Sermon Date: 04/12/2026
Bible Verses:
- Acts:1:4-8
Speaker: Rev. Timothy "Tim" Shapley
Theme: https://uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/a-new
Introduction
Last time we looked at The Great Commission in Matthew 28.
Jesus commanded His followers to go and make disciples of all nations.
But in Acts 1 we see something important.
Before the disciples could go…
they had to wait.
Jesus did not send them out immediately.
He told them to remain in Jerusalem until something happened.
Because the mission of the Church cannot be accomplished with human strength alone.
Programs cannot do it.
Talent cannot do it.
Strategy cannot do it.
The mission of God requires the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 is one of the most important verses in the book of Acts:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This verse outlines the entire mission of the Church.
And it still guides us today.
Point One: The Setting
Acts 1:4 says:
“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.”
This moment happens after the resurrection.
Jesus has appeared to His disciples many times.
He has taught them.
He has proven that He is alive.
But before He ascends to heaven, He gives them final instructions.
The disciples are eager.
They ask in verse 6:
“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They are still thinking politically.
They are still expecting a national kingdom.
But Jesus redirects their focus.
The kingdom will grow…
but not through politics.
Not through military power.
It will spread through witness.
The gospel will move outward like ripples in water.
From one place…
to the next…
until the whole world hears.
But first, they must wait for the power that will make this possible.
Point Two: When the Holy Spirit Comes
Acts 1:8 begins:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”
The disciples were not ready to change the world yet.
But they would be.
The Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost in Acts 2.
And everything would change.
Before the Spirit came, the disciples were:
Fearful
Confused
Hiding
But after the Spirit came, they became:
Bold
Courageous
Unstoppable
Peter, who once denied Jesus three times, would stand up and preach to thousands.
The early church would spread rapidly across the Roman world.
Not because the disciples were extraordinary.
But because the Holy Spirit empowered them.
And the same Spirit still empowers the Church today.
The mission of God is not fueled by human strength.
It is fueled by the Spirit of God.
Point Three: First in Jerusalem
Jesus continues:
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem…”
The mission begins right where they are.
Jerusalem was the city where they lived.
It was their home.
It was the place where Jesus had been crucified.
Historically, Jerusalem in Jesus’ day was not enormous.
Scholars estimate the city covered roughly one square mile inside the walls.
Even during festivals when the population grew dramatically, it was still a relatively compact city.
Jesus was essentially saying:
Start right here.
Start in the place you already live.
Start with the people you already know.
The gospel does not begin somewhere far away.
It begins at home.
For us, that means starting right where we are.
Right here.
In this place.
In our homes.
In our neighborhoods.
In our workplaces.
This is our Jerusalem.
Point Four: All of Judea
Then Jesus says:
“…and in all Judea…”
Judea was the region surrounding Jerusalem.
This meant the gospel would expand beyond the city.
It would move into towns and villages throughout the region.
For us, this might look like expanding beyond our immediate location.
Not just our neighborhood…
but our broader community.
West Monroe.
Monroe.
Ouachita Parish.
The gospel should not stay contained in one building.
It should spread throughout the region.
Churches planting churches.
Believers sharing their faith.
Communities transformed by the message of Jesus.
The mission moves outward.
Point Five: Samaria
Then Jesus says something shocking.
“…and Samaria…”
To understand this moment, we must understand history.
Jews and Samaritans had deep hostility toward each other.
There were centuries of cultural, ethnic, and religious tension.
Many Jews would go out of their way to avoid Samaria completely.
But Jesus intentionally includes Samaria.
The gospel must reach even those people.
Those who are different.
Those who are disliked.
Those society pushes aside.
The kingdom of God crosses every barrier.
Racial barriers.
Cultural barriers.
Social barriers.
The gospel goes to the people others refuse to reach.
This is still true today.
The mission of the Church includes people who may feel forgotten.
Ignored.
Rejected.
Jesus sends His people to them.
Point Six: Then the World
Finally Jesus says:
“…and to the end of the earth.”
The mission does not stop locally.
It extends globally.
From Jerusalem…
to Judea…
to Samaria…
to the ends of the earth.
And this is exactly what we see happen in the book of Acts.
The gospel spreads across the Roman Empire.
Eventually it reaches every continent.
Today there are followers of Jesus in nearly every nation on earth.
But the mission is not finished.
There are still people who have never heard the name of Jesus.
The Church must continue the work.
Sending missionaries.
Supporting global ministry.
Praying for the nations.
Because the gospel is for the whole world.
Application
Acts 1:8 gives us a simple but powerful pattern.
The mission begins here.
Then moves outward.
Local.
Regional.
Cross-cultural.
Global.
And every believer has a role in this mission.
Some will go.
Some will send.
Some will support.
Some will pray.
But all of us are called to participate.
Because the Holy Spirit has empowered the Church for one purpose:
To be witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
The disciples stood on that mountain wondering what would happen next.
Jesus gave them a mission.
But He also gave them a promise.
They would not do it alone.
The Holy Spirit would empower them.
And the gospel would spread from a small city…
to the entire world.
And it all began with ordinary people who said yes to God's mission.
That same mission continues today.
Right here.
In our Jerusalem.
And all the way to the ends of the earth.
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!