Can you envision a target, the old-fashion kind with concentric circles radiating out from the bull's eye in colorful rings?

As a grade school kid, my best buddy and I each had a bow and a quiver full of arrows that we spent hours shooting at a target fastened to hay bales in his back yard. As we got better, we would shoot out the bull's eye, and then with great ceremony, post a fresh target.

Like the concentric circles on a paper target, when Jesus commissioned His disciples as His witnesses, He cast a vision of concentric, geographic circles.

In Acts 1:8, He tells the disciples that after the Holy Spirit has come upon them, they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

Jerusalem was home, and Jesus wanted them to begin witnessing there, in both the hardest place and the easiest. Judea was a regional challenge, similar to our states. Commissioning His disciples to be His witnesses in the foreign land of Samaria was akin to asking them to escape their profound prejudices and represent Him in an unthinkable place. And beyond even that, the uttermost parts of the world.

From the P.H. Gillham translation,"Advocate on my behalf everywhere--even in the unimaginable places--but begin with those closest to you."

Barnes writes of Christ's preparation of His disciples, "they had seen his manner of life, his miracles, his meekness, his sufferings; they had listened to his instructions, and had conversed and eaten with him as a friend; and they were thus qualified to bear witness to these things in all parts of the earth."

Is there anything in Jesus' equipping of His first disciples that He has not equally equipped you with? No, nothing. Any perceived lack would come from our recalcitrance to live life with Him, eating and drinking with Him as a friend, considering His character manifested in us, and His demonstration of living life reliant upon our Heavenly Father.

You are a witness for Christ, called as certainly as Peter, James, John, and the rest. Every day you testify to His influence in your life, and more often than not, you are never asked to speak a word; you simply live in Him going about your daily routine.

Occasionally you have the opportunity to be more intentional in your witness. While I can't speak to all the opportunities before you, let me present a few ways Lifetime Guarantee can facilitate your ability to advocate for Christ in your concentric circles of influence.

You would readily share a Zig Ziglar motivational business series on CD with your neighbor. Why not lend him your CD's on The Victorious Life?

Your church enjoyed the 40 Days of Purpose by Rick Warren. What about visiting with your church staff and introducing them to the LGI series, 40 Days to Freedom?

Have you considered the concentric circles within your contact list? You could forward eGrace and Discipleship Journal to your contact list with a simple note,"I thought of you when I read this"?

Among other ministries at Lifetime Guarantee that your contributions fund, did you know that every day people from over 140 countries utilize the resources harbored at our website, lifetime.org? These people pray with others on our site, search our ministry archives for resources, listen to our audio teaching, and...you can link other's to the site.

Do you see the concentric circles? In the same fashion Jesus commissioned His disciples, He speaks to you and me: Be my witness, first, with those closest to you, then those next door, then those within the city limits...and beyond to the uttermost parts of the world.

Thanks for partnering with us. Never before has your financial participation, prayer, and endorsement been as important as it is now.