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Called to be Witnesses (5/17/26)
Now, for the rest of Spring, and on through the Summer, our study is going to take us through the Book of Acts. These chapters are Luke’s way of showing the continuing presence of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Some folks even call this book “The Acts of the Spirit.”
Many years ago (as old as I am, lots of things happened “many years ago”), I went to a local church celebration of the anniversary of its founding. I figured they would acknowledge the folks who 150 years earlier had formed the congregation. No! They went back further than that. They celebrated those who gathered for the Ascension of Christ (Acts 1:6) as the real occasion for the founding of their church. Back to basics
The Book of Acts, like the Gospel according to Luke, is addressed to Theophilus. That name means “friend of God” or “lover of God,” so some students of the Bible think it is written for all believers, and not just one person with that name. As the church’s journey unfolds in this account, it indeed becomes our story.
And Jesus calls on us, as well as those early disciples, to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). That sounds like a delightful invitation until we realize that the word translated “witness” is martus, the same word that gets translated “martyr.” What is the price of our telling others what we know about Jesus?
The question raised in Acts 1:11 is a good one for us. “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” That is our temptation: to make the journey with Jesus sort of an “out of this world” experience. On the contrary, Jesus calls on us to witness in this world, in our daily experience, in our human relationships, in this life as we know it.
On the church calendar, last Thursday (May 14), was Ascension Day. Some traditions do not observe Ascension Day (or today as Ascension Sunday). We are left to wonder: “Is that because the ascension of Jesus was when He turned to us to live out His ministry?”
What Someone Else Has Said: In commenting on Acts 1:8, John Wesley wrote (Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, Alec R. Allenson, Inc.): “’ But ye shall receive power…and shall be witnesses to me,’ that is, ye shall be empowered to witness My gospel, both by your preaching, and your suffering.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Lord, Jesus, You have looked at the likes of me, and still You have said that I am to be a witness, so pour out that grace that can use even me to be faithful…”
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By NC Conference of The UMCNow, for the rest of Spring, and on through the Summer, our study is going to take us through the Book of Acts. These chapters are Luke’s way of showing the continuing presence of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Some folks even call this book “The Acts of the Spirit.”
Many years ago (as old as I am, lots of things happened “many years ago”), I went to a local church celebration of the anniversary of its founding. I figured they would acknowledge the folks who 150 years earlier had formed the congregation. No! They went back further than that. They celebrated those who gathered for the Ascension of Christ (Acts 1:6) as the real occasion for the founding of their church. Back to basics
The Book of Acts, like the Gospel according to Luke, is addressed to Theophilus. That name means “friend of God” or “lover of God,” so some students of the Bible think it is written for all believers, and not just one person with that name. As the church’s journey unfolds in this account, it indeed becomes our story.
And Jesus calls on us, as well as those early disciples, to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). That sounds like a delightful invitation until we realize that the word translated “witness” is martus, the same word that gets translated “martyr.” What is the price of our telling others what we know about Jesus?
The question raised in Acts 1:11 is a good one for us. “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” That is our temptation: to make the journey with Jesus sort of an “out of this world” experience. On the contrary, Jesus calls on us to witness in this world, in our daily experience, in our human relationships, in this life as we know it.
On the church calendar, last Thursday (May 14), was Ascension Day. Some traditions do not observe Ascension Day (or today as Ascension Sunday). We are left to wonder: “Is that because the ascension of Jesus was when He turned to us to live out His ministry?”
What Someone Else Has Said: In commenting on Acts 1:8, John Wesley wrote (Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, Alec R. Allenson, Inc.): “’ But ye shall receive power…and shall be witnesses to me,’ that is, ye shall be empowered to witness My gospel, both by your preaching, and your suffering.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Lord, Jesus, You have looked at the likes of me, and still You have said that I am to be a witness, so pour out that grace that can use even me to be faithful…”