It was a new day, a new vision, and a new assignment.
Moments before disappearing through the clouds, Jesus said to his disciples, “You will be my witnesses”.
The scope of this unusual mission was staggering—in Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
This small group of people was still recovering from the traumatic events that had occurred 40 days earlier. The man they had loved and followed had been arrested, falsely accused, humiliated, and brutally executed. But on this day, he stood before them to delegate a task that would change the world.
To the natural mind their assignment seemed impossible. However, the impossible often happened with Jesus, including his glorious resurrection.
But what an assignment! No planes, trains, buses, radio, TVs, or the internet. How would they be his witnesses to the ends of the earth?
Jesus promised they would have all the necessary resources. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8) I can only imagine how this statement would have struck the disciples. Their Lord had just been raised from the dead by the power of this same Spirit.
This promise was fulfilled only days later and so began a global missions’ movement that continues to reach people to the ends of the earth today. Billions across the centuries in every corner of the world have been recipients of Christ’s life transforming gospel message through multitudes of his witnesses. And this critical mission will continue until Jesus returns.
Being a witness of Christ is a sacred task and weighty responsibility given to every disciple of the Lord. These are people who are convinced of the saving truth of the Gospel and who grow as faithful followers and representatives of Christ. They continue to mature in the knowledge of his ways which becomes evident in every part of their lives.
The witnesses matter because they pass along the crucial message of God’s love and grace. The character and ways of every disciple has an impact and creates an image of who we are for the onlooker. Herein lies a continual challenge for the church as we all endeavour to be faithful witnesses.
It is vital that as the Lord’s disciples we persevere in reading and pondering the Word of God, allowing it to do adjustments to our lives and continually transform our hearts and minds.
We must also persevere in prayer. We must pray for the harvest, for the workers in the harvest field, and for the gospel to spread rapidly, in spite of the hindrances of unreasonable people.
It’s also important that we pray for one another because the Lord’s witnesses matter. Here is a brief prayer to help us do just that.
Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus, and I thank you for your people.
Help us to always abound in your work. Help us to be rooted and built up in your Word, established in the faith and overflowing with thanksgiving.
Help us to seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and to set our affection on things above, and not on things of the earth.
Help us to not to be governed by our feelings but to be moved by the Word and Spirit of God that we may walk in the ways of your kingdom.
Fill us with the knowledge of your will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Help us to live in such a way that we may please you, be fruitful in every good work, and grow steadily in the knowledge of Christ our Lord.
Help us, your own people, holy and dearly loved, to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, even in the face of hostility and adversity.
Help us to love one another as your Word teaches us (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) and forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
Help us to always treat each other with gentleness and respect in all circumstances.
Help us to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, letting our speech be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer everyone.
Let no evil be in our midst and no plague come near us.
May we be a people who act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Father, I thank you for your bountiful mercy and grace toward your children.
May the peace of God rule our hearts. Amen.
(The essence of this prayer is from passages in the Psalms, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and I Thessalonians.)