He said to 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.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. - Acts 1:7-9

I love jury duty. Strange, I know. I’ve had the privilege of sitting on two. Perhaps it is because I love a good mystery and being on a jury is like being a detective trying to solve one. In my experience, I feel the weight of responsibility to hear all the testimony and evidence, to deliberate with others on the matter, and then arrive at a conclusion in light of the law.

I have never, however, been a witness in a trial. That feels weightier to me. To take an oath to tell the truth and not what is false, leaving nothing out but also adding nothing in. To know my testimony, as truthful as I attempt to be, might be erroneous and lead to a wrongful conviction is no easy burden. And yet, at its core, being a witness simply means to recount what you have seen and heard.

The book of Acts opens during the 40-day period between the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. During that time, Jesus has been speaking to his disciples about the kingdom of God (1:3). They get sidetracked over concerns about the timing of the restoration of the kingdom (1:6). Jesus redirects them and instead gives them a concise mission statement. Their main job (and ours as well) is to be a witness (1:8).

Notice several things about this call to be a witness.

It is a gift. Notice it is not something we take but something we receive. It has been given to us by our God. And gifts from Him should be received with joy.

It is empowered. God doesn’t give us this gift, this calling, this responsibility without also giving us the power to do it. And this power comes from the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. What greater power could we have?  

It is God-centered. Jesus says that we are to be his witnesses. That has a twofold sense. On one hand, we are his witnesses because he is the one who calls us and sends us. On the other hand, he is also the subject of our witness. We testify about the person and work of Jesus. Luke starts the book of Acts affirming that when he states that in his first book, the gospel of Luke, he dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. The sequel, Acts, is in a real sense witnessing to what Jesus continued to do and teach by His Spirit through the church. 

It is not limited to one space. Our call to be witnesses knows no bounds. We serve as witnesses in all the places where God has placed us. Because the goal is that there would be witnesses for Jesus everywhere.

The title of this post is actually misleading. Acts 1:8 makes it clear that Jesus is not asking if we want to be his witnesses. He is declaring that is what we are. The question is not, “Will I be a witness?” but “Will I be a faithful witness?” Saints, how do you answer?