Thursday, September 15

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Acts 1: 8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I have an unopened can of Coke on a shelf in my home office that I purchased in China in 1982. I keep it because, in a way, it reminds me of what Jesus is saying in Acts 1.

I have often said that the Coca-Cola company is arguably the greatest marketing achievement in human history. Think about it. Coke is basically carbonated sugar-water. Coke has little, if any, nutritional value and many would argue that it is, in fact, bad for your health. Yet I have traveled to over 20 countries on four continents (some of you have traveled far more than I) and I have never been anywhere in the world where I could not find a Coke product. And in most of those countries – from China to Bolivia to Turkey – I could find a cold Coke (well, maybe not always cold!) within 5 minutes if I tried.

Marketing is nothing more than “bearing witness” to a product or service. The Coca-Cola company has done a pretty good job bearing witness to their product – convincing millions of people every day to buy and consume a soft drink that does not actually quench thirst.

When I look at that Coke can from China on my shelf I sometimes think about what Jesus said:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

As a follower of Jesus I know that the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in my heart. I may not always be aware of the Spirit’s presence and activity in my life – but I know the Spirit lives in me because Jesus promised! And if you have put your faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart as well. But notice that, as we talked about yesterday, Jesus has given us his Spirit not just so that we can know his peace and presence with us – but to empower us as his witnesses.

Look at the ripple effect in Jesus’ mandate. He says we are to be his witnesses in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jerusalem was where the disciples lived – it was their home turf. Judea was a larger region, outside of Jerusalem. Samaria was inhabited by people very different from the early disciples – people with whom Jews had little or no contact. And then, obviously, the “ends of the earth” refer to places and people far, far from Jerusalem.

I think Jesus is saying that the ripple effect of witness starts right where we live – with people who are just like us – who live in our neighborhoods and stand beside local soccer fields with us. The ripple effect of witness continues outward to those who do not live in our towns and are not like us at all (remember that Jews thought themselves to be spiritually superior to Samaritans and usually avoided contact with them). Finally, the ripple effect of witness continues all the way to the far-flung regions of our world. In short, Jesus gave us his Spirit so that we might reach the world with his truth.

Is it possible that more people worldwide know about Coca-Cola than know about Jesus? Is it possible that Coca-Cola has done a better job at witness than the church?

Ask God to remind you often, perhaps every time you see a Coke product, to look for ways to bear witness – both right here in the Fox Valley as well as around the world - to the only one who can quench our spiritual thirst!

Pastor Brian Coffey