Jesus, raised from the dead, was preparing to leave earth. Before ascending, he spent about forty days (cf. Acts 1:3) preparing his followers to carry on his work. Though his “marching orders” were clear, they must have sounded breathtaking and daunting to the little company of disciples. They’re still our orders, and still breathtaking: “make disciples of all nations … to the end of the earth.”

• Jesus’ commission was not primarily about organizational charts or articles of incorporation. Though things like that are often helpful as tools to carry out Jesus’ mission, his basic commission (“make disciples”) involves a response that can only come from people. How do Jesus’ marching orders make it clear that, in the end, our mission as individuals and as a church are all about people?
• Surely the creator God could have written the news of Jesus in the clouds, or spoken it from the skies. Instead, God’s primary way of carrying out the mission was also about people: “You will be my witnesses.” What factors made it more effective for God to use people as witnesses? Whose witness has shaped your life? In what ways have you been able to live out Jesus’ commission for you to be one of his witnesses?