In Acts 1:8 we read some of Jesus’ last words to His Disciples. “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.” It does not say that they might receive power, they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. It did not say they might be His witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth, they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. 

This was not their vision nor would it be their power. Christ was stating to them what was the sovereign will of God. 

They were to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth. Jerusalem was the city where they were. This would include their family, friends, and coworkers. Judea was the province they lived in. They may not know the people specifically, but culturally the people were like them. Samaria was the neighboring province. These people were farther way geographically. Also, the Jews and Samaritans despised each other. The ends of the earth was the last part of God’s call telling them to reach the whole world with the love of Jesus Christ.

His words were to be their confidence and their mission. The rest of the book of Acts is God’s record of how God used the early church to accomplish His mission through these four missions areas.

In Acts 1 God began to orchestrate events to grant the disciples a vision for the world. 

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit came. Because of the Pentecost celebration on that day, “there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” The disciples “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” In this way they were able to share the gospel to people from all over the world.  Peter stood and preached to the masses and that first day 3,000 people believed in Jesus and were saved. As the church continued to follow the Spirit’s leading, new converts were added to their number daily. 

God was moving, yet up to this point the disciples were only being witnesses to Jews mainly in the area of Jerusalem. God then used the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7 to expand their witness. Stephen was stoned to death because of his faith. In Acts 8:1,4 we then read these words,

Acts 8:1,4, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. . . ” “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

God had now expanded their witness from just Jerusalem to now include Judea and Samaria. In Samaria Philip preached and many came to faith in Jesus Christ. 

Through persecution God had now sent the Gospel to the Samaritans, those half-Jews who had intermarried with pagan nations centuries before. The Samaritans were reviled by the Jews and yet had heard the gospel and had responded with much joy. In a marvelous and surprising fashion, the Gospel had proven itself competent to save even Samaritans. 

Later in Acts 8 God sends this same Philip to a desert place between Jerusalem and Gaza. There in this desolate location Philip sees a chariot carrying an Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip engaged the eunuch in a conversation and the eunuch believed in Jesus and was baptized. From what we can see, it appears that the Ethiopian had been a Gentile but had converted to Judaism, so was viewed no longer as a Gentile, but now as a full Jew.

So now we have seen Jews from many nations come to faith in Jesus. We have seen Samaritans, those half-Jews, saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have seen a former Ethiopian Gentile who was now a Jew, saved by Jesus Christ. God’s next step was to answer the prayers of a Roman centurion (Acts 10). Through a vision God instructed Peter, a Jew, to go to Cornelius’ home to share the gospel with Cornelius, his friends and his family. Peter, a Jew, then broke all the Jewish norms of his day and entered the home of Cornelius, a Gentile. 

Peter then preached the “good news of peace through Jesus Christ.” “44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.”

This was a remarkable event because no one had ever seen salvation given to the Gentiles. Gentiles had received salvation but one must note that the Gentiles had sought the Jewish believers out. The Jewish church still had not caught a glimpse of the full plan of God. The Jewish believers still had not taken the initiative to reach out to the Gentiles with the good news of Christ.

This is the point of the story in Acts 11 that the city of Antioch comes into view. 

As we read the book of Acts we see how God orchestrated events in such a way that His will and desires for the spread of the Gospel from “Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth” were carried out. 

Acts 11:19-21 describes how some of those who were scattered because of the persecution traveled all the way to Antioch and spoke to the Greek gentiles, preaching the Lord Jesus and a great number of them believed.

This was a giant step in the spread of the gospel. Jews were purposefully taking the good news to the Gentiles. Finally, the mystery of the gospel and redemption of people from every nation, tongue and tribe would now be fulfilled.

While all of this had been happening God had been starting another story in the life of a man names Saul. Saul was a young devoted Jewish leader who had come to hate the Christians as heretics. He had led an effort for many Christians to be arrested and some even killed. It is mentioned that Saul was even holding the robes of those who stoned Stephen to death. Saul had been their and seen the God-honoring way that Stephen had died. 

In Acts 9 we read how Saul was traveling to Damascus to arrest more Christians when he say a vision of Jesus. Through this experience Saul became a follower of Jesus Christ. Much of the rest of the book of Acts would show how God would use Saul as a leader of the early church to lead in the effort to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

Eventually Saul, who would become known as Paul, would be sent out with others by the church in Antioch to start churches in areas that had never heard the gospel. 

God would use these early believers, though small in number and limited in resources, to eventually spread Christianity throughout the entire Roman Empire. 

As Paul and others went on multiple mission trips Jews and Gentiles were saved, churches were started, and many were discipled. Eventually this would multiply as more church planters were trained by Paul to the point that Acts 19:9-10 tells us, “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” What a remarkable testimony of the work of God that started with the initial Jews in Jerusalem and now had spread across what we know as modern day Turkey. 

But the story did not end their. God eventually led Paul and his companions to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to Macedonia, in Europe, then to Corinth, Philippi, Athens and eventually even Rome. 

If you read the story in the book of Acts you will see that these journeys were not easy. Paul almost died multiple times. They survived death threats, beatings, shipwrecks, prison, earthquakes, riots, but yet as they kept their eyes on Jesus, the Holy Spirit gave them all they needed to endure. 

Eventually Paul would be falsely accused by the Jews. His life was in danger and since Paul was a Roman citizen he appealed to Cesar. That is what God used to get Paul to Rome. Even in prison and then house arrest in Rome God continued to move His plan forward. 

Paul was being held in Rome by the Praetorian or Imperial Guard which were Caesar´s most elite soldiers and Caesar´s personal guards. The Praetorian Guard were housed in buildings on Palatine Hill, connected to the emperor´s palace. Paul’s imprisonment was not a strict confinement but a kind of house arrest that allowed for visitors that came often as we see in Acts 28:17, 23.

In both Acts 28:20 and Eph. 6:20, Paul was described as being “bound in chains.” This Greek word for chains was, “halusis.” It was a short chain with which the wrist of the prisoner would be chained to the wrist of a soldier. Acts 28:30 tells us that Paul remained in prison for two years in Rome. This would have allowed the rotating guards the opportunity to listen to countless sermons, prayers, lessons and songs that Paul was allowed to share with his many visitors. The guards would have noted his character, his Spirit and the gospel. 

In Philippians 4:21-23, we see another example of God using Paul to advance the kingdom in incredible ways. Paul writes, “all the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.” While Paul was in prison the Gospel had infiltrated Caesar´s household which would have included Caesar´s family, servants, slaves, soldiers, craftsman and officials. Somehow through the network of relationships the gospel had traveled from Paul and taken root in the palace, the home of Caesar.

Paul´s story should be an encouragement to us. If God was powerful enough to open a way for the gospel into the household of the emperor of Rome, surely He can open doors for us to share as well. Rome, the capital of the Roman empire encompassed what could be considered the “ends of the earth” and the witnesses of Christ had finally arrived.

As summarized by William Barclay, “The Church which at the beginning of Acts could be numbered in scores cannot now be numbered in tens of thousands. The story of the crucified man of Nazareth had swept across the world in its conquering course until now without interference it is being preached in Rome, the capital of the world. The gospel had reached the center of the world and was being freely proclaimed." (William Barclay, The Acts Of The Apostles, p. 193).

This was not all. During his time in prison Paul wrote the books of Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon. Paul´s missionary work bore much fruit, but nothing compared to the harvest that continues through his writing in scripture that we now have, 2000 years later. Much of this would likely never have been written if Paul had not been confined to prison for those two years. As Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, to his brothers who had years before sold him into slavery, “What you intended for evil God intended for good.” This is the power and the work of our God who works all things for good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)

In these verses you see that nothing will stop the advancement of the kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is sovereign enough and creative enough to be able to get the gospel beyond any obstacle. God´s creative sovereignty is boundless as He moves His kingdom forward.

As God worked in the times of the early church in Acts to force their hands when they did not go to the nations as He had commanded, might He be doing the same here in Houston with us today? While some missionaries have sought to reach the unreached, the western church for the most part has not gone fully to the nations.  God is now bringing the nations to us. Would it not be like God to bring a refugee all the way around the world so that he could hear the gospel, put his faith in Jesus and maybe even be the first person to take the gospel to his people back home.

We are to reach our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. That is our call. We see it on our publicity. We are Wilcrest Baptist Church, “Nations Reaching Nations.” Now is our time. As a multi-ethnic congregation we have relationships that touch many countries around the world. We are an extension of Christ’s call to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. God has called us to usher His kingdom into our homes, our workplaces and our city. He has called us to step out of our comfort zone and love those who are not like us. We are called to bring the light to this dark world, but this is something we will have to do together. 

According to recent statistics, Houston, remains the fourth most dangerous city in the United States when it comes to violent crimes. Houston’s largest school district is the topic of national discussion because of its problems. Houston is at the crossroads of human trafficking. Houston is an economically segregated city, with areas of great wealth and great poverty. 

Houston is the most diverse city in the nation, with no ethnic majority and nearly one in four residents of foreign birth. In the Alief ISD there are 95 languages spoken. There are over 40,000 students in the Alief ISD and over half of them are English language learners. Presently, our partner schools, Chambers and Owens Elementary both have over 80% children on free lunch and over 50% of children speak Spanish at home. In Houston there are now 15,000 to 20,000 Afghans. There are 40,000 Persians from Iran. There are 40,000 Arabs, 60,000 Pakistanis, 45,000 Indians and 10,000 Punjabis. There are thousands and thousands more refugees that are not included in these numbers. 

Sociologist Stephen Klineberg and his team from Rice University have been studying these trends in Houston for the last 40 years. Klineberg argues that by 2050, all of America will look like Houston. Because of this Klineberg notes,  “Houston is America on demographic fast-forward. This city is where, for better or worse, the future of our nation is going to be worked out.”

According to Klineberg’s findings, because of our diverse demographics Houston is leading the way as the United States moves towards a multi-ethnic future. In the same way, because of our church’s diversity, we are leading the way in Houston as churches try to grasp what multi-ethnic ministry will look like. We are already here. We are familiar with multi-ethnic ministry. In some ways you could say, for better or for worse, our church is one of the churches on the tip of the spear. What God does in and through us in the days ahead could impact other churches who come behind us. 

Could it be that we have been brought here for such a time as this? Let me invite you to no longer be content being a spectator but to get in the game. Step off the roadside and get on the bus. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for years please join with us. Make yourself available. Join a ministry. Invite others to church. Reach out to a coworker. Become part of a small group. Financially support what God is doing through our church. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. 

Your financial support impacts those who are caught in human trafficking. It protects the unborn. It shares the love of Christ with those in our neighborhood schools. It furthers our ministry to refugees and to the lost on university campuses. It helps those in our church who are in financial need. It makes a difference.

Take the next step. If you have not been giving financially at all, consider giving something. If you have given sporadically, commit in your heart to give regularly. If you give regularly consider stepping out in faith and increasing your giving. Ultimately let God guide you to what He would have you do, but may we each walk faithfully as we join together to be part of a God-sized mission here at Wilcrest Baptist Church. 

The book of Acts has shown us

• The sovereign will of God will not be stopped. May we vow to be a part of it. 

• God can use available, imperfect people to usher in His kingdom. May we surrender to His purposes.

• We have been invited to join with God in this place at this time. May we offer our lives to all that is required.