6/1/08 - Walking Together - Acts 1:8

WE ARE WITNESSES TOGETHER
- To the ends of the earth
- About everything Christ has done

Jesus looked at his disciples and said to them, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” A monumental task for such a few men. An overwhelming obligation for Jesus’ few disciples as they stood on the hill from which their Lord ascended into heaven. Because these were not only some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples, these words also brought with them universal implications. “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” But this handful of believers could not carry out what the Lord had asked them to do. They could not be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth because there were too many people, there was too much ground to cover, there was too much opposition, and there was too little time. These disciples, no matter how faithful and dedicated they were, could not be the Lord’s witnesses to the world alone. And so they had to be his witnesses together. Not just with each other, but with the believers that would subsequently come to faith through their message. With the Christians whom the good Lord would call to himself during their lifetime and beyond. With people from different lands and different cultures, people who spoke different languages in different places. With all of these different kinds of Christians, with these various witnesses of Christ, they could then witness to the ends of the earth together.
And they must have done it and it must have worked. Because here we are today, in the middle of the Rocky Mountains in North America, half a world away from that ascension scene, millennia removed from those original Eleven, and we believe in the very same Lord as they who heard Jesus’ human voice! Together those few disciples along with the many thousands of witnesses throughout the centuries must have spread the Word to the world. Because now we, a smattering of individuals in a little known mountain valley, are his disciples too. We are part of the relatively few disciples who believe in his Name. And although Christ’s ascension has long since past, Jesus’ words to his present-day disciples still remain: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” You will. I will. We will be his witnesses because we are his disciples. A monumental task for us, isn’t it? There are too many people, there is too much ground to cover, there is too much opposition, and there is too little time! This group of believers in this congregation cannot be Christ’s witnesses to the world alone. We must be witnesses together. We must work closely together with the witnesses in the congregations of our circuit, with the witnesses in the congregations of our conference, of our district, of our Synod, and of our fellowship around the world if we are to carry out this all-important command from our Lord. Only together, only in connection with the witnesses of the world can we witness to the world.
And it starts here. It starts in the city of our congregation just like it started in Jerusalem for the disciples. After the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost ten days after the ascension, they preached to the people in Jerusalem, they stayed and taught the masses in that city, and they reached out to the lost souls who were living right there around them. But they didn’t stop there. Because the Lord didn’t stop there. He commanded them to go also into all of Judea, and so they did. And then up into the unfriendly land of the Samaritans, and so they did. And then completely out of the Promised Land altogether and as far as the ends of the earth. And so they did. But not by themselves. Those disciples did not travel to the far ends of the earth alone. Those disciples were witnesses of Christ to the world - together. They witnessed together with the apostle Paul, who witnessed together with Barnabas, Silas, and Titus. And Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus, Epaphroditus to Philippi, and Tychius to Colossae when he couldn’t go himself. Priscilla and Aquila taught Apollos in the city of Corinth, and he in turn helped with the ministry in that area and beyond. The disciple John wrote to seven congregations through the book of Revelation, working with those witnesses to witness to others. And on and on it went. From one country to the next, from one culture to another, from that generation all the way to ours. Those Christians went far beyond the walls of Jerusalem and they witnessed all the way to the ends of the earth together.
We must look beyond the walls of our own Jerusalem. Not the literal Jerusalem, obviously, but our Jerusalem - our community and our city and the area that we are surrounded by. It starts in our Jerusalem, of course. We should witness and reach out and care for those who are living here. We should put the time and the effort in to bringing as many people as possible in this area to the true faith in Christ as their Savior. But it doesn’t stop here. We are to be concerned about the souls of those in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Because this is the Lord’s command for us. It’s not for others. It’s not for someone else. It’s for you! It’s for me! It’s for this congregation! This is not an optional command that only applies to world missionaries. This is not a voluntary job that is only given to larger congregations or a district endeavor or the Synod as a whole. The Lord is speaking to you personally. And that does not mean that he expects you to physically go to foreign countries. You do not need to physically talk to people from different cultures in different lands that you have never been to before. The original disciples didn’t. Those disciples didn’t physically get to the ends of the earth by themselves. But they sent the witnesses there. They trained the witnesses, they prayed for the witnesses, they supported the witnesses that made it to the ends of the earth. This is your duty: to support, to pray for, and to send witnesses to the far reaches of the world.
But we rarely get out of our own Jerusalem. Because as members of this congregation and as the pastor of this congregation, we are so focused on us, aren’t we? We are so intent on witnessing to those in the immediate area. We are so concerned about building up our membership, boosting the building fund, and getting into a brand-new worship facility as soon as possible. Now, concerning yourself with those things is great. It’s commendable. But only concerning yourself with those things is not. In your prayers, in your thoughts, in your concerns, in your offerings - how often has St. Paul’s in Grand Junction crossed your mind? Or the strength of our district? Or the solidarity of our Synod? Or specific men and women of our mission fields? I would be willing to guess that most of your thoughts and prayers and concerns about the work of the Lord have to do with us, right? And I hope you pray and are concerned for us! I hope you pray for me. I hope you pray for every member of this congregation. But I fear that is where your thoughts stop. Because my thoughts often don’t go beyond these walls.
We hear that some confessional Lutheran congregations in Japan might have to be closed because of dwindling membership, and we tend to think to ourselves: “That’s really unfortunate, but at least we’re doing well here, so it’s not big deal!” We strenuously pray and pray and pray that the Lord would bless us with a new church building soon, but we have rarely, if ever, include in those prayers the 190 other WELS mission congregations in this country that are fighting to survive. We rejoice at the increase of our congregational offerings in this past year, the increase of our unity, the increase of our evangelism participation, but we don’t bother to spend the time to find out how any other congregation in our Synod is doing, and if we do happen to hear of the wonderful blessings given to another WELS church we’re almost envious of what they have! “Why can’t we be blessed like that? We want that congregation, that turnout, that building…” It is very easy to become a selfish congregation. To almost completely cut ourselves off from anyone else and concentrate our efforts and prayers and offerings solely on the work that needs to be done here. The thought is: “As long as we’re doing well here, I’m not going to be too concerned about what happens anywhere else.” But the Lord has not called us to be witnesses by ourselves for ourselves. He has called us to be witnesses to the world. Together.
So take a look again at what you are witnesses of. Because when you remember what you are witnesses of, that selfishness will be revealed, but that selfishness will be forgiven… You are a witness of Christ himself. You have seen, you have heard, and you have experienced what Christ has done for all people. Maybe not in the same way the original disciples were witnesses of what Christ had done, but you are a very real witness nonetheless. Because you have witnessed Christ in his Word. And since his word is the “power of God,” it is just as powerful on your hearts than if Jesus himself were audibly speaking into your ear. And so you have actually seen Christ enter this world in a barn. You have watched him grow up in perfection. You have been present at his miracles and his sermons. You have laid eyes on his scourged back, his pierced hands, and his punctured skull. You have heard his cries of agony on the cross. You have experienced the inexpressible joy of the empty tomb on Easter morning. You have held forgiveness in your hands. You have witnessed your salvation! You are an eye-witness of your salvation and everything that Christ has done to make it happen. This is what you have seen. This is what you believe. And you are not alone. Because any Christian in any culture in any country in any time is a witness right along with you. They have seen and heard and experienced the exact same things that you have in the exact same Word of God. You are witnesses together of Christ himself to the world.
Because the word “witness” is a two-handed word. It’s a double action word. You are not only a witness of - you have not only seen, heard, and experienced what Christ has done for you, but you are also a witness about - you relay, you communicate what you have seen to others. A witness cannot do one thing without doing the other. And this is what all Christians are. Witnesses! Witnesses of Christ and witnesses about Christ. And this is precisely why we can, why we should, and why we must witness together. You cannot speak the Hmong language. But Pastor Paul Thao in Appleton, WI can for you. Many Christians in Brazil or Taiwan or the Dominican Republic can’t hop on a plane to this country and walk up and down the streets of Montrose delivering information about the gospel. But you can for them. There are many different things that many different Christians can do that must other Christians do not have the time, opportunity, or means to do themselves. That’s why we must work together. Together with the Christians around the world we can witness in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Through our prayers, through our offerings, through the sending and training and encouraging of young men and women to go, we can witness together about everything that Christ has done. Together it is our mission. It is our duty. It is our joy.
“We all are one in mission.” we just sang in Hymn 566. “We all are one in call, our varied gifts united by Christ, the Lord of all. A single great commission compels us from above to plan and work together that all may know Christ’s love. We all are called to service, to witness in God’s name. Our ministries are different; our purpose is the same.” As these days and weeks go by, my brothers and sisters, let’s remember to look past these walls of our Jerusalem. Out into the world. As far as the ends of the earth and to all of the witnesses that are already there. Mention them in your prayers. Include them in your thoughts and concerns. Support them with your offerings. Help them by encouraging others to go and serve. And know that they are doing the same for you. Because we are witnesses together. With each other, with our circuit, with our conference, with our district, with our Synod, with our fellowship of believers. To the ends of the earth. To the glory of the Lord.
Amen.

“May the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Thess. 1:12