Reading: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” Acts 1:8

Putting first things first is a good principle to follow in life. Wrong priorities will mean wrong decisions, and wrong decisions will often be followed by unwelcome and unprofitable consequences. What is true individually is also true corporately in the church of Christ.

In Luke 24:47 the Jesus spoke of preaching “in his name” and in Acts 1, He said that they would be “witnesses unto me.” Those words don’t need much by way of explanation. The church was to make much of Christ. The apostles were not to promote themselves, but they were to present the Saviour and present Him as He is revealed in the Scriptures.

There is something very important to note in Luke 24:44. Christ spoke of the law of Moses, the psalms, and the prophets—a formula referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. By making that statement Christ emphasized that the church’s ministry must be Scripture based. It must set forth Christ as He is set forth in the Word of God. Gospel work—the work of the church—is about Christ. As John the Baptist put it, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Yet we are prone to promote self-interests. The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians about putting men first. He also spoke about putting self first, for this is guaranteed to destroy a church. If, in all my interaction and dealing with the church I remember that it is Christ first, then I can be sure that it will be good for the church.