Acts 1:1-8
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
During his time on earth, Jesus made three important declarations. He declared he would die for the sins of humanity. Which he did. Secondly, he declared he would rise again after three days. (Matthew17:22-23) That he also did. And finally, he declared he would be coming back again to claim his throne. (John-14-3) Which he certainly will. However, in the meantime, he’s deputized you and me as the vanguards of his coming Kingdom. Which we are. So this morning let’s review our appointment, responsibilities, authority and power.
The irony of this tremendous book of Acts is that it was written and addressed to one person: Theophilus. If we fail to get anything else from this lesson, I pray we all understand the significance of sharing the Gospel; even if it’s to only one person. The New Testament books of Luke and Acts were written by Dr. Luke as his personal witness of the things Jesus said and did. It’s certain that his credentials as a physician, and eye witness testimony of the man Jesus, made his deposition credible, believable and powerful for all these many years. Not to mention he had absolutely nothing to gain by lying. He wasn’t a Jew or one of the disciples. But he was one important thing. He was a witness.
Contrary to popular belief, the work of Jesus at the cross of Calvary wasn’t to make us better people. He didn’t die so we could get rich. He didn’t suffer so we could avoid humiliation. And he didn’t rise again so we could jump, shout and sing every Sunday. His purpose is clearly outlined in today’s scripture; with special emphasis on the portion that reads: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” That’s what his death, burial, resurrection, ascension and return are all about. Jesus is coming back to rule, judge and reward. But you and I are integral components to the plan of salvation. We are his witnesses.
As wonderful as we might think we are, as intelligent and brilliant as we may actually be, without the Spirit of Christ we cannot begin to comprehend or exercise our faith in obedience to the mandates of the Lord. And we certainly can not be witnesses. In any discovery of facts, and search for validity, a credible witness is one that has first hand knowledge. What a witness thinks, or feels is of little significance. But what a witness knows is vital to any discovery of facts. The more you know, the more valuable your testimony. Of all the things we can do for the Lord, being his witness is the most powerful. I love the words of the Apostle Paul. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death
Dear Saints of God, the fulfillment of our destiny is not just found in the work we do or the titles we bear, but by the testimony that we share. Our walk must be in alignment with the will of God, which is that no one perish. No matter how noble we think, or wonderful we have deemed our work to be, it is nothing at all, unless it comports to the Word, the way, and will of Almighty God. We must be able, ready and loving witnesses.
God Bless
