We sure have had some wind lately! In grade school I remember we would always talk about the month of March and whether the weather would come and go like a lion or a lamb. Well, in our study of Acts, “The Gospel on the Ground” with Kristi McLelland, we’ve heard a fair bit about wind also! She tells us it is said in Israel that “When the wind is blowing, the Spirit is moving.” I pray that is true for the ladies that are attending this study with me, but also for the rest of you!
We don’t want to just believe in Jesus, we want to follow so closely in the dust of his sandals that it will be obvious to those around us that we’re just like him! In Jesus’ entire life, he rarely traveled outside a 100 mile radius of his birthplace and yet his name is known unto the ends of the earth. Our focus verse comes from 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.” Something powerful we learned was that the word witnesses in Acts 1:8 comes from the Greek word marture’o. This is where we get our word martyr from. The verse carries much more weight when we recognize we are to live sacrificially for Christ to make him known. The Roman Empire around them was settled by Alexander the Great into Vegas-like Hellenistic cities where pleasure and power were the only concerns. The Roman Empire was one of Entertainment, Scarcity and Separation. The early church people had their property confiscated, they were harassed, tortured, arrested, jailed, burned at the stake, and yet, AND YET the pagans who were doing this to them gave them the name Christian because it was so obvious that they belonged to the Kingdom of Celebration, Abundance, and Unity that came through salvation in Christ. They did not bend knee to the emperor, they adopted unwanted children, they were sacrificially generous.
In Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven being like mustard seed. In our culture we think about the appearance of the thing and about how it’s a tiny seed, but in the Jewish culture they are concerned with the function and mustard seed’s function is to be a highly invasive weed! Kristi tells us that if you stand still long enough it will grow up your leg! Persecution of the early church in Jerusalem caused the mustard seed to disperse throughout the Roman empire and all through Acts you can see that weed grow!
You and I are mustard seed bringing the Kingdom of God unto the ends of the earth today. Where and who will we bring the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of celebration to? Who will recognize in our lives that we are bringing restoration to brokenness? Who has needs we can meet with our abundance? How can we bring unity where there is division? Who is tired of amusing themselves to death and looking for meaning? We are informed by the Word of God, Infused with the Spirit of God! How will the Kingdom of God be made known through YOU? Don’t be a believer, be a follower!
-Amy Boyd
..P.S. It was so hard to narrow down all the insights into scripture we’ve been learning but I felt compelled to share something! So, if your curiosity is piqued, find an attendee or find me and get pumped up about the Gospel on the Ground!