Becoming the Lord's Witnesses Even to the Remotest Part of the Earth
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August 31, 2008 |
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 "But 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" (Acts 1:8).
Following His crucifixion to give salvation to all mankind, the Lord appeared before His disciples and confirmed to them His resurrection (Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-21, 24). After His resurrection, our Lord appeared before His disciples for 40 days and spoke to them about the works of God's kingdom. Then, as we find in Acts 1:4-5, our Lord "commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, 'Which,' He said, 'you heard of from Me,'" and promised His disciples "for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
After telling them, "But 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," Jesus "was lifted up while they were looking on" (Verses 8-9). As the resurrected Lord had asked of them, His disciples received the Holy Spirit and God's power, and made every effort to spread the gospel "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." As a result, a church was established in Jerusalem, the number of the saved increased day after day, and when a church was founded in Antioch, a land of the Gentiles, Paul the Apostle embarked on his missionary journeys. Christianity that began in Jerusalem was spread through Antioch and on to Turkey, Greece, and the Roman Empire, and spread eventually "even to the remotest part of the earth," including Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Yet, even today, countless people around the world have yet to receive Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. What are we to do if we are to carry out the Great Commission of our Lord?
1.We must receive the Holy Spirit and God's power.
Consider an incident that transpired to the Apostle Paul when he visited the Ephesus region on one of his missionary journeys. He asked some disciples who professed their faith in the Lord, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed" (Acts 19:1)? They replied, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit" (Verse 2). There are many Christians today who say they believe in Jesus Christ but not yet have received the Holy Spirit.
Receiving of the Holy Spirit requires one to believe in the heart and confess with his lips that Jesus the Son of God came into this world, that He was afflicted and crucified on behalf of all mankind in order for them to receive salvation by faith, that He resurrected, and that He ascended into heaven. As Romans 10:9 tells us, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," we can receive the Holy Spirit.
Only when one believes in Jesus Christ and receives the Holy Spirit to be a divine gift can his dead spirit revive and can he experience the works of the Holy Spirit. He will receive the Holy Spirit, learn of sin, righteousness, and the Judgment, and be guided by the voice of the Holy Spirit. When he receives the power of prayer, overcomes the enemy devil and Satan, and lives by God's Word, he can subdue and rule over the world. In other words, the gospel can be spread "even to the remotest part of the earth" only when he bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit and receives God's power. Here, the "power" refers to the strength by which one can defeat the enemy devil and Satan.
2.We must know the spiritual significance of "Jerusalem ... all Judea and Samaria ... [and] the remotest part of the earth."
"Jerusalem" is the place where the gospel was first preached and in spiritual terms, it refers to the temple in which we worship God. To a greater extent, "Jerusalem" signifies homes, schools, or workplaces of which each of us is a part. Therefore, becoming "a witness of the Lord in Jerusalem" requires each Christian to listen to God's Word, live by it by faith, and not only be obedient within the church according to the order but must also emanate the fragrance of Christ wherever one may find himself.
"Judea" is a region of which Jerusalem is a part and in spiritual terms, it signifies oneself and all children of God who have received Jesus Christ. Thus, becoming "a witness of the Lord in Judea" requires each of us as a child of God to take after the Lord who is the Light, emanate His light in this dark world, and become the salt of this world. Just as our Lord has done, each of us must sacrifice ourselves to give life to countless souls and serve to prevent any decay.
"Samaria," unlike Judea, is where the Gentiles reside and in spiritual terms, it indicates all corners of the globe to which the gospel has not yet been spread. After one has heard the gospel and become a child of God, he has to present Jesus Christ to the world and become His witness by emanating His fragrance. Doing so requires him to live wholly by the truth and magnify God with good deeds in everything. Only emanating God's light in such a manner will enable him to give life to his parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, and countless others and allow them to come before the Lord.
Now, then, where is "the remotest part of the earth"? It is Israel, the origin of the gospel where the gospel has been shunned by its people and the spread of the gospel meets the most difficult challenge. Becoming "a witness of the Lord in "the remotest part of the earth" calls for each believer to devote himself to prayer for the works of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in the Land of Israel for its people to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.
3.We must recognize God's Providence Accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Israel failed to recognize Jesus Christ as the One and Only Son of God and instead ended up crucifying Him. Nevertheless, God loves His elect Israelites without a change of heart and has shown His love to them to this day. In what ways is God allowing for the gospel to re-enter Israel from which the Good News originated?
The spreading of the gospel in Israel in the last days is possible only by God's methods and only at the time of His choosing. Amidst the works of the Holy Spirit who searches even the depths of God, the hearts of the Israelites whose spirits are hardened by a frame that is the Law of the Old Testament can be shattered. Just as a church was established in Jerusalem by the apostles who received God's power following the Lord's resurrection and ascension, God will raise up Israel in the last days by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Such mission work in Israel calls for the works of the power of the Holy Spirit on a colossal scale that no one will dare deny. As Jesus told us in John 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father," by the power of the Holy Spirit the works Jesus did and even greater works can be accomplished.
For this very reason, God has revealed to Manmin Central Church His plans for the mission work since the church's founding and personally tried and blessed the Manmin congregation to accomplish world mission by the power of the Holy Spirit. A closer look at Manmin's mission work since Year 2000 will easily reveal God's providence. In order to prevent any intervention or accusation on the part of the enemy devil and Satan while such secrets of God are revealed all around the world, God allowed the manifestations of the works of His power our Lord manifested to take place through Manmin and led this congregation each step of the way.
Furthermore, God has led Manmin to a level at which only the power of the Holy Spirit is capable of accomplishing anything and everything and is actively accomplishing today the final Providence of spreading the gospel in Israel. When the time of His choosing arrives, He will cover Israel, the origin of the gospel and a pivotal stage for the cultivation of mankind, with the works of the Holy Spirit the Helper.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as He has promised, our Lord who resurrected and went into heaven will return to the earth, riding on the clouds, when the gospel returns to Israel, where the Good News originated (Acts 1:11). May each of you come forth as a blessed child of God and welcome Him by receiving the Holy Spirit and God's power and becoming the Lord's witness "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth," in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
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