people in that local area. Judea was the region around Jerusalem, where the people were a lot like them. Samaria was a neighboring region that included people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The Holy Spirit would send them to those places and then also to “the ends of the earth,” to share the good news of Jesus with people who lived far away.
Jesus offers the same gift of the Spirit to us. Who are the people living in our “Jerusalem,” “Judea,” and “Samaria,” and in all nations to the ends of the earth? How can we support God’s mission in each of those places?
Jesus, thank you for pouring out the gift of your Spirit in our lives, inviting each one of us to join you in sharing the good news in our neighborhoods and around the world. Amen.
About the author — Kevin DeRaaf
Kevin DeRaaf is the director of Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed mission agency working in more than 40 countries around the world. With a focus on encouraging others to join in God’s mission where they are, Kevin believes that God’s purpose for the local church is to shine as a community of love and grace, showing in tangible ways that Jesus is the hope of the world. He and his wife, Jacquie, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Burlington, Ontario.
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