(Acts 1:8) 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.

We introduce a series of short inserts to encourage you to consider various missions of God’s church. This week we look at being witnesses. Jesus Himself directly commissioned and ordained His church to press forward with a specific set of tasks. Consider these passages, especially the underlined words:

(Matthew 28:18-20) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

(Mark 16:15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

(Luke 24:46-48) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.

While reflecting on this collection of our Lord’s commands, several things pop out. His power (Greek ‘exousia’) over earth establishes His authority here. Commands are only relevant when given by an authorized source. Our range shows an ever-widening span of influence, starting in Jerusalem (our city, if you will), its province (all Judaea), to an eventual world-wide reach. But it starts close to us. The message remains the same where ever we go: repent and believe! The method doesn’t need to be fixed, for it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.