"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

He looks at the dirt right in front of him, then he looks at the massive acreage stretching to the horizon. He could dream all day about the incredible harvest that distant field might produce. He could make plans about how he'll plant those far away acres. But if he doesn't plant the seed in the soil right where he's standing, none of those distant dreams will ever matter. The mission starts with the dirt under his boots.

This is exactly what Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom mission in Acts 1:8.

Jesus tells His disciples they will be witnesses in Jerusalem first. Jerusalem was home. It was where their families lived, where their neighbors knew them, where their reputations were established. Then Judea, the surrounding region. Then Samaria, the place of cultural tension and historical conflict. And finally, to the ends of the earth.

The order matters. The mission of God starts at home and works to the ends of the earth.
But here's what we've been learning all week. Being a witness in Jerusalem isn't about what you say when you stand up to preach. It's about how you respond when your neighbor insults you. It's about what you do when your coworker treats you unjustly. It's about who you become when your family member oppresses you with demands.

Loving your neighbor is the heart of missions.

Think about building a house. You can have the most beautiful architectural plans for the upper floors, but if the foundation in the ground isn't solid, none of it matters. The house will collapse. In that same way, you can have dreams about reaching the world for Christ, but if you haven't learned to love the person in your own household, in your own neighborhood, in your own workplace, then your mission is built on sand.

This week we've looked at three responses that reveal Kingdom freedom. When you're insulted, you turn the other cheek because your identity cannot be canceled. When you face injustice, you give your cloak because relinquishing your rights reveals His righteousness. When you're oppressed, you go the second mile because what is freely given cannot be demanded.

But here's the question you need to ask yourself today: where are you actually living this out?

Because the truth is, it's easier to talk about loving people far away than it is to love the people close to you. It's easier to support a missionary overseas than it is to turn the other cheek with your critical mother in law. It's easier to give money to a good cause than it is to give your cloak to the neighbor who sued you. It's easier to pray for persecuted Christians in other countries than it is to walk the second mile with your demanding boss.

But this is where the Kingdom advances. Right here. Right now. In your Jerusalem.
When you respond to insult, injustice, and oppression like someone who has been set free, the people around you notice. They can't help but notice because your response is so different from what they expect. And in that moment of noticing, they encounter something they cannot explain with human wisdom. They encounter the Kingdom of God breaking into their everyday reality.

Remember the Roman centurion at the cross. He watched Jesus respond to the ultimate injustice. He saw how Jesus faced insult, oppression, and death itself. And he declared, "Truly this was the Son of God." That soldier didn't come to faith because of a sermon. He came to faith because he witnessed how someone responded in freedom to what should have destroyed them.

Your neighbor is watching how you respond to the person who insulted you on social media. Your coworker is watching how you respond when you get passed over for the promotion you deserved. Your kids are watching how you respond when your spouse treats you unfairly. Your community is watching how you respond when you're forced to do something you don't want to do.

And what they see in your response is your witness. Not what you say about Jesus. Not what you post about faith. Not what you claim to believe. What they see is whether or not Jesus has actually set you free.

Think about a crop that a farmer plants. He doesn't plant corn in one field and expect wheat to grow there. What you plant is what you harvest. In that same way, if you plant retaliation in your relationships, you'll harvest conflict. If you plant bitterness in your heart, you'll harvest isolation. If you plant self protection in your interactions, you'll harvest loneliness.
But if you plant freedom in the soil of your everyday relationships, if you respond to insult with secure identity, if you respond to injustice with surrendered rights, if you respond to oppression with generous choice, then you'll harvest something incredible. You'll harvest witness. You'll harvest testimony. You'll harvest the advancement of God's Kingdom right where you live.

This is how the Kingdom moves from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. Not through programs. Not through strategies. Not through plans. Through people who have been set free and who act free in every single interaction of their daily lives.

So right now, I want you to think about your Jerusalem. Who are the people in your immediate world? Your spouse. Your kids. Your parents. Your neighbors. Your coworkers. Your classmates. The person who cut you off in traffic. The cashier who was rude to you. The friend who betrayed your confidence. The family member who keeps disappointing you.

These people are your mission field. Not someday. Not when you get more spiritual. Not when you figure everything out. Right now. Today. These relationships are where the Kingdom advances or where it stalls.

And here's the incredible truth we've been building toward all week: you have everything you need right now to be a Kingdom witness in your Jerusalem. You don't need more knowledge. You don't need better circumstances. You don't need easier people. You just need to act free because you are free.

Free people act free. When someone insults you, you can turn the other cheek because you know who you are. When someone treats you unjustly, you can give your cloak because you know whose you are. When someone oppresses you, you can walk the second mile because you know where your freedom comes from.

This is the mission. This is the witness. This is how the Kingdom advances. One insulted cheek turned in freedom. One cloak given in righteousness. One extra mile walked in choice. One neighbor loved in the power of the Spirit.

The mission of God doesn't start when you get on a plane to another country. It starts when you walk out your front door and choose to respond to the people in your life like someone who has truly been set free by Jesus Christ.

So the question is not "Do I believe in missions?" The question is "Am I on mission right now, right here, in my Jerusalem?"

Write down the names of three people in your Jerusalem who are difficult for you right now.

Next to each name, write which response they trigger in you:
Do they insult you?
Treat you unjustly?
Oppress you with demands?

Then write down the specific Kingdom response you need to practice: turn the other cheek, give your cloak, or walk the second mile.

Commit to responding in freedom with at least one of these people this week.

Remember, you're not doing this to change them. You're doing this because you are free, and free people act free.