Day 23

“And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:6-8 . “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” — Matthew 28:20

We can well imagine how distressing it must have been for the disciples when Jesus instructed them to be witnesses in Jerusalem. Most of them were Galilean, so Jerusalem was not their home but had so recently been the scene of their most awful failures. At the cross, they had blown their reputations by running away and going into hiding for fear of the Jews. Being a witness in Jerusalem would take courage. Then after Jerusalem, they would go to Judea, then to Samaria (Samaritans were hostile to Jews), and then, and only then, to the ends of the earth. It would have been easier to start at the ends of the earth where no one knew them and work back to Jerusalem as their experience and confidence grew!

This procedure involves far more than geographic locations. We all have our own ‘Jerusalem’ where we have failed and hidden. One of the best things that happens to Christians is their failure, because it is exactly where they fall that they either become dependent on Jesus or they quit for good (like Judas Iscariot). It is our failure that adds credibility to our testimony. We are not born with silver spoons in our mouths. We are born sinners, and we exhibit all the symptoms of the flesh, and people around us know it. Hence, the need and the power of being witnesses in our scenes of failure. It is from there, we reach out into Judea, and from there cross the racial, social and sectarian boundaries of Samaria. And then from there, we may go to the ends of the earth.

We are not all called to be geographical missionaries, traveling the world with the gospel. But if we are, we will be no more fruitful ‘in all the world’ than we have proved to be in our Jerusalem, and across the boundaries of our Samaria. We don’t become fruitful by flying to a tropical country and preaching under a palm tree! It is back in our areas of failure we become fruitful, with the people who know us best – ‘warts and all’ as Oliver Cromwell famously said when an artist painted his portrait without his warts.

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus placed a baton in the hands of His disciples that would pass from generation to generation. It is now in our hands. Every living person, from the tiniest hovel in the remotest land to the bustling urban cities, needs to hear the Gospel. Let’s start at home and spread in the circle of our influence the gospel of the Lord Jesus and let’s love people to Christ.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Grant me the courage, strength and conviction to pass the gospel on to as many as you bring across my path, both at home and as it takes me away from family, friends and familiar ground. open my eyes, my ears and my heart to every opportunity to be a witness for you.

To reflect upon: Do I have my own Jerusalem, perhaps even several of them, I need to go back to? If so, have I asked for Christ’s help in enabling me to do so?