Jesus Chose Us to Continue His Mission
Do you ever find yourself going back to the basics of the faith? Sometimes I find it refreshing to simply hear the gospel and see what God has done in the past through his people. As I was working on my preaching schedule for the fall, I landed on the Book of Acts because it’s the perfect back-to-basics book of Scripture. It’s an opportunity for a spiritual reset as the seasons change and life starts to settle down a bit.
To truly understand the Book of Acts, we need some context. Acts is a direct continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Written by the same author to the same recipient, Theophilus, Luke wrote his gospel to offer assurance of the gospel. Acts continues this exact work as Luke lays out a biblical history, rich with the works of God and the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.
Despite common perceptions, Acts was not written as an apologetics manual or a guide on how to do church. Rather, the focus is on God’s powerful gospel work through the saints in the early church. If we lose sight of these foundations, we risk forgetting that it is God’s work alone that empowers the church today—and that is a dangerous place to be.
Jesus’ Ministry Is Our Foundation
Think about how a new season of a TV show often begins with a flashback of scenes from the previous season. Luke starts Acts in a similar way—with a flashback to the gospel he had already written: “In the first book, O Theophilus...” (Acts 1:1).
Writing to Theophilus, the “lover of God,” Luke’s introduction lets us know that everything he is about to say is directly tied to his gospel. He previously wrote of all that Jesus began to do and teach until He was taken up into heaven. He’s now bringing his readers into the same work as he describes the post-resurrection life of believers.
In the gospels, Christ was present in the flesh to do His work. In Acts, Christ is still present—now through His Spirit—working in and through the apostles and His Church.
The church, both then and now, is rooted and founded upon the life and teachings of Christ. He obeyed and glorified His Father, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, ushered in a heavenly Kingdom, healed the downcast, proclaimed the gospel, paid for sin on the cross, and rose from the dead.
He taught the nearness of the Kingdom, the scope of salvation for all who believe, the radical cost of true discipleship, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the necessity of loving God and His people above this world. His earthly ministry remains our foundational anchor.
Jesus’ Ministry Continues Through His Church (Acts 1:2–3)
We all know teachers or parents who left a lasting legacy. Their impact doesn't stop when they step away; it continues through the people they poured their lives into. As the Christian hip-hop artist Da' T.R.U.T.H. put it: "I'm walkin’ in the footprints that were left for me."
Jesus is the ultimate example of legacy. His ministry didn’t end when He left the earth; He commanded His apostles to carry the mission forward. As Peter later shared in Acts 10:42:
“And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”
Each of the four gospels ends with a version of the Great Commission: Proclaim the gospel, bring souls to the forgiveness of God through Christ, and send them out to do the same. Central to this gospel preaching in Acts is also the reality of the resurrection. From the outset of his gospel, Luke reminds us of the historical validity of the resurrection: Jesus presented Himself alive after His suffering with many infallible proofs over forty days, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God. May we never lose this emphasis—we preach a risen Christ!
We may be tempted to wonder why Jesus left us to be on mission. Couldn’t he have just saved a bunch of people, and called it a day? He could have, but he didn’t. He had more work to do. He was "taken up" to prepare a place for us and to sit at the right hand of the Father, interceding for His Kingdom people (Col. 3:1). While He reigns above, He has placed us in our unique circumstances to spread the gospel. For the early apostles, it began in Jerusalem. For us, that mission field is in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and wherever the Lord takes us.
With this in mind, spreading the gospel isn’t a back burner activity for pastors and super Christians—it’s central to our identity. We are the temple of God, bringing His presence wherever we step (Eph. 2:22). We are Christ’s ambassadors through whom God makes His appeal (2 Cor. 5:20). We are salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16), and the aroma of Christ spreading the knowledge of Him everywhere (2 Cor. 2:15).
Do you view yourself in light of this mission? Or do you think of yourself primarily as a churchgoer? Our identity is in Christ, and being in Him unites us also with His mission. While some have specific gifts for evangelism, every believer is on mission: in our homes, where we shop and eat, where we work, where we play, and everywhere we go.
Jesus’ Ministry Continues Through the Spirit
Remember the Energizer Bunny commercials? No matter the situation, that bunny kept going and going because it was energized with the best batteries—or so they claim! In many ways, the church is like that Energizer Bunny. We keep pressing forward regardless of what we face. But our power source isn’t found within ourselves. It comes from the promise of Christ:
“You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:5)
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). They needed Christ’s power before they could begin to do anything of lasting spiritual significance. The same Spirit that anointed Jesus and empowered His earthly ministry was given to the Church as we are sent on mission.
While believers hold varying perspectives on how certain spiritual gifts operate today, there’s one thing we must never miss: Without the Holy Spirit’s work, the mission of the church will ultimately fail. No fancy programs, no eloquent preaching, no well-rehearsed performances, and no passionate pleading can empower our mission. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:4-5).
If the Spirit is with us, we can overcome any obstacle and take the gospel to the world. We need the Holy Spirit to save souls! More than physical miracles, signs and wonders, or sign gifts, we need the Spirit to take dead, stony hearts and replace them with a heart of flesh! There is not a single sinner who can find Christ without Spirit-empowered ministry, nor a disciple who can grow without the Spirit making them like Christ. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just use preachers, either. He uses single moms, blue-collar dads, aging grandparents, wealthy entrepreneurs, factory workers, and many others to do His gospel work.
His mission is ours, and we have to be spiritual people to do spiritual work. We need to seek more of the Holy Spirit’s power in our everyday lives.
In your prayer closet: Pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18).
In your Bible reading: Seek the Spirit of Truth (Jn. 14:17).
When sharing the gospel: Trust Him to soften hard hearts (Eze. 36:26)When giving advice: Look to Him for infinite wisdom (Jam. 1:5)
When fighting sin: Depend on Him to transform you from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18).
To reach the generation we live in, we must be a deeply Spirit-reliant church. When we rely on him, we receive the supernatural boldness needed to make disciples, share our lives, and walk with new believers as they follow Christ. Jesus chose us to continue his mission, and we have everything we need to do this mighty work.
And that’s a lot like the church I’ve been reading about in the Book of Acts.