(Acts 1:6–11)
When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, His disciples still didn’t quite get it. They asked,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They were thinking about power, politics, and national restoration — in other words, activism.
But Jesus gently redirected them.
“It’s not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”
That single statement reshapes everything about what it means to follow Him.
It’s Not Activism We Are Called To
The disciples were ready for a movement. They imagined Jesus leading a revolution, overthrowing Rome, and reestablishing Israel’s glory. But Jesus wasn’t interested in political control — He was focused on spiritual transformation.
He didn’t send them to seize power. He sent them to share good news.
The kingdom of God doesn’t advance by protests or politics, but by hearts being changed through the message of Christ.
That doesn’t mean we ignore justice or stay silent about truth. It just means our hope isn’t in the systems of this world — it’s in a Savior who reigns above them.
It’s Not Pietism We Are Called To
On the other hand, it’s easy to swing the other direction — to retreat into a private, comfortable faith. To say, “Let’s just pray, study our Bibles, and stay out of the world’s mess.”
But that’s not what Jesus said either.
He didn’t tell the disciples to hide in the upper room. He told them to go — to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
The Spirit doesn’t empower us to withdraw — He empowers us to witness.
Faith was never meant to be kept quiet.
It Is Witnessing We Are Called To
A witness doesn’t invent a story; they simply tell what they’ve seen.
The disciples were called to do exactly that — to tell the world what they had seen and heard from Jesus.
That’s still our calling.
To speak of what Christ has done in us.
To show the love, mercy, and truth of God in everyday life.
To carry the presence of Jesus into every conversation, workplace, and neighborhood.
When Jesus ascended, the angels asked,
“Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”
In other words: Don’t just stare — go share.
The world doesn’t need more Christian activists trying to take over, or more spiritual hermits trying to hide away.
It needs more Spirit-filled witnesses — people who live and speak like Jesus is alive, because He is.
So, take a moment to think about where you tend to drift — toward activism, trying to fix the world in your own strength, or toward pietism, retreating from it altogether.
Jesus calls us to a better way.
To live as witnesses — Spirit-filled people who speak hope, love boldly, and carry His presence wherever we go.
Prayer:
Lord, help me not to get caught up in the noise of activism or lost in the quiet of isolation.
Fill me with Your Spirit so that I can be a faithful witness of Your grace and truth.
Let my life point others to You — not through my power, but through Your presence in me.
Amen.
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