Embracing the Church to be a Witness
The topic “You will be my witness” (Acts 1:8) is a well-known Bible verse to all of us. It used to be a primary theme for the conference, the Bible camp, and the Bible study. But this topic is more than a Christian anthem. Michael W. Gohen and Jim Mullins say that Acts 1:8 “was not a command but a declaration of fact.” [i] Likewise, Acts 1:8 is not just merely a Bible verse for Christians to memorize, but also a principle for us to practice in our daily lives.
Jesus Christ taught his disciples about the kingdom of God for forty days after proving his resurrection (Acts 1:3). We can say that Acts 1:5-6 is the first meeting where Jesus and the disciples discussed mission before Jesus’ ascension. We all need to be aware of the agenda for this discussion and the decisions made during it. The disciples asked Jesus about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Even though Jesus taught about the kingdom of God during the forty days, the primary concern of the disciples was not about the kingdom of God. The interests of the disciples were “what you would do for us as we follow you.” In other words, the disciples followed Jesus Christ because they wanted him to fulfill their desire, which is to restore the kingdom of Israel.
Nowadays, many Christians resemble the disciples of Jesus Christ in Acts 1:6, asking Jesus to fulfill their economic, political, and social desires through laboring in various ministries or missions. Also, sometimes, the purpose of the church in doing missions is to recruit new members, rather than obeying Jesus’ mandate and God’s will to be done. However, the agenda of the first meeting between Jesus and his disciples regarding the mission was not for the purpose of His followers to fulfill their personal needs, because the gospel of Jesus Christ is not the same as the prosperity gospel, which teaches that following Jesus and doing God’s work will lead to prosperity.
Jesus did not answer the question about restoring the kingdom of Israel, asked by the disciples. This is to say that Jesus did not promise his disciples and followers that “I will not fulfill your desires or wants for doing what I ask to do.” In fact, Jesus replied to them by saying, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Simply, Jesus told them that they would not have the authority to know what the power of God would do.
However, Jesus made an explicit promise to his disciples, saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). This is the decision of the first mission meeting between Jesus and his disciples. In reality, the disciples were already witnesses because they were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. However, Jesus knew that they needed the power from the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses. It was also a reminder to Jesus’ disciples that their primary interest should not be the power to restore the kingdom of Israel, but rather the spiritual power that comes from the Holy Spirit, which can help them to be witnesses at the ends of the earth.[ii]
To conclude, we cannot be true witnesses if we follow Jesus Christ for our personal interests and agendas. The church also should not overlook Jesus’ mandate by emphasizing solely how God will bless the church for doing mission. Jesus wants us to be his witnesses through understanding the purpose of the Kingdom of God and receiving the power from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Paul E. Pierson said that “Instead of focusing inward on what God is going to do for you and your people, begin to focus outward on what God wants to do through you in the world.”[iii]
[i] Michael W. Goheen and Jim Mullins, The Symphony of Mission: Playing Your Part in God’s Work in the World (Baker Academic, 2019), 37.
[ii] Ajith Fernando, Acts: From Biblical Text-- to Contemporary Life, The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1998), 52.
[iii] Paul Pierson, The Dynamics Of Christian Mission: History Through A Missiological Perspective, unknown edition (William Carey International University Press, 2009), 21.
Jesus Christ taught his disciples about the kingdom of God for forty days after proving his resurrection (Acts 1:3). We can say that Acts 1:5-6 is the first meeting where Jesus and the disciples discussed mission before Jesus’ ascension. We all need to be aware of the agenda for this discussion and the decisions made during it. The disciples asked Jesus about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Even though Jesus taught about the kingdom of God during the forty days, the primary concern of the disciples was not about the kingdom of God. The interests of the disciples were “what you would do for us as we follow you.” In other words, the disciples followed Jesus Christ because they wanted him to fulfill their desire, which is to restore the kingdom of Israel.
Nowadays, many Christians resemble the disciples of Jesus Christ in Acts 1:6, asking Jesus to fulfill their economic, political, and social desires through laboring in various ministries or missions. Also, sometimes, the purpose of the church in doing missions is to recruit new members, rather than obeying Jesus’ mandate and God’s will to be done. However, the agenda of the first meeting between Jesus and his disciples regarding the mission was not for the purpose of His followers to fulfill their personal needs, because the gospel of Jesus Christ is not the same as the prosperity gospel, which teaches that following Jesus and doing God’s work will lead to prosperity.
Jesus did not answer the question about restoring the kingdom of Israel, asked by the disciples. This is to say that Jesus did not promise his disciples and followers that “I will not fulfill your desires or wants for doing what I ask to do.” In fact, Jesus replied to them by saying, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Simply, Jesus told them that they would not have the authority to know what the power of God would do.
However, Jesus made an explicit promise to his disciples, saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). This is the decision of the first mission meeting between Jesus and his disciples. In reality, the disciples were already witnesses because they were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. However, Jesus knew that they needed the power from the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses. It was also a reminder to Jesus’ disciples that their primary interest should not be the power to restore the kingdom of Israel, but rather the spiritual power that comes from the Holy Spirit, which can help them to be witnesses at the ends of the earth.[ii]
To conclude, we cannot be true witnesses if we follow Jesus Christ for our personal interests and agendas. The church also should not overlook Jesus’ mandate by emphasizing solely how God will bless the church for doing mission. Jesus wants us to be his witnesses through understanding the purpose of the Kingdom of God and receiving the power from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Paul E. Pierson said that “Instead of focusing inward on what God is going to do for you and your people, begin to focus outward on what God wants to do through you in the world.”[iii]
[i] Michael W. Goheen and Jim Mullins, The Symphony of Mission: Playing Your Part in God’s Work in the World (Baker Academic, 2019), 37.
[ii] Ajith Fernando, Acts: From Biblical Text-- to Contemporary Life, The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1998), 52.
[iii] Paul Pierson, The Dynamics Of Christian Mission: History Through A Missiological Perspective, unknown edition (William Carey International University Press, 2009), 21.
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