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My Witnesses | Week 1
My Witnesses
January 04, 2026
Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown
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
Witnesses = Martyrs
Our proclamation of the Good News must flow out of a life transformed by that Good News.
The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God. It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretaste of that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives. It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.
— Leslie Newbigin
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
— Matthew 25:34-40
The translation of dikaiosyne poses problems, however, at least in English. It can refer to justification, or to righteousness, or to justice. Most English New Testament translations reveal a bias toward the second meaning…To find a correct translation is, therefore, crucial. A wrong translation may in fact prove the aptness of the Italian saying…”The translation is a traitor!” Perhaps, however, we should not allow ourselves to choose between “righteousness” and “justice” when seeking for the meaning of dikaiosyne. Our problem may, rather, lie in the fact that the English language is unable to embrace the wide scope of dikaiosyne in one word. Maybe, then, we should translate it with “justice-righteousness,” in an attempt to hold on to both dimensions.
— David Bosch
Instead of “righteousness,” we should think in terms of “acting-rightly” for us and our neighbors.
2 Parts to “acting-rightly”
- Spirituality — Loving God
- Missions — Loving our neighbor
The goal of mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of ethnic or social-economic status, experiences the fullness of the Kingdom of God here and now.
When I think of words to describe deeply formed mission, I have in mind such words as patience, empathy, curiosity, discernment, incarnation, non coercive, invitational, justice, and service. We need these words to combat a way of doing mission that is is often impatient, transactional, coercive, obtrusive, judgmental, disembodied, and anxious.
— Rich Villodas
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By Redeemer Church
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My Witnesses
January 04, 2026
Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown
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
Witnesses = Martyrs
Our proclamation of the Good News must flow out of a life transformed by that Good News.
The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God. It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretaste of that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives. It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.
— Leslie Newbigin
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
— Matthew 25:34-40
The translation of dikaiosyne poses problems, however, at least in English. It can refer to justification, or to righteousness, or to justice. Most English New Testament translations reveal a bias toward the second meaning…To find a correct translation is, therefore, crucial. A wrong translation may in fact prove the aptness of the Italian saying…”The translation is a traitor!” Perhaps, however, we should not allow ourselves to choose between “righteousness” and “justice” when seeking for the meaning of dikaiosyne. Our problem may, rather, lie in the fact that the English language is unable to embrace the wide scope of dikaiosyne in one word. Maybe, then, we should translate it with “justice-righteousness,” in an attempt to hold on to both dimensions.
— David Bosch
Instead of “righteousness,” we should think in terms of “acting-rightly” for us and our neighbors.
2 Parts to “acting-rightly”
- Spirituality — Loving God
- Missions — Loving our neighbor
The goal of mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of ethnic or social-economic status, experiences the fullness of the Kingdom of God here and now.
When I think of words to describe deeply formed mission, I have in mind such words as patience, empathy, curiosity, discernment, incarnation, non coercive, invitational, justice, and service. We need these words to combat a way of doing mission that is is often impatient, transactional, coercive, obtrusive, judgmental, disembodied, and anxious.
— Rich Villodas