God's Glory Church

Intersection of human questions and God’s sovereignties

We live in an era of global uncertainty, when the heart of every person in the epicenter of trials or war is pierced by the same question: “When?”. When will the finals come? When will visible release come? This desire to look behind the veil of the future, to know the precise terms and chronology of God’s actions is absolutely natural for human nature. However, the truth of God’s Word shifts our focus from passively waiting for dates to actively fulfilling the mission.

On the eve of the great feast of Pentecost – Trinity, when we remember not only the giving of the Law (Shavuot) to Moses on Sinai, but also the double blessing of the New Testament – Holy Spirit, we must clearly distinguish between what belongs to the exclusive authority of the Creator and what is delegated to us as His Body on earth.

Verse seven: What is NOT our business?

Turning to the text of the First Chapter of the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, we see the disciples who have just passed through the crisis of the crucifixion and the triumph of Christ’s resurrection. Their thinking still remains within the framework of national-political liberation. They ask: “Aren’t you going to rebuild the kingdom of Israel at this time?”. They seek to know the end of the Roman occupation and the restoration of sovereign statehood. Christ’s answer sounds radical, almost harsh, sobering their perception:

“And He said to them: It is not your business to know the time and the day, which the Father has put in His power.”
Acts 1:7 (translation by I. Ohienko)

If we honestly ask ourselves today: “Would we like to know exactly the day and hour when this grueling war in Ukraine will end?”. Each of us would raise our hand. We seek control over time, because control gives a false sense of security. However, the Word of God tells us right in our eyes: “It’s none of your business”.

Knowing the precise time limits of global historical events, geopolitical shifts, or God’s final judgments is an area that Heavenly Father has sealed with His own sovereign authority. When we spend our emotional and spiritual resources trying to calculate dates, we are wasting potential to fulfill our mandate.

Eighth verse: What IS our business?

God never leaves man in a vacuum of inactivity. By closing the door to the mysteries of His schedule, He opens wide the door to our practical responsibility. If knowing the times is not our business, then what is our direct duty? The answer is found in the following verse:

“But you will receive power as the Holy Spirit comes upon 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 (translation by I. Ohienko)

It is our job to embrace supernatural power (dynamis) and witness. Jesus outlines a clear geographical and spiritual sequence that has direct relevance to our present:

• In Jerusalem: This is our immediate environment, our home, our hometown (for us it is Kyiv). A place where we are known best and where our testimony is tested by daily character.
• Throughout Judea and Samaria: This is stepping outside the comfort zone. Judea is the broader context of our culture (all of Ukraine), and Samaria is an environment of people who may be religiously, socially, or ethnically alien or even hostile to us (historically, the Jews had no relations with the Samaritans). But God’s power overcomes these barriers.
• To the ends of the earth: This is a global missionary mandate. From the point of view of the first century, the territories of modern Ukraine were on the periphery of the known world, that is, we are literally the fruit of the same fulfillment of Christ’s command and now we ourselves must pass this baton on.

Practical implementation: Three vision vectors for 2026

In order for the biblical concept of “being a witness” not to remain an abstract theological theory, it must be embodied in clear, measurable steps of the local church. Our shared vision for this year 2026 is a direct reflection of Christ’s mandate:

• 📌 1. Personal evangelization: I personally lead at least one person to Christ this year. This is not the task of individual “gifted” evangelists or pastors – it is the personal mission of everyone who has experienced salvation.
• 📌 2. Home church: All people in the radius of my daily life (neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances in the yard or at the entrance) know that I believe in Christ, see my concern and hear my testimony.
• 📌 3. Scaling: Our local church opens at least one new daughter church, spreading God’s Kingdom further.

It is quite natural if when looking at these goals, fear, insecurity or the thought arises inside: “I can’t speak well, I’m afraid of rejection, it’s not for me”. Even Christ’s disciples felt this way. But that is precisely why Jesus does not send us to this ministry on our own.

The Methodology of Christ: The Seventy Disciples and the Scaling Principle

To prove that the mission of the gospel belongs to the whole community, and not only to an elite circle of leaders, let us turn to the Gospel of Luke:

“After that, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two before Him to every city and place where He had to go. And he said to them: The harvest is great, but the workers are few; so beseech the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest.”
From Luke 10:1-2 (translation by I. Ohienko)

Pay attention to the phrase: “and seventy others”. At that time, there were already twelve chosen apostles who had authority and experience. But Jesus attracts ordinary, wider followers. He sends them to “where He was supposed to go”. Christ was in a human body and could not physically be in two places at the same time. Today His Body is us. We become His feet, His hands and His voice in those offices, offices, hospitals and homes where a Pastor or an official minister can never enter.

Great spiritual events and practical opportunities await us: the celebration of the Trinity on May 31, summer missionary camps in Pustovarivka, art picnics for families in city parks and children’s tents. These are ready platforms for our work.

Let us leave the mysteries of the future and the timing of the end times to God—that is His sovereign business. Instead, let’s focus on what we are entrusted with. Let’s begin to pray fervently for two or three specific people from our environment, prepare our hearts to invite them to God’s house, and let the Holy Spirit fill us with power to change this world. Our business is to sow and witness, and victory always comes directly to the battleground!