Acts 1:8-11. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
The Ascension means that Christ is no longer limited to an earthly existence. As 1 Corinthians 15 tells us, Jesus has ascended into heaven and has become “a life-giving spirit.” The physical presence of Jesus will be replaced with the spiritual presence of Jesus – you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
As we’ve seen, for the Christian, the ascension is a very big deal. Without the ascension, there is no union with Christ. Without the ascension, Jesus is not on his throne ruling over creation and defeating his enemies. And without the ascension, we are without purpose and we are without power.
By the ascension, we have our marching orders for life – Be my witnesses. The Great Commission. We have been sent out to make disciples; creating student-teacher relationships where we share life together as we learn how to love God and one another. Christian, we are not meant to stand looking into heaven until Jesus returns. We are meant to get to work, sharing the good news of Jesus with others. How? By being witnesses. Not just bearing witness. Being a witness. Our entire lives sharing the gospel story.
Witness is not just something we do; it is who we are. Jesus’ ascension means he can claim authority over all things, including our identity. You were my disciples, now you are my witnesses. You were students, now you are teachers. As author Trevin Wax puts it, “The disciples do not become witnesses because they engage in the activity of witnessing; rather, they engage in the activity of witnessing because they are already witnesses.”
If witness is what we are and not just what we do, then our witness is comprehensive. Jesus makes this clear when he lists Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth as our mission field. From a corporate church point of view, we often interpret Jesus’ geographic description in this way:
- Witnesses in Jerusalem: Reach your city.
- Witnesses in Judea: Reach your state.
- Witnesses in Samaria: Reach your country.
- Witnesses to the ends of the earth: Reach the world.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with interpreting Christ’s words this way. But how can we interpret his words for us as individuals? What is my witness in everyday life? Where is my mission field?
- Witnesses in Jerusalem: Reach your close family and friends.
- Witnesses in Judea: Reach your neighbors, your co-workers, teammates, classmates.
- Witnesses in Samaria: Reach your enemies.
- Witnesses to the ends of the earth: Reach everyone else.
Does this all sound too daunting? Fear not beloved, we have power! By the ascension, Jesus is seated in power over all things. As head of the church, he is ruling the universe for our good and his glory. We share his resurrection power.
Power over all enemies – every spiritual force of darkness is conquered.
Power over all guilt – Jesus’ sacrifice for our failures was fully accepted by God.
Power over fear – Jesus’ ascension ensures we are favored forever by God.
Power over weakness – by grace all shame and weakness is turned into strength and glory. We don’t witness by our strengths; we witness in spite of our weaknesses.
By the ascension of Jesus, we have the personal presence of Christ with us and in us at all times by the Spirit. Now the deepest connection to the love of God ever imagined or experienced is ours in Christ. If only we would truly believe this. If only we acted upon this strength in weakness. This power of grace.
To live is Christ is to live in all the power of the ascended Christ. To receive his Spirit. To receive God’s presence into our very being. And then to share that presence with one another as we stop gazing into heaven and start sharing the greatest story ever told with our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even the ends of the earth.
You: When do you feel powerless or alone in the task God has given you?
You in Christ: By the ascension, you have been filled with all the power of Christ’s resurrection. How might Christ’s power look different from the “world’s” definition of power? How does Christ’s brand of power actually make us better witnesses?
Christ in you: What might be a way that you can be a witness in your “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth” today?
Prayer: Father, witness is what I am in Christ, not just what I do. Help me to move forward into my world with your gospel from the truth of my identity in you. Your power, not my own. Amen.
To Live is Christ 