Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Acts 1:6-11
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But 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.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and 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.”
There have been many recorded “famous last words” that were spoken by famous individuals over time. The famous 18th Century German composer Beethoven at the end of his life muttered, “Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.” Winston Churchhill, the famous orator and Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II on his death bed said, “I am bored with it all” before slipping into a coma and passing away at 90 years old. The famous 6th Century BC philosopher and teacher Gautama Buddha on his death bed muttered the words “Strive without ceasing,” which was a phrase which alluded to working as hard as you can to gain salvation from God— a major tenant in the teachings of Buddhism.
There have been many “famous last words” spoken by many famous individuals over time that have since been forgotten. None of those phrases though compare to our Lord Jesus’ last words found in Acts 1:8. At this point in time Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. By the way, in case you may have forgotten, Jesus Chist isn’t dead, HE IS ALIVE AND WELL! Listen, though Beethoven was a great musician, he is dead. Though Winston Churchill was a great leader, he is dead. Even though Buddha has a following, he is dead; but Jesus is alive! He appeared to His followers and right before he ascended to Heaven to sit at the right hand of the father, He left the disciples a final word, a final charge which inevitably would change the course of history. He said: You will be my witnesses throughout all the earth. What a challenge! What a last word!
The fact that these words were Jesus’ last before He ascended into heaven points out their importance. He had some intentionality behind why he shared this with those disciples there that day. He had a plan to use those same disciples to radically change the world. Here’s the deal, that final charge was not just directed to the 120 or so who were in Jesus’ presence that day. The same final charge has been given to us as well. We have been called to live as witnesses to the fact that Jesus is alive and that He has radically changed us from the inside out by us placing faith in Him.
Let’s be honest this morning though. The task of living as Christ’s witnesses seems quite daunting doesn’t it? I mean there are TONS of people who do not know Jesus. How are you and I supposed to cover all that ground? How are we supposed to fulfill the mission to share?
- Remember You’ve Got the Power- You remember that old song by Snap called “I’ve Got the Power”? Great song and will really preach! The truth is for the child of God, we do, through the Spirit of God living inside of us have the power to live on Mission. Ask for the Spirit of God to fill you and equip you to live as a witness to your lost friend, lost co-worker, and/or your lost family member. You can step out and share; you can step out and live on mission.
- You Can Achieve the Mission of God One at a Time- Hey, you may not be Billy Graham, evangelizing to hundreds of thousands of people at a time, but you can evangelize to one. You can achieve the mission of God one person at a time. One invite at a time, one conversation at a time; and watch Him work when you do.
So the question this morning is will you choose to heed Jesus’ famous last words to Be His Witness? Who is that person He has put in your path that He is calling you to share with today? Choose to be a witness for Jesus today!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love! Thank you for your Son’s famous last words which have transformed history. Help me to take heed of those words and live as a witness for you today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.