The Top 3 Places That Need the Gospel

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

The last words of Jesus were a roadmap to global transformation. He gave his disciples the mission of taking the good news across the street (Jerusalem and Judea), across the tracks (Samaria) and across the world!

That same urgent mission of saturating the planet with the gospel is alive and well today. The baton of responsibility to accomplish this great cause, THE Cause, has been handed down through the ages and now resides firmly in our hands.

Just where were the disciples commanded to go with the gospel and how does it specifically apply to us? Let’s break down this 2,000 year old quest into three bite-sized pieces. Here are the three places we need to go to with the Gospel …

Across the Street

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea …

Jerusalem and Judea were the stomping grounds of the early disciples and the early church. Jerusalem was ground zero for their spiritual activities until the action center for mission mobilization moved from Jerusalem (mostly Jewish) to Antioch (Jews and Gentiles) in Acts 12:25-13:3.

Even the broader province of Judea was only 55 miles by about 25 miles or so. The disciples had traversed from city to city in this region toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Luke 10:1 says, “After this the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” Because they were in twos, there were 36 groups that saturated the region of Judea with the good news of Jesus.

Before the ascension of Jesus into heaven, he commissioned his disciples to make sure everyone, starting in this very region, understood the totality of the good news of salvation by faith alone in him based on his finished work on the cross! This global mission began with a local focus, saturating their community, their city, their people and their region with the Gospel message.

What does this mean for us? I’m convinced that “Jerusalem,” for us, starts with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates and friends, then cascades out to our city and state! We need to be witnesses to the people who are within our reach. We, too, need to start by reaching those within our own “stomping grounds” with the hope of Jesus Christ.