This past Wednesday was recognised by Christians around the world as Ascension day and as the name suggests, it marks the date that was accepted as the actual ascension from the physical realm of Jesus the savior of the world. I always try to think of what the actual day was like for those disciples as they saw him leave them physically for the last time. How did they feel? What thoughts crossed their minds as they followed him to the place of his earthly departure? Is it possible too that any of them may have wished that they could go with him as well as they anticipated how challenging it would be without him? It is interesting that for such an important event the historical accounts are pretty brief and only Acts of the Apostles give us any indepth account of what happened on the day. Interestingly, although Luke was the writer of Acts, he does not give us the same detail in the gospel as he does in Acts.
Regardless of the sparsity of detail, we can reflect on the account given in Acts chapter one and take messages for ourselves to learn from today. We, like the disciples of old, are learning to follow Jesus’ way and as such we always have to ponder what this really means and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into following Jesus. As we read and reflect on this text today I believe we are reminded of what is fundamental to being Jesus’ followers.
We read that in this last conversation with Jesus in the human form some disciples found it necessary to ask him if now was the time he would restore the kingdom to Israel. This tells you where their focus was. We know that many of those who followed Jesus had their own motives and sometimes their motives were personal as in the case of the brothers who asked to sit at Jesus’ right hand in the kingdom (See St. Matthew 20:20-22 or St. Mark 10:35-37) or their motives were political as seen in this question to Jesus. Many people in those days followed Jesus because of a flawed understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do and so they harboured misguided and often selfish expectations of what Jesus could do for them while he walked the earth.
The first thing we must take from this today is that we cannot truly follow Jesus’ way if we have a flawed understanding of what the Christian life is or our motives and expectations are rooted in selfish or self-centred desires. Many people, even among us who say we are Christians, really have wrong motives for following Christ. We are self-centred and not Christ-centred. We are selfish and not self-less. The possibility of getting what we desire is, for many people, far more important than knowing and following Jesus’ will and purpose for their lives. When you think about it, many of us are really transactional people. We get involved with the ministry and work of Christ because we have personal motives or it makes us look good in society or it’s a means to advance some other social or political cause. We all are challenged to ask ourselves constantly, why we are following Jesus. What do you hope to get out of being Christian and serving God? What is our motivation? Is it worldly or is it spiritual? This last week I personally faced a couple of situations which reminded me that I have to constantly reflect on why I call my Christian and why I do what I do for the kingdom of God. It is something that we all must do on a regular basis especially when the trials and tests come your way in whatever form or shape they come because that reflection must remind you of what your real purpose and calling is when you say you are a Christian and you are here to serve your Heavenly Father.The first thing we must learn about following Jesus’ life and example is that it cannot ever be about personal gain or accomplishment in this world.
The second thing we must take from this text as we think about what it is to learn to follow Jesus is to remember that we really are nothing as Christians without the transforming and enabling power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts working to make us true servants of the Almighty. The Spirit’s enabling or empowering is given to make us Christ’s witnesses to the world. In Acts chapter one (1) verse eight (8) we find the entire foundation of discipleship. Jesus told the disciples who were so distracted by their personal desires, “…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.” (Acts 1:8 NIV) Irrespective of how gifted or talented we may be or what charisma or oratorical skills we may have, without the anointing or gift of the Holy Spirit on us we can do nothing for the Lord Jesus. This text reminds us very clearly of that fact. In Acts chapter two (2) which describes the growth of the early church, we saw that the undergirding factor in this growth was the transforming power of the Holy Spirit on all the believers at the time. (See Acts 2:42-47) We must ask ourselves whether that transforming power of God’s Spirit is at work among us in this present time or whether we need to make ourselves available for the Holy Spirit to use us as it would want to do.
The text tells us that it is the Holy Spirit that will make us witnesses of the Lord Jesus. Who is a witness? A witness is someone who can testify to having firsthand experience of something or someone. The focus of our testimony is obviously Jesus but we must learn that we can’t effectively tell about him without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit on us. Even though the disciples were with Jesus and were eyewitnesses to all he had said and done, the Holy Spirit’s power on them was necessary to give them strength and wisdom and even protection as they went about telling others about Jesus. It would not always be an easy or safe task. The many Christians who suffered martyrdom for the gospel from the first century onwards are the proof of why this is so. Spreading the gospel isn’t always easy or safe because in the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
What did Paul mean by this? This is the section of Ephesians where Paul tells believers to put on the whole armor of God because Paul knew that we cannot be Christ’s witnesses to the world without the power of God’s Spirit in us which he likens to putting on an armor. There is another reason for the Holy Spirit’s enabling power on us. This is to allow the Word of God to make fertile ground the hearts of those to whom you will testify. It won’t convince everybody but without God’s Spirit at work in them no one can come to know Jesus. It is our reminder that it is not us in our physically weak and diminished selves that give the harvest of souls. It is only the Spirit of God. As Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”
Lastly, as truly Spirit-filled and empowered witnesses to the saving love and grace of our Lord Jesus, our lives and testimony should have a far reaching impact in our world. This is to say what we do and say about Jesus should have a transforming effect on those we witness to wherever we are from our homes through to our communities, our nation and the wider world. We must take note of the geographic implications in Jesus’ words to the disciples when he said, “…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV) You may notice he started in Jerusalem and Samaria and then to the ends of the earth. Here he was in essence saying, starting from right here where you are or where you live you must witness outward to the rest of the world. In other words they were being told that their testimony must begin right where they are in their own communities among their own families and neighbors first then like a pebble in a pond or the wave in an ocean, its ripple effect is then felt outwards as those around you hear the Word of God and are converted by it and in turn take the word elsewhere. One could say that as believers in Christ our witnessing about him should have a seismic effect wherever we are. It does not mean that there isn’t a genuine call for some people to go far from home with the message of the gospel. Indeed it is also true that God has planned this for some people. Many of the churches in the New Testament were started by people who had fled from persecution in Jerusalem and took the gospel with them to the distant places where they settled. It is indeed a part of God’s plan for some to take the gospel message far and wide but it is also crucial to witness for Christ first in your own homes and familiar surroundings then go outwards with the gospel as the Spirit enables you.
There is one more thing that we must note from the text. In order to be true followers of Jesus we must be prepared to go to those places and to those people who we would not normally associate with or in whose company we would not desire to be. Why would Jesus tell his disciples who were all Jews to go among the Samaritans? You may recall that the Jews and the Samaritans were not very close and in fact, despised each other. (See St. John 4:9) The most difficult people to reach quite often are those who you do not like or who do not like you or those who because of something else you are not comfortable reaching out to them. Maybe they are of a different race or a different ethnic group or from a different cultural background or maybe your family have had past conflicts with their people or maybe they simply are not of the socio-economic standing as you are and possibly too they are not seen as morally upright people. The people who you would rather not be seen with in broad daylight are exactly the people we should all be running to give the good news about Jesus as uncomfortable as it might make you feel at first. Sometimes you might even risk losing friends and family support because you have reached out to someone who everybody keeps away from but the Spirit of God will lead you to surprising and in your minds undesirable people and places for the gospel’s sake.Who are the people in our world today or in your own community you would rather have nothing to do with? Your testimony must reach them as well.
We all want to learn to follow Jesus’ footsteps and be his true representatives or witnesses in the world. We therefore cannot be passive followers. We must yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s power to transform our hearts first of all then make us be persons who are passionate and compassionate witnesses to the saving love and redeeming grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May we go from here recommitting ourselves to be available to be used as God’s vessels of love as we live the gospel in our communities and reaching out to the world by the impact of the Holy Spirit so that truly other people may know us by our love for them through Jesus the Christ. Amen.