After the resurrection Jesus appeared in the flesh to his disciples and spoke about the kingdom of God. Many people saw him and heard from him, even appearing to more than five hundred people at once.

But one encounter laid the groundwork for his disciples and all who followed after. In front of a group numbering around two dozen, Jesus responded to a question about the restoration of Israel. The disciples remained focused locally, but Jesus raised their eyes to the world.

He told them, It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.

More of a promise than a command, Jesus told of the coming Holy Spirit and the subsequent spread of his message. The results? A few dozen believers in Jerusalem has now grown to billions all over the world. What launched then is still going strong, a two thousand year old enterprise founded by the words of a man returned from the dead.

Who wouldn’t want to hear that story?

Acts 1:6-8

Photo by John Cafazza