There were about 200 million people in the world at the time of Jesus resurrection. While Jerusalem was certainly the center of the spiritual world, Rome was the center of the political world and the center of power. Rome was the largest city. Some records indicate China had a population of 57million in those days. The Mayan civilization was thriving. It was a big world out there. In the middle of it all were 11 men who had seen their Lord crucified and then saw Him walking, talking and eating among them.
In the Greek manuscripts the title of this book is 'Acts'; some manuscripts added, "Of the Apostles" to make the title 'Acts of the Apostles'. The Greek word used for Acts is one that was used to detail the achievements of great men. We know the acts of the people in this book are not because they were great men and women but because they were filled with a Holy Spirit. This book should be thought of as the acts of the Holy Spirit through spirit filled men and women.
Luke was a close friend of Paul's and a traveling companion, as well as his physician. We see the work of a physician in his writing; he is careful, detailed and specific in what he writes. Luke probably wrote this in 60-62AD. This date is primarily because it ends with Paul's imprisonment in Rome which was in 60 AD. Also, there were some significant events after 62 that would surely have been mentioned had it been written later. We would assume that Luke would have written of the outcome of Paul's trial, the persecution under Nero and the fall of Jerusalem.
Luke wrote his gospel account and ended it this way:
44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
That brings us to the beginning of our study of Luke's account of the Acts of the Holy Spirit by men and women of God.
Acts 1:1-3
The former account was Luke's gospel account. This account also is written to Theophilus.
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. (Luke 1:1-4)
The address of "most excellent" in the book of Luke was a title give to Roman officials of some kind. So this may have been written to a man who was a Roman official named Theophilus. Some have thought these accounts were prepared as legal documents to present before the courts in Rome in Paul's defense.
Theophilus means 'lover of God'. It is possible it is written not to a specific person but to the lover of God of all ages. As a lover of God, we can take this account as it is addressed to us.
Luke said in the former account he set out to give a historical account in chronological order to Theophilus. The first account was to document what Jesus did before he was taken up to heaven. At that time, they were told to stay in Jerusalem because they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit. It wouldn't be long – just 10 days later. Luke documents that Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days prior to the ascension.
Acts 1:4-8
The disciples had their commands from Jesus, but then they are told to wait. This walk with Jesus isn't a sprint. They couldn't run out and do ministry of their own power. They needed to wait for the Holy Spirit. This baptism they are waiting for isn't some mystical experience, this was, and still is, a very real event. It is the equipping and empower of God infused into our life by His presence in us.
When we are saved in Christ, we identify with his death, burial and resurrection. We turn from our sin, deny ourselves and become bondservants of Jesus. We might say we are emptied of the old, dead spirit and now Jesus fills us with His Holy Spirit. This is the presence of God in us; He is our source of power; and the director of our new life.
The Promise of the Father is found here:
And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)
And again here:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Luke quotes Jesus, as he recorded in the book of Luke. John the Baptist baptized with water. This was a baptism of water, a ritual washing in preparation for the kingdom to come. Those who trust in Christ would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The word baptism means 'immersed'. Like the early believers were immersed in water, the disciples of Jesus would be immersed in the Holy Spirit.
We see 3 relationships with the Holy Spirit:
- He is with us. He convicts us of sin and convinces us to be born again. See John 14:17. The word used here is "en"
- He is in us. When we become believers He is in us. See John 20:22.
- He comes upon us. He empowers us for service. (Acts 1:5).
The key part of this event was preparation to go and minister to a dead world. It was to be a witness in an ever-increasing influence, starting right where they were and reaching to places they would never go and through time to places they could not dream of.
The disciples asked Jesus if he is finally going to establish his kingdom. There had been so much talk of the coming kingdom; they figured this was the time. They were taught to preach of it, look forward to it and pray of its coming. The parables Jesus used were likened to the kingdom of God. The disciples were looking for the big event. But Jesus said it wasn't for them to know the time or seasons. We find ourselves in the same place, we desire to know and understand when and how this kingdom will come. However, its not information we are trusted with, so we live by faith every day.
Instead of the power of knowing the times and seasons, we are granted the power of the Holy Spirit. He would come into them and they would be witnesses to the entire world. News flash for the disciples, you don't need to know and you need to focus on what you're commanded to do. Their part in the coming Kingdom was sharing the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. It's worthy to note that it says, "You shall be my witnesses" and doesn't leave it open to choose. If you are a Christian, all you say and do; or don't say and do is a testimony. Whether we are good witnesses or bad, we'll be witnesses.
I wonder what these guys were thinking when Jesus said "ends of the earth"? I also wonder if the disciples were a little freaked out, thinking they would have to go to some remote part of the world to preach the gospel. What did the world look like to these guys? Well, in Jerusalem Jesus was crucified; in Judea he was rejected. Samaria was a placed viewed as half-breed misfits. What could the world possibly have in store for them? These men weren't world travelers. They probably have never been out of a 50 mile circle. The 'ends of the earth' was not something they easily grasped.
While we aren't all called to go to the other end of the earth, we are each a witness; whether we accept it or not. We might think we can just be a closet Christian, have our salvation and not get too involved, but that becomes your witness and your testimony. This does not accurately reflect the grace bestowed on a wretch like you and I.
This command of Jesus to the disciples to be His witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth could serve as an outline of the book of acts.
Acts 1:9-11
The two men were likely angels; however, some believe it was Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets. Its not hard to imagine these disciples all standing with the mouth hanging open staring into the sky. They must have been looking longingly hoping he would come back, or they could go with Him. The angels say this same Jesus will come again in like manner.
Zechariah 14 says.......
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.
Maybe Jesus ascended from the same place He will some day descend.
In Luke 24 we are told Jesus led them out as far as Bethany before ascending. But then in Acts 1:12 we learn they were coming back from Mount Olivet. Previously, the resurrected Jesus appeared and disappeared. Yet, this time the disciples see Him ascend. Mount Olivet was probably a half mile from Jerusalem. Bethany was another mile past that.
Acts 1:12-14
This is the future of the church; eleven men along with Mary, Jesus' brothers and the other women. It's noteworthy that in John 7:5 we see that James and Jude, Jesus' brothers didn't believe. Now we see they are in the group of believers in the upper room.
This group of believers return to the upper room in obedience, to wait on the Lord. What a great picture or unity. Their minds had been opened. They had been given understanding. Suddenly all the pieces were falling to place, things were making sense to the them. Imagine the conversations they were having. Verse 14 says they were of one accord; they were of one mind, joined in continually devoting themselves to prayer.
This is the last place that Mary appears in the New Testament. She was most blessed of all women to bear the Son of God, but she was just a woman. She should not be elevated to anything more. It is fascinating that the Holy Spirit anticipated this temptation by some to elevate this woman to some higher religious status. There is no biblical reason to elevate Mary, to pray to her or presume she has any power or authority more than any other believer.
A Sabbath day journey was about 3000 feet, or 3/5 of a mile, as defined by the religious authority of the day.
Acts 1:15-20
This meeting was one that was had during that period of waiting. There were certainly more believers across the region but these 120 people were present with the disciples at a critical time. We see Peter step forward as a leader after his restoration breakfast with Jesus (John 21). He came to understand that the betrayal of Jesus had been prophesied. The quotes are from Psalm 69:25 and 109:8. Peter attests these passages as being David, speaking by the Holy Spirit about Judas. It's interesting that Peter sees the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. The Disciples received the Spirit when Jesus breathed on them (John 20:22) and the other believers waited for the Holy Spirit to come on them.
Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver in the temple and went and hanged himself (see Matthew 27:5). Peter said that Judas bought this field. This may be reconciled by differing viewpoints or perceptions of those giving account. It was Judas's money, whether he wanted it or not. The chief priests and elders may have purchased it in his name with the 30 pieces. Either way, he bought it and landed in when the tree branch he hanged himself on, or rope, broke and his body fell to the field. This field is the field of blood. It is also the field of blood because the money used to by it was blood money.
The scriptures Peter attest to the Holy Spirit speak of the foreknowledge of God. This is a difficult thing for us to grasp, maybe impossible. Did God cause the wickedness of Judas? No, the Lord doesn't cause wickedness, this is against His nature. However, the Lord can use even the most wicked of acts to bring about His purpose and plan. Judas acted of his own free will. It was his free will choice to sin. How can the Lord know it ahead of time, yet it still be a free will choice? This bothers men because we can't wrap our brain around such things. Judas lived his life along a timeline of minutes, hours, days and years. The Lord is beyond time and knows the end from the beginning. The Lord acts along a timeline of which He is not part of.
Matthew says the priests purchased the potters field. One commentary says it's called the potters field because the clay is good for making pottery. But Courson says it is a field where the potter threw broken and useless pottery shards. After a while it became useless for anything but a graveyard for strangers. If this is so, the blood of Christ purchased a bunch of broken pottery. What a picture!!
Acts 1:21-26
Peter now suggests they should replace the 12th apostle. The candidate must have participated in Jesus' earthly ministry from the beginning and he had to have witnessed the resurrected Christ. Two candidates were proposed and we would assume both were worthy choices. Neither of these men show up anywhere else in the New Testament. The disciples cast their lots, which was a way for God's will to become known. We don't know how this worked, but it removed the will of these men and any bias they might have had. Mathias became the 12 apostle.
We should take note that these guys weren't going out to start a church or a denomination. They were not looking for men to follow them in any way. They weren't concerned in the least with money or how to make a living. They were simple going to become witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Wow.
©2008, 2014, 2021 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater
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