So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time
when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He replied “it is not for you to know the times or periods that the
Father has set by his own authority. But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the
earth.” Acts 1:6-8
Jesus
told the disciples that they were to be witnesses about the good news of
salvation. The duty of a witness is to tell what they have experienced and
seen. In a court of law, on TV
commercials and in our churches we look to witnesses to tell us their personal story
in order to make a decision. We want a faithful witness that we can trust.
When I am buying a car I always ask my
mechanic, who day in and day out works on cars, what he has experienced in the
repair shop with various brands of cars.
His experience is the key to his credibility. Jesus’ disciples were credible witnesses
because they had first-hand proof of the resurrection. Jesus called on his disciples to simply tell
what they had seen and heard.
Jesus
wants us to do the same. Christians, you
have experienced the power of Jesus’ forgiveness and his Spirit that dwells in
you for victorious living. That is what we need to share with people! So where are we to witness? Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth!
The
disciples happened to be in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ Ascension and prior
to the day of Pentecost. This was strategic because soon many visitors from
other countries would be coming to Jerusalem for the Pentecost celebration of
the Jews. The disciples themselves were
from Galilee. Some interpret the use of “Jerusalem” to mean to witness at home
first. Galilee is not mentioned. Jerusalem is where the most work can be done
for evangelism.
