This post is a continuation of Acts 1:8 Now, a Bible study for missional living.

“But 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

Lesson One: First Things First
Jesus’ words found in Acts 1:8 constitute one of the most profound utterances of our Savior. These final words of Jesus shaped the DNA of the first church like few other statements.  If we think the words were important 2000 years ago, those same words should be no less powerful today.

Unfortunately, the status quo teaching and preaching regarding Acts 1:8 reflects an exegesis that neglects truth for the sake of convenient hyperbole.

Second only to Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8 is one of the most widely used “mission sermon” texts.

When you read this passage, what are the first words that jump off the page at you? __________  ____________ ______________  _____________ ______________

Describe below the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the following three Acts 1:8 expressions. (There are no wrong answers.)

Jerusalem –

Ends of the Earth –

As a rule, we describe these three or four locations in terms of proximity to me.

Jerusalem –  My hometown or closest family and friends (near me).

Judea & Samaria – Beyond my hometown (outside my home town).
Ends of the Earth – Far away from my hometown (outside of my nation).

There’s a basic factual-geographic issue that turns this analogy on its head.

Jesus, who spoke these words, would never have considered Jerusalem his hometown. Witnessing in your hometown is the right thing to do, however, that was not Jesus’ point in Acts 1:8.

Looking through the same old lens
Since we are trying to look at this passage through a new lens, we need to remind ourselves of the previous manner in which we have viewed this scripture.

The following are three common ways in which we have approached Acts 1:8.

Stay in Jerusalem unless God specifically tells you to go.  Acts 1:8 is more about verse 4 than about verse 8. The point is to wait.  Simply wait and do nothing else until God tells you what to do. Only those with an extraordinary call have a responsibility for ministry beyond my friends, family and my hometown.

Prioritize my hometown – God cares more about my hometown than the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 means we are to first complete the work in my hometown; second we are to consider working beyond my hometown but within my nation. Finally at some later point in time we are to hire professional missionaries, send them and pray for them as they go internationally.

Number one (above) focuses upon staying and waiting. The focus of number two (above) is on the sequence and priority for geographical distribution of the gospel – first witness to my city, then witness to my state and my nation, and when you have reached your city and your state and your nation, only then consider getting involved in witnessing internationally.  Both of the above interpretations focus on geography – the location of service.

God commands His followers to go as His witnesses near, far, and farther. Acts 1:8 commands all of God’s people to mission work in the following three locations:

in my hometown,

within my nation,

and throughout the world.

Each of these understandings in isolation falls short of the primary teaching of Acts 1:8.

What then is the main point of Acts 1:8?
Is it primarily about the geographic location of Christian missions activity?

Is Acts 1:8 a command or is the verb tense a foretelling of what God will do through His people? Since Jerusalem was NOT Jesus’ home town, why do we assume that Jesus’ reference to Jerusalem is a command for us to be a witness in “my home town?” These are just a few of the questions that must be asked. Examine this passage from a First Century perspective –THEN- in order to understand how it relates to us NOW.

More about Acts 1:8: Then and Now  on the next post…

Today marks the first of several posts which essentially make available to you portions of the Missional Discipleship Guide written by Mark Morris called Acts 1:8 Now. The intent is to provide fresh eyes and application for a local church, a small group, or an individual establishing a personal World Christian plan for missional living. The entire study will be available later for download on this site.

Acts 1:8 Now

Preface: Acts 1:8 Now

“But 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

There are at least six reasons that Christendom needs to take a fresh look at what has become a status quo, self-serving utilization of this familiar mission passage. Theologians and preachers work diligently to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Interestingly, we have a bad habit of taking this familiar passage and simply riding the wave of rhetoric, accepting a less than thorough examination of its meaning. Without praying over, studying, and exploring these well-used passages, missionaries, preachers, and writers alike have merely co-opted their predecessors’ conclusions. If the same level of scrutiny, prayer, and study were applied to Acts 1:8 as we apply to other less familiar passages, then Acts 1:8 Now would be unnecessary. Six reasons follow.

Acts 1:8 is commonly interpreted with an incorrect verb tense. (Was Jesus commanding His disciples to go and be His witness or was he prophetically stating an eternal reality? Is Jesus saying “GO!” or is He stating, “You will go.” What’s so important about the verb tense?)

Acts 1:8 is most often used to articulate a mission strategy of proximity which ignores historical and factual data. (Jesus’ home town was not Jerusalem, yet we apply this passage by advocating a strategy based on Jerusalem as my “hometown” mission field. We extrapolate from this passage that Jesus is commanding us to witness to “my Jerusalem” or my hometown and my family and friends. If that was Jesus’ message, why didn’t he say, “you will be my witness in Nazareth?”)

Acts 1:4 has been used to mandate a strategy of inaction. (Just wait. If God doesn’t call you to go, then you are only responsible for ministry in your hometown.)

The places of Acts 1:8 –Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, and the ends of the earth– have been used almost exclusively to advocate a strategy of proximity without any thought to the more significant theological underpinnings. (What is the theological significance of the places of Acts 1:8? What is the theological significance of Jerusalem as a center of Truth and a hub of the dissemination of spiritual Truth? How does a theological view of Jerusalem affect the way we apply Acts 1:8 in contemporary missions?)

Contemporary Christians tend to view biblical place-references (Judea & Samaria) from a Western view of geo-political entities, i.e. nations. However, the biblical worldview is much more influenced by people-group thinking than by geography. (Dividing up mission organizations and mission strategies into local and global, near, far, and farther is organizationally helpful. Perhaps we should not focus as much on the places, rather on the peoples of Acts 1:8: their worldview, their ideology, and the status of their spiritual health.)

Theologically sound exegesis has been ignored for the sake of convenient rhetoric. We mean well, but familiarity with this passage has bred a casual approach to Acts 1:8. We are so ready to jump to Acts 1:8b that we pay no attention to Acts 1:8a. (How does the application change if we view the places mentioned in Acts 1:8 not as my places of mission activity, but as God’s arena of mission action?)

May God open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts and may He kindle fresh insights into local and global ministry. It is time to evaluate church missions activity, organizational missions priorities, and personal missions values through a new lens.

(More from Acts 1:8 Now in the next post)
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the Holy Bible, NIV.