位於太平洋的一個島嶼國家吉里巴斯，是世界上唯一同時存在於東西南北半球的國家。吉里巴斯由33座島嶼組成，這些島嶼分布很廣，跨越赤道和180度經線，也是世界上最偏遠的國家之一。

我們事奉的這位上帝，深切關懷這些偏遠地區。當耶穌在即將升天，讓門徒做好準備時，耶穌對他們說﹕「聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力，並要在耶路撒冷、猶太全地，和撒馬利亞，直到地極，作我的見證」（使徒行傳1章8節）。「直到地極」是一個呼召，是要將福音信息帶到世界上最偏遠的地方。但這個呼召並不僅限於偏遠地區，也包括他們當時所在的耶路撒冷，以及鄰近的猶太和撒馬利亞地區。

耶穌對門徒說完這番臨別的話，門徒「還在看的時候，祂被接上升，有一朵雲把祂接去，就看不見祂了」（9節，新譯本）。隨即出現兩位天使，說﹕「這位⋯⋯耶穌，你們看見祂怎樣往天上去，祂也要怎樣回來。」（11節，同上）

耶穌基督的福音是人們最需要聽到、最重要的信息。作為祂的使者，我們的使命是與人分享這個消息。靠著聖靈的幫助，我們能讓每個在遠方或在近處的人，都有機會聽見福音。

Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, is the only nation in the world that exists in all four hemispheres of the globe. The thirty-three islands of Kiribati straddle both the equator and the 180^th meridian. It’s also one of the most remote nations in the world.

We serve a God who cares about these remote places. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His return to heaven, He told them, “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). “To the ends of the earth” is a call to take the message of the gospel to the world’s most isolated spots. But the call wasn’t limited to remote places only. It included their current location of Jerusalem and the nearby regions of Judea and Samaria.

After Jesus gave these parting words to His disciples, “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (v. 9). Two angels appeared and said, “This same Jesus . . . will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (v. 11).

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news anyone can ever hear. The challenge for us as His ambassadors is to share that news. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can see that everyone—near and far—gets a chance to hear.