“... and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

 

THESE WORDS FROM ACTS 1 were Jesus’ final words on earth... at least until He returns in His Second Coming. The next verse says, “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

Final words spoken are often important, even more when they are spoken by the resurrected Christ just before He ascends back to heaven. So, what did Jesus mean when He said, “You shall be my witnesses”?

In this instance, He was talking to the apostles and telling them to carry forth the message of all they had seen and heard during His earthly ministry, including His death on the cross, which brings salvation to those who will believe. But even more than that, they were to be witnesses to something else. 

Consider the context. If you were told to “be witnesses” to One who just weeks before had died and three days later, had walked out of the tomb, then what should that witnessing entail? Obviously: “He is risen!” And that was indeed the message proclaimed by the apostles, and continues to be the message of the church, even today. He is risen and has conquered death for all who look to Him by faith.

 

Pastor Craig publishes  "A Word from God's Word" weekly in the "Kootenay News Advertiser".

About the Author

Pastor Craig has served as Senior Pastor of Cranbrook Fellowship Baptist Church since 2018. His passion is for preaching and teaching God's Word, as it is through the proclamation of the gospel that God does His work in people's lives.