To the Ends of the Earth

Acts 1:1-26

Key Verse 1:8 

“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."

In the passage we would like to think about how the Lord God prepared the disciples for the blessed mission. Of all the missions, the mission to preach the gospel to all nations is by far the most blessed one. (2Co 2:16; Isa 52:7) By following the way the Lord prepared the disciples for the mission, we too can better serve the Lord’s command to make disciples of all nations.  

First, Theophilus (1)

Look at v.1. "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach..." It is interesting to see the author calling his audience "Theophilus" which means "lover of God." It is believed that it was the Greek Physician Luke who wrote the book of Acts. The way Luke calls the addressee of the book, indicates that this book is about the love of God. Inasmuch as the title of this book is Acts, we can call this book “God’s love in action”. 

Apparently Luke calls his audience Theophilus because it was through the love of God that he himself was saved. We cannot tell precisely how Luke came to be saved. But there is a considerable amount of evidence that it was through his association with the Apostle Paul. For example, the Book of Acts ends with the Apostle Paul teaching the Bible in a rented house in Rome. There is evidence that Luke was one of the Apostle Paul's travel companions. (Col 4:14; 2Ti 4:11; Phm 1:24) His companionship extended to the days of the Apostle Paul remaining in chains in Rome. It is also quite probable that he was evangelized by Apostle Paul, the shepherd for the Gentiles. If this is the case, it is not difficult to see where Luke got the love of God as the central theme of his book, that is, from Paul. Like shepherd like sheep. The love of God filled Paul's heart. Compelled by this love of God, Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles. Luke saw this love working in Paul. This love jumped into his heart. Moved by this love he dedicated this book to Theophilus! 

The question for you then is this: “Is this love of God inside of you?” If it is, then you are on the same page with the apostles recorded in the book. God’s love is different from man’s love. Man’s love is selfish. But God’s love is not, for God’s love seeks the highest good of the one you love. At the MSU Conference you will meet missionaries who understand and practice this love. You will also see the fruit (real people) they bore. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Mat 7:20; KJV) 

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach..." Before, during, and after the upcoming MSU Bible Conference, may the love of God deeply inspire you, so the Lord would use you for the blessed mission to save the lost. 

Second, until the day he was taken up to heaven (2-3)

Look at vs. 2-3. "Until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." 

Love gives. When you love someone you always desire to give what is best to that person. But reality says that although we love others and try to give something to them, there is not that much we can give. There was a man who had a beautiful wife. One day he learned that his wife’s 55^th birthday was approaching. So long before his wife's birthday arrived, he was thinking about the kind of gift he would buy for her. By and by the days passed. Finally her birthday came. But still he could not decide what to give her. Of course his wife expected some special gift from him. On her birthday, during breakfast time she expected her husband to give her a gift. But there was no gift. Then lunch time past, but no gift. So she thought, "Hmm. Maybe this man has prepared something so special for me that he is taking his time to present it to me." Then dinner time came. But still there was no gift. Finally her patience ran out. She went to his study room, found him, and asked him, "What are you going to give to me?" The man said, "I have no idea." 

But it is not so with God. God has an idea. What kind of idea did he have? What gift did he come up with? I know you already know the answer, that is, John 3:16. Yes. You are correct.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Then what is so special about Him? What does he have to do with us? What good does he do for you and for me? Does he pay the bills for me? Does he resolve practical problems, like the one I have with my mother-in-law or the problem I have with my boss? Oh, sure. No question about it. BUT: he can do a lot more than that. Didn’t Apostle Paul already say in Ephesians 3:20, “[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”? Specifically then what gift did he prepare for us? Look at v. 3. "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." In this passage Jesus described a special gift package consisting of two components: resurrection and the kingdom of God. 

When you think about it, we can say that in the final analysis, these two components represent the ultimate gifts which the Lord God could possibly come up with. They represent all we need for life. They represent the greatest of all ideals. The resurrection of Jesus means all who are in Jesus will also receive a resurrected body as Jesus did. For Jesus said to his disciples, "Because I live you also will live." (John 14:19) “Kingdom of God” refers to the environment in which the Lord God would prepare for those who put trust in Jesus. The word "kingdom" means "King's domain". Of all the domains the domain where God is King is the most blessed. Therefore when we combine the two - the convincing proofs that Christ is alive and the kingdom of God – and secure them, we have all we need for the perfect enjoyment of perfect life. 

God is not a vague God. He is a very practical person. All he does works well. Consider how butterflies fly, how fish swim, and how birds fly. Every little thing like the eyes or fins of a fish were so well made that when they are put to use they work just fine. The same is true with the gift he came up with. By raising Jesus Christ, he presented before us a tangible example of the kind of gift we have in Jesus. 

From this we learn that when God loves his children, he gives what they truly need for life. Thank and praise God for this wonderful gift. At the same time the convincing proofs that Jesus was alive and the promise of the kingdom of God represent the substance of the good news we are called to share with others. And this gift is for free. May God bless us to share this blessed gift with all peoples on earth. 

Third, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? (4-8)

Let us consider the conversation between the Risen Lord and his disciples in verses 4-8. This conversation indicates that there is no small difference between what the disciples had in mind and what the Father had in mind. How are they different? The disciples had in mind restoring the kingdom to Israel. But Jesus had in mind preaching the gospel to all peoples on earth, that God's kingdom be restored to all peoples on earth. Looking at the difference we can see that the disciples' agenda was limited to the interests that were pertinent to their own race alone, whereas Jesus' agenda embraced the interests that would affect the well being of all peoples on earth from all generations. 

Practically it is not easy for the disciples to open themselves up so they would be as broadminded as Jesus was. They were Jews. In the past, heathen nations treaded upon the Jewish people again and again, humiliating the chosen people. While in Egypt, Egyptians trampled them down. The Israelites cried out to God. God sent Moses and brought them out of Egypt to Canaan. As they came to the land of Canaan, even before they barely established themselves as a free nation under God, Assyrians invaded their lands and ruined their lives, so that again the chosen people had wounds and scars in their lives that ran deep. No sooner had they been healed of this damage, than the Babylonians came and deported them to Babylon. The Israelites became a captive nation once again. There in Babylon they lived as exiles for seventy long years. After the seventy years of captivity, did they finally become an independent nation? Yes, but only for a short period of time. Then what happened? We know the answer. At the particular moment when they were asking Jesus, “Are you at this time going to restore kingdom to Israel?”, the Romans ruled over the land of Israel. 

Had they been any regular people, they might have considered accepting these humiliating circumstances. But they were the chosen people. They were called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. To become the leading nation was not their own idea. It was God's idea. Yet God humbled them up to that very date. So they asked "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Certainly it might not have been easy for the disciples to overcome their own interests. Definitely it might have been very difficult for the disciples to set aside their own personal or national agenda and concern themselves with God’s agenda. 

Since 9/11, when the Twin Towers came down, the U.S. has been particularly keen on protecting her own interests. In fact, since this tragic event, the Republican government has made “homeland security” its top priority. Of course we can understand this, but we must remember that America’s agenda is not always God’s agenda. In fact God’s agenda can be a lot different than our agenda.

The same is true with each of us. We, as individuals and members of one local church or another, have our own agenda. We have our own priorities. But we must overcome them. We must put first priority on what God has in mind. 

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The disciples met the same challenge, that is, overcome their own narrow minds and accept and live for what God has in mind. 

We know for a fact that they did overcome their narrow-mindedness. Eventually they accepted God’s agenda as their own agenda. As they served God’s purpose, they eventually rose to God's great prominence, and they did it by fully serving Jesus' world mission command. 

A question then arises in our minds. How could they overcome their own selfish interests, and serve God’s interests? One quick answer we can consider is the Lord Jesus' influence on them. How did the Lord influence them? In view of the Lord's answer to them, we can see that the Lord helped them to think about their position as Jesus understood it. What was the disciples' position in Jesus' mind? In Jesus' mind their position was not just a member of the Jewish nation, but a member of God's kingdom. Jesus called them so they could serve as cabinet members of God's kingdom where God is the President. In John 17 Jesus makes this point clear. There Jesus told his disciples that they no longer belong to this world, but to the other world, that is, the world where God is King. In John 17:16,17, Jesus prayed to God the Father reporting to God the position of the disciples, saying, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." Again here are Jesus’ solemn words of prayer for you: ^“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” (John 17:13) Living in this world, it is hard to believe that we are not of this world although we are in this world. But in view of Jesus' prayer, we must constantly remind ourselves of our position from God’s perspective; we are in this world but not of this world. When we accept this truth, then we can fully accept Jesus' world mission command. 

Fourth, you will be my witnesses... (8)

What then does the world mission command consist of? Look at v. 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." This passage describes the contents of their mission. At the same time it describes the way the Father would fulfill his work. Practically what does it mean to be Jesus' "witness": 1) in Jerusalem; 2) in all Judea; 3) in Samaria; and 4) to the ends of the earth? 

When we compare the message they were to carry into the world with the message people living in the world go by, we can say for sure that they were going to run into one rejection after another. 

“[Y]ou will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In those days the enemies of God who murdered Jesus Christ still controlled Jerusalem. So to live as Jesus’ witnesses meant the possibility of suffering martyrdom. Judea refers to a place of “religious bigotry”, the place inhabited by the people steeped in Judaism which denies Jesus' identity as the Savior of the world. This was the disciples' home land, the place where they shared rooms or fences with people who were all members of the same family, all descended from father Abraham.  This means that they had to witness to their brothers and sisters, mothers and parents. It is not easy for you to witness to people who are close to you. Samaria is kind of a grey area where people were neither 100% Jews nor 100% Gentiles. And they had a lot of cynicism based on pre-occupation with and/or misconception about everything that comes out of the Jews. Salvation came out of the Jews. So they did not hold a favorable opinion on salvation coming out of the Jews. See how belligerent the Samaritan woman was toward Jesus as Jesus tried to evangelize her. The ends of the earth refer to the land of the Gentiles whom the Jewish people regarded as no better than dogs. To average Americans, dogs are doing just fine. In fact, to some, dogs perform even better than men. So some say, “The more I meet people, the more I like my dogs.” But it was not so with the Jews. According to their own understanding dog refers to animals which live purely on a flesh level, not a spiritual level. After all, have you seen a dog repenting or kneeling down to pray? In this way Gentiles refer to those who do not know God and therefore live like dogs. But Jesus is different. God sent Jesus to teach us that we are not only a fleshly being but a spiritual being created to know God, to love God and to serve God. But to teach what is of God to those who live purely on a carnal level is not easy. It is as difficult as a man trying to teach a dog how to pray. And Jesus called the disciples to be Jesus’ witnesses to the entire gentile world. In addition to the lack of spirituality among the gentiles, the disciples had other barriers such as language barriers and cultural barriers.  

Let me stop for a moment and talk about cultural barriers. America has her own culture and the Israelites her own. This is true even in this 21^st Century. And there is a constant conflict between the idea of assimilation and the idea of keeping your identity as a member of an ethnic group. Here is one interesting story illustrating this truth. Once Henry Kissinger visited Israel and Golda Meir greeted him. "We are so proud, Henry, because you are a Jew, a great American, and secretary of state." "Thank you, Golda, but I must correct you. First of all, I am secretary of state. Second, I am an American. And only third, I am a Jew." "That's all right, Henry. Here, we read from right to left." When you think about it, America is almost an idiom for the ends of the earth. Henry Kissinger is a Jew. He came to the U.S., the end of the earth. And he picked up the American way of writing, that is, left to right. But even nowadays in Israel they write not from left to right but from right to left. When you think about it however, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  All the barriers that exist between two cultures adopted by two ethnic groups go a lot deeper and are greater than we might think. 

To make matters worse, Jesus is from above, and the disciples were from below. But thanks to Jesus’ help the disciples were born again, so that they were no longer of this world but of the other world. Now, they were to be sent into this world where the lifestyles of its residents are the opposite of the lifestyle Jesus advocates. This already indicates that certainly the mission to become Jesus' witnesses to all peoples on earth looked like "mission impossible." 

But we do know that God never asks anyone to do anything without first empowering that person to do what he is asked to do. How will he equip them? Look at v. 8 again. "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." This passage says that with God's Spirit one can overcome all the difficulties involved. For in the first place, God's Spirit breaks down all barriers - religious, cultural, ideological, or physical barriers. It also helps you to overcome even language barriers.

We can understand this concept and obey His command joyfully and willingly especially when we think about the important truth: in order to effectively serve the purpose, the means must first be right. The purpose is to transform all believes into Jesus' likeness. How can one transform people to be like Jesus? It is only through the Holy Spirit that one is changed from an old creation to a new creation. Genesis 1:2 also supports this truth. "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." In the same way, Zechariah 4:6b says, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." Speaking of this life-transforming power of the Spirit of God, Jesus says in Acts 1:8, ““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."

Fifth, men of Galilee (9-11)

Next let us read verses. 9-11. The scene of Jesus' ascension and the promise of his return are truly remarkable. Let us compare this passage with Luke 24:50-53. Who are the "two men"? They are the angels sent by God. Angels mean "messengers" who are called to deliver God's message. They are, so to speak, in the business of God's courier services. Angels are made to say only what they are told to say: they say only what God asks them to say, nothing more or less. They never add their own words. So what they said to the disciples represent God’s exact words.  

What then might the Lord God the Father have had in mind in sending them and saying the following words to the disciples? 1) Men of Galilee; 2) Why do you stand here looking into the sky?; 3) This same Jesus, who has taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him going into heaven.

The expression "men of Galilee" then reminds us of two Bible verses: Isaiah 9:1 and Matthew 4:5. Isaiah 9:1 reads, "Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--. Matthew 4:15 reads, "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--" These two verses came with about 8 centuries of time gap between them. But they convey one message: people may fail (to serve the mission) but God never fails. God created a perfect world so man could live in a perfect paradise on condition that he obeys God. But Adam and Eve failed to obey. They lost the paradise. But God does not fail. In order to recover Adam’s descendants from all of their failures God sent Jesus to save them and to restore them back to His perfect Garden. In the case of the Israelites who lived about 8 centuries before the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, they failed so miserably morally and spiritually that it looked as if they were without hope. Most importantly they failed to serve God’s calling to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They failed to live as carriers of God’s hope of salvation for all. But God did not give up on them. God foresaw the Savior coming to the land of such shameful failure as the land of Galilee. Indeed at God's right time the Savior of the world came to Nazareth, the land of Galilee. He fished several fishers of men like Simon and Andrew, John and James. He commissioned them to live as fishers of men. Now that Jesus left for heaven, it was their turn to go into the world and live as fishers of men. 

"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." Their message then is a powerful reminder that until Jesus returns, they are to take over Jesus' ministry and serve the Lord as partners of Jesus' kingdom work. The same mission is applicable to us. It is now our turn, that is, the turn of the Americans, to take up the mission on our shoulders, and work to make disciples of all nations. 

Sixth, constantly in prayer (12-14)

Inasmuch as serving the world mission command does not depend on man's abilities, but on God's power, it naturally follows that prayer to God is the only natural course of action. But not all people actually kneel down to pray. Knowing the importance of prayer, they indeed talk and even preach about prayer, but don’t actually kneel down and pray. 

Why? It is because prayer comes with many difficulties. It has been said that prayer is exactly a battle. And every battle comes with enemies outside and enemies inside. The same was true with the disciples. Yet through faith in the Lord they overcame them. Look at vs. 12-14. Verses 12-14 describe the prayer meetings among the followers of Jesus. At first they might have been tempted to run away to no man's land to avoid persecution. But they overcame the fear of death. Another thing that surprises us is the word 'all' and the word "constantly." Why might it have not been easy for "all" (including women) to join together constantly in prayer? The upstairs could have been inside the Lord's temple in Jerusalem where the women's court was separated from men's court. But in Jesus, there is no barrier. So both men and women all joined together, praying together. This is truly remarkable, for in Jesus one can set aside all kinds of barriers, and work together for one common purpose. Please also consider that the disciples set aside their own individual differences, and worked together for a common purpose, that is, to serve Jesus' interest. They also must have been busy with their own schedules. Yet, they set aside their own private interests and put the Lord's interest ahead of their own. Then, in one mind and spirit they all joined and prayed constantly. 

Seventh, Peter stood up (15-26) 

The remainder of the passage begins with the expression "Peter stood up among the believers..." The expression "stood up" indicates the change that took place in Peter. Until that moment, Peter's spirit remained down like a PC that is dysfunctional because of a virus infection. He denied Jesus three times. But through the prayer meeting he got his problem resolved. Apparently he received a divine unction. Wounds were healed. His relationship with Jesus was restored. Now he came to stand up with his spirit up and running. 

After standing up, the first thing he did was to repair the broken vessel among the disciples. By replacing Judas Iscariot with Matthias, Peter patched the broken vessel. Before he did this the spiritual vessel among the disciples was like a bucket with a huge hole at the bottom. Now that he filled the gap, the vessel became watertight. It then could hold God's power coming from above. The disciples were then ready to be powered up as the spiritual power station to power up the world. 

"Peter stood up among the believers..." This expression then teaches us that the Lord's world mission work begins with each person, even one as weak as Simon, putting down firm roots in the faith of the Lord. It also reminds us that you, as a believer, are either up and running or remain down. And no one can stand up and do the work of God independently unless he or she plants and establishes his or her root firmly in Jesus Christ. For it is this independent faith in the Lord that makes man become spiritually independent by truly depending on the Lord. When this happens then the Lord is ready to use you, even a man as weak as you, as Jesus' witness even to the ends of the earth. 

In conclusion, we learned that seven factors are critical to serving the Lord’s world mission command: 1) the love of God; 2) the hope of resurrection and His kingdom; 3) a broad mind; 4) a clear sense of mission; 5) the power of the Holy Spirit; 6) joint prayer; and 7) independent faith. May the Lord bless us to secure these seven points in an increasing measure that God would truly empower us to serve the Lord’s world mission command. 

One word: to the ends of the earth. 

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