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.
God has a plan to reach the world with his grace. We start where we are and reach out to those around us. We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region. Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world. As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit's power and presence will go with us. I liken this to skipping rocks on a still pond. Every time the rock touches the water and skips forward, it sends out ripples that ultimately reach every corner of the pond. We see this happen in the book of Acts as the early church lived out Jesus' mission strategy again and again. Go here where you are now. Go near to the surrounding regions. Go far, to the uttermost parts of the world. Now it is our turn to live out this mission, trusting the Spirit's power to equip, propel, and embolden us to share how Jesus has impacted our lives as his witnesses.
Video Commentary...
We've included Phil's ToGather video from four years ago as an added blessing to our verse today:
Father, please use us to reach those around us with your grace. Bless our congregations, house churches, groups, and mission organizations as we share Jesus with those in our area, nearby regions, and far-off places in today's world. Father, we ask that you bless our outreach efforts so that we honor the Lord's plan to reach all nations with our messages about Jesus as the Holy Spirit empowers us to share our personal testimony of his work in our lives. We pray this in the powerful name of our Lord. Amen.
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