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Acts

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Jesus Continues His Work

Acts 1:1-3

Luke, the physician-historian, wrote two books of the Bible, Luke's Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, to tell the truth about Jesus.  Both documents were addressed to Theophilus who may have been a high ranking Roman official - perhaps indicated by the words ‘most excellent’ (Luke 1:3) - possibly a lawyer involved in the Apostle Paul’s trial in Rome.  He had already heard a lot about Jesus but wanted detailed evidence so that he could be certain (Luke 1:4).  Luke carefully collected eye witness accounts from people who had been with Jesus (Luke 1:2) for his gospel, and then from his trav

Wait For God's Time

Acts 1:4-8

Waiting is often difficult, especially if we think we know what to do or when to do it.  The disciples were excited and relieved that Jesus was alive again; surely, He would now overthrow His enemies and become the King of Israel.  They had small ambitions, to be senior officials in Jesus' government in Jerusalem.  But Jesus knew God's master-plan; it was much bigger, would be achieved very differently and to a different timetable (Matthew 24:4-14).

Taken Up and Coming Back

Acts 1:9-11

The last words Jesus said before physically lifting off from planet earth were, "But 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).  That statement sets the theme for the whole of Acts.  The book describes how the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles and other believers to spread the message that Jesus is alive and able to save all who trust in Him (Acts 4:8-12).

Praying While Waiting

Acts 1:12-14

Jesus had told the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:4-5).  So, after Jesus had ascended into heaven, they obeyed.  Walking the kilometre from the Mount of Olives they reached the upper room, inside the city, where they were staying.  All the details sound like eye witness narratives, and they are (Luke 1:1-4).  Luke, the author of this book, is also keen to document the individuals present.  If anybody doubted, they could ask those who were present.

The Bible Speaks

Acts 1:15-20

This is a somewhat gruesome narrative.  Peter assumes the leadership role, as he had often done before.  This time he was dealing with the problem that the twelve apostles had become eleven, after the death of Judas.  The details are in the text and do not need further elaboration.  Miserably, Judas, ruled by his love of money (John 12:6) had allowed Satan to enter him (John 13:26-27), motivating him to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins.  But Satan always despises his servants, and after using him, abandoned Judas to his hopeless remorse (Matthew 27:3-10).

Making Godly Decisions

Acts 1:21-26

This is a somewhat macabre narrative.  Peter assumes the leadership role, as he had often done before (Luke 9:33; John 21:3).  This time, Peter was concerned that the absence of Judas Iscariot, who died after betraying Jesus, would frustrate Jesus' plan of having 12 apostles (Luke 6:13-16).  Gathering about 120 believers, including his fellow apostles, Peter invited them to choose a replacement.  However, this was not just a matter of voting for friends; it was treated as a very serious matter.  The man must have known Jesus and have been a part of His 'team' all the time from the time John

The Holy Spirit Came

Acts 2:1-4

Usually, a title summarises the narrative.  However, 'The Holy Spirit Came' needs some explanation.  It is true that the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles and other believers on the first Pentecost after the Ascension.  That is what Jesus had promised (John 14:15-18), and what Joel had prophesied (Joel 2:28-32).  However, the Spirit is God and has always been in existence, with the Father and Son.  The Spirit was hovering over the waters covering the formless world before creation (Genesis 1:2), He inspired the Old Testament writers (1 Peter 1:10-12), He enabled the Virgin Mary to conce

God Speaks To The World

Acts 2:5-8

Pentecost was one of the three great Jewish pilgrim feasts.  All able-bodied men were expected to come to Jerusalem, from wherever they lived, for the festival.  The word 'Pentecost' is of Greek and Latin origin – and still used by the church as it was the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday (1 Corinthians 16:8).  But the Jewish celebration was 'Shavuot' the feast of Weeks (being seven full weeks from Passover) or the Harvest of First Fruits.

Global Gospel

Acts 2:9-13

This list of ethnic groups does not initially make for riveting reading, until you realise what God was doing.  Previously His Word was seen as being primarily for the Jews in the Promised Land.  Then it was also for Jewish minorities in, what are now, the countries in Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Egypt and the North African coast.  Thousands of these would believe in Jesus (Acts 2:41), and become gospel missionaries when they returned to their homes, telling both Jews and Gentiles about Jesus.

Spirit Filled Ministry

Acts 2:14-16

All the apostles now faced the crowd who had gathered.  They wanted to see what the commotion was all about (Acts 2:1-4).  The Holy Spirit had been given. The time had come for the ministry of Jesus, including His ability to speak right into people's hearts, to be multiplied through the Spirit-filled apostles.  All the apostles were able to speak foreign languages to tell out the wonderful things God had done (Acts 2:8-11).  Of course, to those who did not understand the languages, the sounds would have been a meaningless babble.  Some thought they were drunk (Acts 2:13).

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