One of the most quoted New Testament verses has to be Acts 1:8. This is a go-to text for missions conferences or sermons on sharing the gospel. If you are not familiar, it says:
“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.”
Because of the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, Christians have a supernatural boldness to tell others about Jesus—to be His witnesses, to use the biblical phrase. I would like to point out that the word “and” is found three times among the final thirteen words of the verse. Nowhere in the text do we see the word “or,” but too many of us act like that is what it says.
The disciples were not told to pick a place. Jesus did not say, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, or maybe Judea or Samaria, or possibly to the ends of the earth.” He repeatedly said and, not or.
Because we are not in the Middle East we might not understand this as readily as the disciples did. Geographically, Jesus was working His way outward, starting with Jerusalem, and finishing with the ends of the earth. In a similar way, we could say that we should be witnesses in the city we call home, and also throughout our state and country, and even around the globe.
That might mean we go on short term trips, but we can also go with our prayers and our dollars. We can be witnesses to the ends of the earth by praying for missionaries and financially supporting their work.
We need an and, not an or, approach. Some are good at reaching their neighborhood but forget about those around the world; others take the trips and send their money, but they neglect the ones who live next door. Until the whole world hears the gospel we need to reach Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
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