“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus gave this specific instruction to His disciples before He ascended to His Father in heaven. It is laden with power and direction. To begin this study, let us look at the construction of the verse. It begins with but and is followed by four ands. First let’s look at the but.

The disciples had just asked Jesus when He was going to restore the kingdom of Israel. They still had in mind an earthly kingdom. He tells them it was not for them to know the times or the epochs and assures them that the timing and power of all this is in God’s hands. Then in one amazing phrase beginning with but, He turns their attention onto the Holy Spirit and onto the people of this world. But first they had to wait for the promise of the Father. They were not to leave Jerusalem—at least not yet. Then He turned and disappeared into the clouds.

The but is a decisive call to get our thinking off the things of this world and onto the priorities of the Kingdom. Our focus is not to be on earthly kingdoms. It is about reaching souls. And for this God gives power.

The first and then links us to the reason that God’s power is given: “and ye shall be witnesses.” The power is not for our own pleasure or fulfillment. No, it is for an outflow to others. We are blessed to be a blessing.

We have been given all authority in heaven and on earth for this work! (See Matthew 28:18-20.) The work has direction and thrust. It starts and moves out, and nothing in between is overlooked. Let’s look at the various parts.

“In Jerusalem”: These are the people right around us. They are like us; they are of the same culture and language as we are. There are not a lot of human barriers in witnessing to them. We know how they think, and we have a lot in common.

“And in all Judea”: These are people like us but not in our vicinity (city). We need to make more of an effort to travel out into another area of the country to speak to them. But they still speak the same language and are of similar thinking (culture).

“And in Samaria”: In the days of Jesus the Samaritans were of a different race of people. The Jews did not naturally mix with them even though they did not have to cross a border post to get to them. They were of a different culture. For us today the analogy is the people all around us who speak and think differently. They may have a different skin color and come from different cultural backgrounds, but are in the same country. They may be in the city or they may be on a reservation. Or they may be scattered in our communities and have close ties with others of likeminded ethnic background.

“And unto the uttermost…”: This meant the people around and beyond and borders of Israel. It included all the others. It takes more effort and sacrifice to reach these groups. It may mean traveling a long way by land or sea or air. It may cost more money. It may mean learning a new language and adapting to a different way of living. But no one is left out because God’s love reaches to every group and every person on the face of the earth.

So we notice that the but is followed by these four ands. The first and connects the power to the witnessing and the successive ands connect us equally to the mission fields all around us and across the world.

We must understand that Jesus never had in mind that we first need to complete the job in our own community and then we can go to the next step. If this were the case, few would ever make it beyond their Jerusalem. But neither is it an either/or approach. If we focus only on one group or ministry at the exclusion of others, we only partake of part of the vision that Jesus set forth.

The vision is all-inclusive. It is a both/and command. It is a vision for all peoples everywhere, a global vision. Myopia is a condition of the eyes that we call shortsightedness. But God would want us to see the world through His eyes. “For God so loved the world….” “ God is not willing that any should perish.” That should also be our passion.

True, we cannot give quality time and effort to each of these areas. We have limited time and finances. But what is at the heart of the matter? Is it not our attitude? Is it not a vision for the whole world?

When we hear of a neighbor down the road who is lost and in bondage, are we burdened for him? When we hear of an unreached tribe, does a desire rise up in our heart to see them reached, even though we can’t go? When we hear of a natural disaster somewhere, especially among peoples in spiritual darkness, do we feel compassion? We may not be able to personally go and help, but we can pray that God will intervene. What a blessing to be in a prayer meeting and to lift up needs all around the world! A church that is filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit and has an integrated vision like this will be mightily blessed by God to reach beyond itself to bless others.

It is imperative that both individual believers and whole churches hear from God what ministry or ministries they are called to. He is the Lord of the harvest, and He will direct His workers to their places. Scripture says “there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” May God lead each of you into the sphere of service He has for you in reaching the lost, and remember; keep a vision for the world in front of you.