Witnesses: Why the Church’s Mission from Acts Still Matters Today

The book of Acts isn’t just ancient history—it’s the blueprint for a movement that reached across 2,000 years to bring the Gospel to us today.

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Have you ever wondered why Christianity survived when so many other movements from the first century disappeared into the dust of history? The answer lies in a remarkable 40-day period between Jesus’s resurrection and His ascension to heaven—and the instructions He gave that would change the world forever.

The Beginning That’s Still Beginning

When Luke penned the opening words of Acts, he made a profound statement that many of us miss: the Gospel of Luke recorded what Jesus “began to do and teach.” The implication? Jesus didn’t stop working when He ascended to heaven. He’s still alive, still active, and still building His kingdom through His people.

This truth should radically reshape how we view our faith. We’re not preserving a memorial to a dead teacher—we’re participating in the ongoing work of our living King.

The Kingdom Question That Still Matters

During those 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus could have taught His disciples anything. He chose to focus on one topic: the Kingdom of God.

The doctrine of the Kingdom of God spans from Genesis to Revelation, representing the promised future state where God will dwell among His people in everlasting peace and glory. While its fullest expression awaits Christ’s return, this kingdom is alive and active now. Jesus reigns as King today, though much of the world remains in rebellion against His authority.

When the disciples asked if Jesus would restore the kingdom to Israel “at this time,” His response is instructive for us today: “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

Stop Speculating, Start Witnessing

Here’s where Jesus’s teaching becomes uncomfortably practical. How often do Christians get caught up in endless debates about the timing of end-times events, creating divisions and denominations around their speculations, while the actual work Jesus commanded goes undone?

It’s like parents leaving their children with clear instructions to clean their rooms, only to return and find the kids have spent the entire time arguing about exactly when mom and dad will return—while the laundry still covers the floor.

Jesus redirected His disciples (and us) to what truly matters: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

The Power We Cannot Do Without

Imagine if the disciples had ignored Jesus’s command to wait for the Holy Spirit. What if, in their enthusiasm, they had rushed off to evangelize the world in their own strength?

The church wouldn’t have survived its first generation.

The promise of the Holy Spirit wasn’t just for them—it’s for all believers. This isn’t about dramatic manifestations or spiritual fireworks. It’s about God Himself taking up residence in His people, individually and collectively, empowering us to be effective witnesses. The same Spirit who enabled a small group of ordinary people to spread the Gospel across the Roman Empire lives in believers today.

Witnesses of What, Exactly?

Jesus was crystal clear about the content of their witness. After His resurrection, He opened the disciples’ minds to understand how Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all pointed to Him. The message they were to proclaim—and that we continue to proclaim—includes:

• Christ would suffer and die for our sins
• He would rise from the dead on the third day
• He would enter into His glory
• Repentance and forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all nations
• This message would begin in Jerusalem and spread to the ends of the earth

This isn’t just theology—it’s the story that changed history.

The Ascension: Going Away or Coming Home?

When Jesus ascended into heaven before their eyes, the disciples witnessed something Daniel had prophesied centuries earlier: the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven to receive dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days.

From our earthly perspective, Jesus was leaving. But from heaven’s perspective, He was arriving—coming to take His rightful throne at the Father’s right hand. And the angels’ promise remains: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go.”

The Miracle of How We Got Here

Consider this: Nearly 2,000 years have passed since that small group stood on the Mount of Olives watching Jesus ascend. The message they carried faced fierce persecution. Many of them died violent deaths for their testimony. Empires rose and fell. Cultures shifted. Languages changed.

Yet here we are today, in parts of the world those first disciples never knew existed, still hearing and believing the same message.

If that’s not evidence of divine power at work, what is?

Two Questions for Today

As we reflect on this passage from Acts, two crucial questions emerge:

1. Are you grateful for God’s plan?

The Gospel didn’t just happen to reach us by accident. God orchestrated a plan not only for Christ to die for our sins but for that message to be faithfully transmitted through generations of witnesses, often at great personal cost. Every believer today stands at the end of an unbroken chain of faithful testimony stretching back to that hillside outside Jerusalem.

2. How are you participating in that ongoing witness?

The mission that began in Acts hasn’t ended—it continues through us. We may not need to cross oceans (though some are called to do so). Sometimes the mission field is:

• The cubicle next to yours
• Your next-door neighbor
• The person you meet at the store
• Your social media connections
• Your own family members

The methods may vary, but the mission remains the same: bearing witness to the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He has authority to forgive sins, and that He demonstrated this authority by rising from the dead.

The Privilege of Participation

Here’s what should astound us: God doesn’t need us to accomplish His purposes. He could write the Gospel in the stars or send angels to every person on earth. Instead, He chooses to work through ordinary people empowered by His Spirit.

We don’t witness to earn God’s favor—we could never repay what Christ has done for us. We witness because we’re grateful, because we’re excited that God loved us enough to send His Son, and because we’ve been entrusted with the most important message in human history.

The Movement Continues

The book of Acts doesn’t have a proper ending, and that’s intentional. The story Luke began to tell continues today through every believer who takes seriously the call to be Christ’s witness. We’re living in Acts chapter 29 and beyond.

The same Holy Spirit who empowered those first disciples lives in every genuine believer today. The same Gospel that transformed the Roman Empire still has the power to change lives. The same Jesus who ascended to heaven still reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The question isn’t whether God’s plan will succeed—it will. The question is whether we’ll participate in the privilege of being His witnesses to our generation.

The movement that began in Jerusalem has reached the remotest parts of the earth. It reached us.

Let’s make sure it doesn’t stop with us.

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What step will you take this week to participate in God’s ongoing mission? Share your thoughts and commitments in the comments below, and let’s encourage one another as we continue the mission that began in Acts 1.