Witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:6-11)

 Witnesses of Jesus

  

 

 

 

 

 

[Acts 1:6-11]

 

 

 

How should we view tsunamis like Katrina and Rita hurricanes?  Personally, I believe we should see them as signs of the message that must precede the Lord's coming, as indicated in Luke 21:25 - "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves."  Reading the phrase "the roaring of the sea and the waves," we realize that it points to God, who moves in nature and the universe, working before the return of Jesus.  In fact, in Luke 21:31, Jesus said: "So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near."  In times like these, how should we conduct our spiritual lives?  We can consider a few things: (1) We need to be careful ourselves (v. 34).  We should guard against our hearts becoming weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the cares of life.  (2) We should always pray and stay alert (v. 36).

 

As Christians who are aware of the imminent return of Jesus, what kind of people should we be?  Based on today's passage in Acts 1:6-11, the answer given to us is that we should be "witnesses of Jesus."  What does it mean to be witnesses?  It means being those who proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ (MacArthur).  The Greek root word here, "martyrs," means "one who dies for their faith," because the price to testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ was often death.  This is where the term "martyr" is derived from.  Therefore, based on today's passage, let's think about what it means to be a true witness of Jesus. I hope and pray that all of us may be true witnesses of Jesus, testifying to Him through our lives.

 

First, a witness of Jesus is someone who obeys the authority of the Lord.

 

Look at Acts 1:7 – “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.’”  Here, the term "times or epochs" refers to the time of the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (v. 6).  In other words, the disciples were asking Jesus if the time for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, as prophesied by Jesus in verse 5, would come when they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The concept of the kingdom restoration that the disciples had in mind involved political, economic, and social restoration from Roman rule (Seyoon Kim).  Ultimately, the disciples of Jesus made the mistake of confining the kingdom of God to the nation of Israel (Yoo).  In response to the disciples' question about this "time," Jesus did not correct their misconceptions about the kingdom of God, but instead focused on answering their question about the "time."  His answer was, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (v. 7).  The reason is that this "time" is under the authority of God the Father.  In response to Jesus' answer, the disciples fell silent.

 

Reflecting on this passage, I considered how our church could apply it.  What if both I and others had restricted the vision of evangelizing the Hispanic community in this local society, as if the restoration of the kingdom of God were limited only to fellow Koreans living in the United States?  However, by the grace of the Holy Spirit working among us, during the Bible study for church leaders last year, as we meditated on Acts 11, we prayed for Hispanic workers with the vision of evangelizing the Hispanic community.  Especially, Acts 11:19-20, which shows how some Jews who were scattered due to the persecution arising from Stephen's testimony went to Antioch and also preached the gospel to the Hellenists (Gentiles) there, leading to the establishment of the Antioch church.  Through this passage, we realized that our church should have a vision for Hispanic ministry and began praying for it.  This year, the Lord sent pastor Victor Gomez, initiating Hispanic ministry.  In today's passage, Acts 1:6-11, the disciples of Jesus wrongly limited the kingdom of God to the nation of Israel, as it came about through the salvation event of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.  However, we must be mindful that the kingdom of God, brought about by the salvation event of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, transcends racial and national dimensions.  It should not be proposed to one ethnic group alone, be it the Korean people or any other.  From this perspective, the work of our church established by the Lord does not seem to be a change in our perspective.  That is, our church is not meant to gather only Koreans for worship, but rather, we have been brought together to work as a team, not only with our children of the 1.5 and 2nd generations, but also with the many Hispanic people in our vicinity.  This ministry is undoubtedly a precious one, as it maintains unity in diversity within the Lord.  I believe that this posture of obedience is evidence of the Lord establishing His church and body.  Even though no one publicly asked the question, "Why should we do Hispanic ministry?" I believe that the Lord has initiated Hispanic ministry because we have simply obeyed the fact that it is His will.  This is a beautiful faith posture of being obedient to the authority of God's Word, as heard through the voice of Acts 11:19-20.

 

Second, a witness of Jesus is one who receives power.

 

Look at Acts 1:8 – “Butt 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 response to the disciples' question, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (v. 6), Jesus gives his second answer (the first answer is in verse 7), which is the well-known verse, Acts 1:8.  Jesus' response itself refutes the disciples' mistaken understanding of the kingdom of God.  The disciples had confined the kingdom of God to the nation of Israel, but Jesus tells them that when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they will receive power to be His witnesses not only in Jerusalem and Judea, but also in Samaria and even to the ends of the earth.  This geographical expansion of the gospel is a rebuke to the disciples' erroneous thinking that the kingdom of God was limited to Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.  Jesus' prophecy that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them is also echoed by Luke in Luke 24:49 - "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."  What does the term "power from on high" or "power" refer to?  Here, the term "power" does not refer to political power, which the disciples were concerned about, nor does it refer to personal abilities related to a life of godliness as described in the Old Testament.  Rather, it refers to the power that enables the disciples to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the gospel.  This power is the same power that came upon Jesus after He received baptism and was praying, enabling Him to begin His public ministry in power.  Now, Jesus is telling the disciples that the same Spirit will empower them for their ministry (Yoo).  In short, "power from on high" or simply "power" refers to the ability to carry out the ministry of spreading the gospel.

 

We, as witnesses of Jesus, are already recipients of this power.  Therefore, Apostle Paul prayed like this for the Ephesian saints: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" (Eph. 3:16).  We should pray for the Lord, who is the head of the church, to empower our inner being through His Spirit, so that we may boldly proclaim (preach) Jesus Christ, who dwells in our hearts through faith, in order to live a life that declares the gospel.  The amazing fact is that when we pray in this manner, the Lord abundantly exceeds our requests.  Look at Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."  Therefore, as witnesses of Jesus who have received power, we should be filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer and boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Starting from our respective "Jerusalem" and moving forward in obedience according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must faithfully bear the ministry of spreading the gospel with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Third and last, a witness of Jesus is one who holds the hope of His return.

 

Look at Acts 1:11 - "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."  After the resurrected Jesus had given the disciples the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit and ascended into heaven, riding on a cloud in the sight of the disciples (vv. 9-10), the disciples, who were gazing intently, were suddenly confronted by two angels who made them realize two important facts (Yoo): (1) By emphasizing the expression "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven," the angels affirmed that the Jesus who ascended will indeed return, indicating that the returning Jesus is the same Jesus who ascended.  (2) The angels clarified that the manner of Jesus' ascension is the same as the manner of His return.  We need to pay closer attention to two crucial facts in the angels' message here:

 

(1)   Just as in the disciples' question, the element of "time" regarding the coming of Jesus is completely absent in the angels' message.

 

The reason is stated in Mark 13:32: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

 

(2)   The prophecy from the angels that the ascended Jesus will return in the same manner holds significant meaning for the disciples.

 

The implication of the angels' prophecy about the return in the same manner is that the disciples, as stewards, should continue to faithfully bear the ministry of Jesus through the Spirit until the end.  This stewardship essentially involves nurturing God's people in the form of His word (Lk. 12:35-48), in summary, signifying the ministry of preaching the gospel and shepherding through the word.  In other words, the ascended Jesus entrusts His disciples with the ministry of proclaiming the gospel and shepherding through His word, and He continues to sustain them through the Holy Spirit.

 

This is our ministry.  As witnesses of Jesus, we bear the responsibility to carry on the ministry of the ascended Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  We have the duty to faithfully undertake the ministry of preaching the gospel and shepherding through the word until the day and moment He returns, or until our lives are completed.

 

There is a passage about Cassie Bernall, who was a witness for Jesus.  You may be familiar with the shocking event that took place on April 20, 1999, at a high school in Denver, Colorado, where two students carried out a tragic shooting, resulting in the deaths of 13 students and teachers.  The perpetrators, Harris and Klebold, conducted this horrifying massacre in commemoration of Hitler's birthday.  They gathered the students in one part of the campus and, pointing the gun at them one by one, asked, "Do you believe in God?"  Most students, in order to survive, reportedly answered, "No."  In response, Harris and Klebold, with sinister smiles, spared their lives.  However, even in this atmosphere of terror, there was one student who made a resolute declaration of faith.  That student's name was Cassie Bernall. Even in the face of the gun, she boldly proclaimed, "Yes, I believe in God. And you need to follow God's path too."  Upon hearing these words, Harris and Klebold said, "Go to the God you believe in," and ultimately, Cassie Bernall lost her life right there.  Do you know what happened after this incident?  A tremendous revival fire ignited among American teenagers.  They were endlessly ashamed of their own cowardice in the face of Cassie Bernall's martyrdom.  Shortly after, among the remaining students, a faith movement arose, compelling them to stand as bold witnesses like Cassie Bernall.  Suddenly, a movement called "Let's follow the path of Cassie Bernall" began in schools across the United States, and prayer meetings in front of flagpoles, commemorating Cassie Bernall's martyred decision, became widespread (Internet).  Cassie Bernall was a witness for Jesus.  We also hope to become witnesses for Jesus, like Cassie Bernall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praying to undertake the ministry of preaching the gospel with the hope of Jesus' return, empowered by the Holy Spirit,

 

 

 

 

James Kim

(Praying while hoping for the Second Coming of Jesus and entrusting the ministry of spreading the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit)