And you will be my witnesses...

In many of the more traditional congregations and denominations of the Church the Thursday just gone was celebrated as the Feast of The Ascension. This is the day which Christians have historically set aside to remember Jesus returning to Heaven forty days after his resurrection. There are three accounts of this event in the New Testament, in each of the gospels of Luke and Mark, and in Acts (which Luke also wrote). In each of those places Jesus gives a final set of instructions to his gathered disciples; directing them to go out and to make disciples from all of those who will come to have faith in him through their message.

In Luke’s version Jesus is very clear in separating the parts of the world and in outlining how the planet is to be reached: first Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and then the Ends of the Earth. Jesus also tells the gathered disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit comes on them with the Power from on High, so we know that Jerusalem is where they were at the time even though they had all started out in Galilee. But what do these four geographical locations mean for us? Is Jesus’ command to Unity Hill to go to Port Lincoln, the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, and beyond? Is such a request reasonable of us as individuals, or could it mean something else in this day and age? I want to suggest to you that we can each, as individuals, operate in each of these four areas:

Jerusalem: The people we live with, work with, and spend time with. The people we have direct contact with.

Judea: The people we might have occasional contact with, or “friends of friends”. How we interact within our circles has an effect on how those in our circles interact with the other people in theirs.

Samaria: The people beyond our indirect contact, but with who we share similarities.

The Ends of the Earth: People we will never meet this side of Heaven and with whom we share nothing more than air and the love of our gracious and beautiful God. (Quite possibly they are aware only of the first one.)

In each of these groups God has plans for us as individuals, and as a local church. In twenty-first century Unity Hill where Mwandi may be Judea for some, and Mallee Park the Ends of the Earth for others, we can rely on Him to lead us in being influential and active in all four spheres.

After all, it was Jesus’ idea in the first place.

This was the newsletter message I wrote for my church for Sunday 24th May 2009. I also preached the sermon that week, but have not included the text of that message here.