Acts 1:8 — 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 farthest parts of the earth.”

Receiving a Gift #

When someone gave you a gift, did you ever think about what you should do with it? From another country, my dad brought us some freeze-dried food. This item stayed in my cabinet for a long time because I didn’t need it right away. It was waiting for the right time to be used, which never came. When we were cleaning one day, we saw that it had gone bad years ago. I got rid of it right away.

We are given the Holy Spirit, and Jesus tells us what this gift is for and how He will use us. When Jesus addressed his disciples, he said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”

Our Call Today: Who Is in Our “Jerusalem” and Beyond? #

The first people who followed Jesus thought those places were very important. They were in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit had sent them to be witnesses to the people who lived there.

Judea was the name of the land around Jerusalem, and the people who lived there were like them. People from a wide range of national and racial backgrounds lived in the nearby area of Samaria.

In addition to sending them to certain locations, the Holy Spirit would also send them to “the farthest parts of the earth,” making it possible for them to share the gospel of Jesus with people who lived in remote areas.

The same gift of the Holy Spirit is made available to us by Jesus. Who exactly are the individuals who are residing in our “Jerusalem,” “Judea,” and “Samaria,” as well as in every country and till the very end of the earth? In what ways might we support the work that God is doing in each of those places?

Prayer #

Lord Jesus, I want to thank you for giving us the gift of your Spirit and inspiring us all to share your message with people in our towns and around the world. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.