Acts 1

Acts Chapter 1

Intro to Acts

The leader of Jesus’ followers stood up to declare that this message about Jesus was for everyone, it was what some call the birthday of the church, and their leader just weeks before was crying uncontrollably because he’d lied and cursed and denied even knowing Jesus and now he had been changed. He was now declaring to all these people that what God had done for him he was doing for the whole world: New life, forgiveness, new hope and power. A new age had begun in which the living God was doing new things in the world beginning right here and now to those who were listening.

This book is one of excitement and adventure with not a dull page in the entire book. We follow the early Christians as they found God doing new things as they took the message of Jesus around the world. It’s also full of problems, adversity, crises, yet even in the midst of the most difficult challenges God’s message about Jesus continued to thrive and spread to the ends of the earth. But is this book merely historically descriptive or worse yet merely novelistically entertaining? No, but rather paradigmatic for what God had done in Jesus, he did then, and is doing now.

My message for today is from Acts 1, we will be looking at

Acts 1:1-26 - [read from bible]

Kingdom & Spirit

Inclusio-

Acts 1:3 “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Acts 28:31 “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”

Kingdom teaching frames the book of Acts

This is important to note because this book is not merely a book of history nor merely a novelistic entertainment but a paradigm for every follower of Jesus.

Therefore just as the book is framed by the Kingdom, the follower of Jesus’ life ought to be framed by the kingdom. Therefore my life ought not be framed by my desires, my wants, my ways, my will, what’s best for me, or what’s in it for me. Did not the master say, seek first the kingdom of God.

Luke’s source material primarily comes from The book of Daniel is where we learn about the Kingdom

The disciples would have understood Jesus’ teaching about Spirit and Kingdom to be inseparably linked. Any talk of the Spirit being poured out would have meant the time of Israel’s restoration, kingdom.

Acts 1:6 “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?””

The disciples failed to see that the kingdom came in 2 phases. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the father till his enemies are made his footstool

Concept of Kingdom now and not yet

We are citizens of the new age, our identity is that of the new age and the holy spirit is a foretaste of the new age.

Acts 1:7-9 “He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (Jesus didn’t even say no, but the timing of the consummation of the kingdom is not your business, yours is something else) But you (your business as a citizen of the coming age) 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.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

Power and Mission

Mission without power won’t accomplish the task & power without mission is futility.

Scripture teaches Prayer and Action | Power and Mission

Luke 3:22 Luke records Jesus praying, heaven being opened and the Spirit descending upon Him and immediately was led to the wilderness to be tempted and begin ministry - mission.

In Acts 2 - 120 disciples were gathered together in the upper room praying and the spirit filled them and they began to preach

In Acts 4:31 They disciples were filled with the Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness.

In Acts 13 - The apostles and prophets were gathered ministering to the Lord and the Holy Spirit spoke and separated Paul and Barnabas for mission.

For Luke, empowerment to tell others about Christ is central, not peripheral, to the Spirit’s activity with believers.

And as a student of Scripture, a follower of Christ, telling others about Him must be central to my activity.

The power resulted especially as healing and deliverance (exorcisms).

Power for signs and wonders are to support the message, not the message for signs and wonders. The goal is not signs and wonders, the goal is the message preached. Empowerment for the message of Christ is the central point.

Prioritize the message, share it with others and power will follow.

Acts 14:3 “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.”

The Spirit enables the witnesses to carry on Jesus’ mission after his ascension… Where have we seen this before?

2 Kings 2:9-12 “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.”

The backdrop in the succession narrative of Elijah and Elisha indicates that, for Luke, Jesus is passing his mission to the church.

Just like God’s mission was not completed by Elijah, the mantle/anointing/empowerment was given to Elisha to continue the mission.

Jesus is received into heaven, we receive spirit/power

Prayer

Acts 1:14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

Prayer is viewed as the method through which God accomplishes his purposes and directs history.

Prayer here for the coming of the Spirit was also a prayer for the coming of the kingdom.

And the phrase “continue in prayer” is a recurring phrase indicating that this devotion to prayer continued to characterize the Christian community as a whole.

Acts 1:23-26 “So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Acts for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–12 Restoring the Twelve (Acts 1:15–26)

I always feel both sorry for, and curious about, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, who was the candidate not chosen. There is no suggestion that his heart was not right with God, or that he was otherwise unsuited for the task. He was, after all, one of the ‘last two’ in the consideration of the Eleven. They would have trusted him. We have no idea what happened to him after this, just as we have no idea, for that matter, what happened to Matthias himself. Part of Christian obedience, right from the beginning, was the call to play (apparently) great parts without pride and (apparently) small parts without shame. There are, of course, no passengers in the kingdom of God, and actually no ‘great’ and ‘small’ parts either. The different tasks and roles to which God assigns us are his business, not ours.