To the Ends of the Earth

Acts 1:1-11

Key Verse 8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.

Jesus wants us to be his witnesses. There are two ingredients which make a witness: First, you had to have witnessed the event, and, second, you need the guts to take the stand and testify. It just so happens that I received a summons in the mail to serve jury duty tomorrow. The last time I served jury duty was three years ago. It was quite memorable. I served as an alternate juror in a murder trial. One 17 year old named Davian Meyers was shot 4 times by a gang member in the courtyard of an apartment complex in North Long Beach. A video camera mounted on the side of the building recorded the entire event. The video of the shooting was played during the trial over and over but problem was that the shooting was at night and the camera was too far away to get a clear view of the shooter. So, the prosecution had to rely on eyewitness testimony. But, the problem was that the witnesses were afraid to testify. Members from the gang of the defendant were present in the audience of the courtroom. Fortunately, there were two eyewitnesses who had the courage to identify the defendant as the killer and the man in the video. One of them was Tatiana Hill. She testified that the defendant pointed a gun at Davian and saw him fire the first shot. The most memorable thing was when the prosecution asked why she was testifying. She said, "I'm doing this for Davian". My point in saying this is that Jesus wants us to be his witnesses – witnesses that he is risen from the dead – to be, not just those who believe it to be true that he rose from the dead, but those who really know it – who have actually witnessed of it in the sense of having experienced of it. And he wants to furnish us with the boldness and power to testify. Jesus wants to equip us to be his witnesses in this new year that we may serve his redemptive purpose to the ends of the earth.

Part I: Eyewitnesses of the Resurrection (vs. 1-3)

The author of this book is Luke, the physician and companion of Paul. He addresses this book to “Theophilus”. He says in verse 1, “In my former book, Theophilus…” Possibly, Theophilus was literally a man – a man of high standing as is suggested by the title “most excellent” given him in Luk 1:3, “…it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…” But possibly, the name Theophilus is really meant to represent those who love God. The word Theophilus is a concatenation of two Greek words, Theos {theh'-os} which means God, and Philos {fee'-los} which means friend or lover. Hence, the book is written for and addressed to people, like you and I, who are God lovers. 

Luke sums up his former book, the Gospel of Luke, saying, “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven…” If Luke’s former book was about all that Jesus began to do and to teach while on earth, then the book of Acts can be described as the history of all that Jesus CONTINUED to do and to teach from heaven through his Apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what we will learn from the book of Acts as we progress through the book in worship service messages throughout this year. The book of Acts is not just the acts of the apostles. Rather, it is the acts of the risen, enthroned Christ building his church by the power of the Spirit.

The word “apostle” is introduced in verse 2, which says, “…after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen…” The word “apostle” means one sent forth. The eleven disciples are now called “apostles” because they are the ones chosen by Jesus to be sent forth as his ambassadors and messengers.

He needed to establish these men as his apostles to carry on his salvation work in his physical absence. So, it says in verse 3, that Jesus “showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive”. Their mission as apostles was to proclaim the good news of what Jesus accomplished by his death and resurrection. But their proclamation had to rest on proofs (facts) which they themselves were convinced of. So, he furnished them with proofs that he was alive repeatedly over a period of forty days – he talked to them face to face, showed them his wounds in his hands and side (Joh 20:20) and ate food in front of them (v 4, Luk 24:43; Joh 21:12-13) and let them touch him (Luk 24:39; Joh 20:27). By means of these convincing proofs, he established them as eyewitnesses of his resurrection whose testimony, in turn, furnishes us with abundant cause to believe God’s word. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus because of the Holy Spirit’s testimony to us through God’s word (Jn 6:63; 1Th 1:4) and because of the apostle’s testimony.

To establish these men as his apostles, Jesus also “spoke about the kingdom of God” (v3). This term “kingdom of God” is a summation of all the benefits Jesus secured for us by his death and resurrection. He purchased for us the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and eternal life. More than that, he purchased life to the full for us to enjoy presently. So, Jesus impressed upon his disciples the greatness of the kingdom of God for which he suffered to give them. He worked on them that they might taste in their hearts the benefits of what he secured and have God ruling their hearts and lives rather than sin (Col 2:11-12, Php 3:3). This was so that they might be sent forth as apostles to preach, not theories, but realities of which they themselves were experiencing. 

Jesus wants to establish us, not just as believers, but as witnesses – as those who know that he is alive, triumphant and unstoppable. To this end, he wants to give us many convincing proofs that he is alive. Are there sins in your life that you have found impossible to overcome? If so, thank God. It is a blessing to know that you cannot save yourself from your sin and that you are really stuck and that no power on earth can deliver you because when Christ delivers you, you will know that he is living and that his power is real. You will be a witness. But this is not all. He wants us to witness of his kingdom forcefully advancing in our heart and life so that day by day we may be amazed to find ourselves loving him more and praising him and finding him as our comfort, delight, and strength and so on.

Part II: To the Ends of the Earth (vs. 4-8)

One more ingredient was needed to establish these men as his apostles: They needed the Holy Spirit. So, verses 4-5 say, “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  5  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."” Jesus commanded them earlier in Mat 28:19 to “go” but here he commands for them “wait”. Why? This was so that they may receive empowerment from the Holy Spirit to go and do their apostolic work. This command for them to wait rather than go highlights the fact that their apostolic mission was not going to be carried out by human zeal and ability. Rather, it was going to be a display of God’s awesome power for his glory alone.

Now, it is critical that we should understand the nature of that which they were going to receive on the day of Pentecost. Jesus had already given them the Holy Spirit on the evening on which he rose from the dead. Joh 20:22 reads, “And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” So, they already had the Holy Spirit. But the measure of that which they had was nothing compared to what they were going to receive. When the day of Pentecost came, Acts 2:2 says, “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” The Holy Spirit filled the house so that were submerged in the Holy Spirit as in baptism. And the result of this was that in Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…” Thus, the baptism of the Holy Spirit which they were to receive was one in which they would be filled with the Spirit whom they already possessed in a lesser measure. It was not a baptism for salvation but a baptism of power for mission. 

But why did they need power to carry out their mission? Remember that there are two ingredients which make a witness. You need to have witnessed of something and then you need the guts to take the stand and testify despite the risks. In that murder trial I described, Tatiana Hill who testified against the defendant was receiving police protection under the witness protection program and was living in an apartment in a secret location paid for by police. But the disciples had no such protection. They needed the power of the Holy Spirit to give them resurrection faith and boldness. These were men who had been paralyzed by the fear of death. They had deserted Jesus at Gethsemane (Mat 26:56b). They had been afraid of showing themselves publicly and had locked themselves indoors (Joh 20:19, 26). But the Holy Spirit would give them great courage to stand up and preach to crowds of people who participated a little more than a month ago in crucifying their master. He would even give them the courage to preach that these people were guilty of murder, thereby risking that the crowds might be offended and become hostile. The Holy Spirit enabled Peter in Acts 2:23 to powerfully proclaim “…and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”

The apostles also needed the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses – to make them the instrument and mouthpiece of God through which he could speak his mighty word to the people (Mat 10:20; 2Pe 1:20; Isa 55:11). The Spirit of God would fill their hearts and mouths with the depths of understanding and wisdom concerning God’s salvation and with the praise of God and with the fire of passion to save guilty sinners. He would give them powerful words that would cut to the hearts of their audience (Acs 2:37; Joh 16:8; Heb 4:12) that they might repent and be saved.

Another reason they needed the Holy Spirit was to enable them to perform signs and wonders to authenticate the Gospel message which they preached so that men might believe and be saved. The Holy Spirit makes us effective witnesses, he himself witnesses to those whom we witness to to persuade them and he authenticates our witness by the miracle of our changed life.

Evidently, the disciples read into what Jesus had said in verse 5 concerning what would happen “in a few days” and they jumped to the conclusion that he was about to establish a temporal kingship over Israel. Verse 6 reads, “So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"” Their old hope was revived that Jesus was going to restore their nation to the glory, power and prosperity it had in the times of David, overthrowing Rome and regaining its dominion over the surrounding Gentile nations. The hope of people these days is almost identical. We have been hit by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And Obama was elected with the hopes that he would get us out of it. But Jesus did not talk about practical issues like the job situation and the health care crisis. Rather, he talked only about that which he suffered and died to give us, the kingdom of God, because this is what we really need. He suffered and died to deliver us from the real problem, the rule of sin and death, that we might have God ruling in us and that we might have a lasting hope in the eternal kingdom of God rather than perishing hopes in this perishing world. 

Jesus told them in verses 7, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” Here, we are given reason to be very skeptical toward calculations concerning the times or dates of Jesus’ return. Such things are not for us to know. He continued, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Here, Jesus redirected them to focus on his mission for all nations to be witnessed to and he promised them power by which they would be his witnesses. He was not really commanding them to do anything. Rather, he was promising them that they would be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into different persons who would accomplish these things. Verse 8 is the key verse of the whole book of Acts. It is an outline of the book and of the progress of the apostles. They would be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem in chapters 2-7, and in all Judea and Samaria in chapters 8-12, and would reach deep into the Roman Empire in chapters 13-28. Take note that these were ordinary Galileans – men whom the authorities in Jerusalem regarded as ordinary, unschooled, and ignorant (Act 4:13) – and were men whose human qualifications for the task might even be less than ours (1Co 1:27). But the Holy Spirit would come upon them and put a new heart and spirit in them to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. Thousands upon thousands would be won over to Christ through these ordinary men and this was going to be a display of the power of God for the glory of God alone. 

Again, Jesus promised in verse 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus’ desire is for all people to be reached with the gospel and be saved. To this end he wants to equip us to be his witnesses. But this does not mean, of course, we’re all supposed to go out to the ends of the earth. That is an inference which is not compatible with what is taught elsewhere in passages such as 1Co 12:29, Eph 4:11, Ro 12:6, etc. Rather he equips us with different gifts by which we may serve him, build up his church, and together reach to the ends of the earth. And we are each his witnesses wherever we go, whether we like it or not. We are the city on a hill which cannot be hidden (Mat 5:14). We are on display before the eyes of a watching world because of Christ whom we profess as our Savior. And it is not just what we say that witnesses to outsiders, but our life itself.

Definitely, we want to be equipped with power through which our life may shine with the glory of Christ and through which we may with one spirit and purpose serve together as Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. We want the power by which we may have holiness, unity and love among us in our families, fellowships, and church so that we may be Christ’s witnesses (Joh 13:35, 17:23) in the same way the early Jerusalem church was Christ’s witness – a glorious witness attracting outsiders daily to join their number and be saved (Acts 2:44-47). And we need the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective as witnesses in Bible study to speak his powerful word which can bring salvation to students and establish them as disciples. But the big question is, how do we receive of this gift of the Holy Spirit? Of course, all God’s children have the Holy Spirit (1Co 12:13, Ro 8:9), but the degree to which we are Spirit-filled is another matter. Jesus promised his apostles in verse 8 a baptism in which they would be filled with the Holy Spirit. And we know that this promise is for us too because it is spoken of in Eph 5:18 as something which we all should seek after. It says, “…be filled with the Spirit”. And in Luk 11:13 we are told that our Father is delighted to give us the Holy Spirit when we ask. It is for this very reason \we find the apostles joined together constantly in prayer later in verse 14. But receiving of this gift is not simply a matter of asking for it, of course. God gives of his Spirit according to his sovereignty and grace (Jn 3:8) for his glory alone and for his purpose. As Jesus prepared his disciples to receive of this gift by helping them discard their earthly dreams, so we need to be sanctified of ours. His Spirit is holy. So we should expect to receive of this gift through being washed (sanctified) in private fellowship with God in prayer through his words and through faith in the power of what Christ has done, relinquishing pride, selfishness and ungodly ways, and surrendering ourselves to him to obey him (Jn 14:15-17,21) and be his instrument to serve his purpose. 

Part III: Jesus’ Ascension (vs. 9-11)

Verse 9 reads, “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Here, Jesus ascended to heaven (Luk 24:51) and was seated on his throne at the right hand of the Father (Eph 1:20; Act 2:33). All authority in heaven and on earth was given him. In ten days at Pentecost, he was going to begin his mighty salvation work. Verses 10-11 read, “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” This teaches that our Lord Jesus is surely going to come back – he will come back from heaven in the same way he left. He will be coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Mat 24:30) and will take us to be with him forever (Joh 14:3). This is the real hope for which we ought to live. Rather than making Jesus sorry by wasting this precious life he suffered to give us for perishing hopes in this perishing world, we need to use it preciously while he is away to love him and faithfully serve him in preparation for his return. May the Lord equip us to be his witnesses in this new year that we may serve his redemptive purpose to the ends of the earth.

One Word: To the ends of the earth.

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