The Gospel, Volume 2 - Acts 1:1-5

Acts 1:1-5

© February 2nd, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts

There is a general principle that most people believe about movies and books: the sequel is never as good as the original. I’m not sure that rule universally holds true, particularly when a book or movie is made with the purpose of becoming a series. Some of my favorite movies and books could be considered sequels, or maybe more accurately, follow-ups to the original volume.

Today, we begin our study of volume two of the gospels. We turn our attention today to the book of Acts, and as we work our way through the book, we will learn a great deal about how God chose to work in the early church, and what that should mean for us as Christians some 2,000 years later. Though the book is literally ancient history, it is far from boring. The book of Acts is full of fascinating and sometimes surprising stories that help us see how God works in and through the lives of ordinary people. It should motivate us to live boldly for the Lord, believing that He can (and desires to) use us in mighty ways.

Introduction

Acts is the shorter name for “The Acts of the Apostles.” Some have said that it should more correctly be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles, and I would agree that’s probably more appropriate…though it is also a mouthful to say.

Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the gospel that bears his name. Luke was a physician and well-educated. Luke was not one of the twelve apostles, but he was a dedicated follower of Christ.

Here is how he begins the book of Acts,

In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3, NLT)

Luke addresses the book of Acts to Theophilus, a name that means friend of God. He also refers to his first book, which is clearly a reference to the Gospel of Luke. Looking at how he began his gospel helps us to view both books in the proper context.

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. (Luke 1:1-4, NLT)

Luke’s gospel was also addressed to Theophilus (the title, “most excellent” leads us to believe this was a specific person), and Luke explains his reason for writing as well as his process. He carefully investigated everything from the beginning and sought to write out an accurate account. His goal was to make an accurate record so that Theophilus (as well as other believers) could be certain of the truth about Jesus.

We should note here that investigating what happened in the ancient world was not nearly as easy as doing so in the internet age. Luke could not do an online search; he couldn’t even go to the library to search for records. He had to seek out eyewitnesses, interview them, and reconcile their stories. In the book of Acts, however, in some cases Luke himself was an eyewitness. He gives us clues to this because he uses different pronouns. Sometimes he says things like, “they did…” and other times he says, “we did…” These subtle shifts give us clues to when Luke himself was present.

People have tried to discredit Luke as a historian for years but modern scholarship has shown us that Luke was a meticulous and accurate recorder of what was happening. There have been multiple instances where modern historical “experts” have said Luke used the wrong title for something or described a place or person that didn’t exist, only for a later archaeological find to prove that Luke was exactly correct in what he had written, and that the only way he could have possibly gotten the information right was for him to have actually visited these places. As such, Luke fulfilled the task which he set out to fulfill—he gave us an accurate account that can be trusted—both of Jesus’ life, and of the life of the early church.

Resurrection

Though we are only looking at the first few verses of Acts today, there are several important themes Luke introduces that are foundational to everything that follows. The first major theme is the reality of the resurrection.

Luke tells us that Jesus gave many convincing proofs of his resurrection during the 40 days between the crucifixion and when he returned to heaven. I wish we had much more information about what this 40-day period was like, but Luke gives us only a few words about it.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time during this 40-day period. We know He appeared to the disciples on multiple occasions, including meeting them in an upper room behind a locked door. We know that Jesus ate food with them, and that Thomas was able to touch the holes in Jesus’ hands and feet and the hole in his side. All these things inform our beliefs about the resurrection.

Some today speak of Jesus’ resurrection as merely spiritual in nature. They say that Jesus lived on in the hearts of his followers, or something else of that nature. But that isn’t what the Bible teaches. It teaches us Jesus was truly killed. His body died and was left in a tomb. On the third day, however, his body was no longer in the tomb, because Jesus had come back to life. While it seems that maybe Jesus didn’t spend all his time on earth like he had prior to his death, he was physically alive. He spoke with the disciples, they touched Him, walked with Him, and ate with Him. These are only things that can happen if Jesus physically rose again.

Why does this matter? For several reasons. First, it means Jesus can be trusted. Jesus had told his disciples exactly what was going to happen. He said He would be crucified, but that He would rise again on the third day. None of this registered with the disciples, of course, because it simply didn’t make sense to them. But Jesus made it quite clear that while He would be killed, He wouldn’t stay dead. The fact that He kept His promise means that He can be trusted in everything else He said as well.

Second, it proves His deity. No human being can bring themselves back to life. There are all sorts of theories about how Jesus wasn’t really dead and that somehow lying in a cool cave for a couple days enabled Him to “get better.” That’s utter nonsense. The Romans were experts at executions and ensured Jesus was dead. The only way Jesus could come back to life was if He really was God (as He claimed to be). Only God has power over life and death in that way.

Third, it makes Him unique among religious founders. Lots of other religions point to their founder as someone with profound insights or a special revelation from God. Christians do not make that claim. Christians claim Jesus really was God. All the other religious leaders are still dead. Their graves are enshrined as places of worship. Christians do not worship a grave, because we have no need of one. Our Savior lives! If the words of a guy who died and stayed dead and the words of the guy who came back to life and lives again come into conflict…I’m going with the guy who lives!

Finally, it is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. Paul said that if Christ was not raised, then our faith is in vain, and we are to pitied more than anyone else. Everything about Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was merely a great moral teacher, then His words have no bearing on anything. If he was merely a human, then we have no reason to believe there is life beyond the grave. And if Jesus was only a man, then we have no hope that He will return to set things right or that eternal life exists. If Jesus is not raised, then Christianity is reduced to nothing more than moralism and mere sentimentality.

Fortunately for us, Jesus did rise again. He lives even now. We do not take this on blind faith. There is a mountain of evidence to support it. I love how one commentator put it,

The early Christians did not believe in the resurrection of Christ because they could not find his dead body; they believed because they did find a living Christ.

As we read through the book of Acts and see the hardships the early church faced, we must ask what kept them moving forward? Why would they have endured such hardship? Why would they continue to live in a way that was counter to their world? Why would they sacrifice so much to ensure that people they’d never met might know Jesus? Because they knew Jesus was alive! They knew He was real. They knew He alone was the only hope of all mankind.

That hasn’t changed in the intervening 2,000 years. The things that drove the early disciples should drive us as well. Luke carefully investigated and recorded these things because he wanted us to be able to stand with assurance on the fact that Jesus really did live, die, and rise again. He wants us to be so confident that we, like the early disciples, would bet our lives on it.

Holy Spirit

The other statement we see in these opening verses comes from Jesus and is directed to the disciples. It raises many questions.

4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:4-5, NLT)

He told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. As you (hopefully) know, the Bible tells us that there is one God who eternally exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus was the Son of God and had taken on a physical form in the person of Jesus. He was saying that He would return to Heaven, but would send the Holy Spirit to them.

I don’t know how much the disciples understood about what this meant, but Jesus (and the rest of the scriptures) had spoken about the coming of the Holy Spirit in multiple other places.

John the Baptist said,

11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Matthew 3:11, NLT)

In Isaiah we read,

And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. (Isaiah 44:3b, NLT)

Joel famously said,

28 “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. (Joel 2:28-29, NLT)

So the concept of the trinity was not new…but the coming of the Spirit also wasn’t something they had experienced yet. I suspect the disciples didn’t really know what to expect.

We’ll talk quite a bit more about the ministry and work of the Spirit as we go through Acts, as He is a central character to everything that goes on. And we’ll talk about what happened when the Spirit did come upon the disciples at Pentecost in just a few weeks. But I still think it’s valuable to ask what this “baptism in the Holy Spirit” means.

Different people will tell you different things.

• Some say this refers to the fact that all believers receive the Holy Spirit when they believe, but the early disciples wouldn’t receive the Spirit until Christ returned to heaven.

• Some say you receive the Holy Spirit when you are baptized (something this passage seems to go against).

• Some distinguish receiving the Spirit (when you get saved) from being baptized in the Spirit, and that baptism in the Spirit is a completely separate event that happens only to those who are mature in their faith. Some never receive this baptism.

• Some say baptism in the Spirit can happen many times in your life, and that it is always accompanied by miraculous signs.

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t really define this term. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost, it was accompanied by many miraculous signs. But just because that’s what happened at Pentecost doesn’t mean it’s what always happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person.

We must remember that the book of Acts records history; it doesn’t necessarily make theological statements. Just because God chose to work in the disciples or in a particular person or group of believers in one way, that doesn’t mean He always works that way. One common fallacy is to assume that what God did in the book of Acts is the normative experience for all believers. It could be, but it also may not be.

What I think we see in scripture is that when you come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes residence in you, He begins to work in your heart, and you receive spiritual gifts you can use to benefit the body of Christ. This is not something you have to earn, and I don’t think people who believe but haven’t been baptized somehow miss out on the Holy Spirit. I see nothing in scripture that indicates that us receiving the Holy Spirit has to do with something we do. But the scriptures do speak of people who are “full of the Spirit.” It also speaks of “quenching the Spirit.” I believe our submission to the Lord determines the degree to which the Holy Spirit fills us. The more we allow the Lord to lead us, the more we become filled by the Spirit. When we rebel against the Lord, we become distant from the Spirit’s leading and empowering.

There are lots of other questions that we can ask about the Holy Spirit’s work in the lives of Christians, and we’ll get to those in the coming weeks, but for now, we should note that Jesus told them that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit, and that they should not leave Jerusalem until they did.

Conclusions

Because this passage serves as kind of an introduction to the book of Acts, it is tempting to overlook it and move on to the “more important” stuff. But I believe there are some important lessons we can take from these simple words of introduction.

First, the gospel message is anchored in reality. Sometimes people try to discredit the Christian faith by saying it’s a fairy tale invented by men to make them feel better. They speak of Christianity in the same breath as Greek mythology. Others claim that all religions basically teach the same thing, and the real point is for us to understand some general moral truths. These opening verses remind us that isn’t the case.

The Christian faith is anchored to the historical fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is unique, and His resurrection is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. Everything stands or falls upon this truth. And the good news is, there is ample evidence to support it! Luke did not make these stories up; he carefully investigated all that happened and wrote it down. He did so for the benefit of Theophilus, but also for us. Because the Christian faith is anchored in reality, it demands a response from us. We must decide what we will do with these facts: ignore them or allow them to transform us.

Second, we cannot carry out ministry in our own strength. Jesus spent 3 years with his disciples. They had learned a lot about him and had great enthusiasm and commitment. And yet, Jesus said they should wait for the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, their efforts would be totally in vain.

For us, this means that all our ministry should be done through the power of the Spirit, and not by our own cleverness. Someone has said that 95 percent of what happens in churches today could be done without the Holy Spirit. We resort to techniques, programs, and worldly methods to do ministry instead of relying on the power of God. Only the Holy Spirit can change lives, and in His hands, our meager efforts suddenly become very powerful. This should encourage us. Effective ministry is not as much about skill as it is about obedience to the Lord. Emotional appeals, slick marketing, and clever programming can build a following and get people in the door, but they cannot affect people’s hearts. We must recognize our dependence upon the Holy Spirit in ministry and seek Him in what we do. Our focus should be on teaching God’s Word, living obediently, asking for God’s help in prayer, and making His priorities our priorities. Our confidence should be anchored to our God rather than our skills or programs.

The book of Acts reminds us what God can do through people who are simply obedient to Him. What we will see in this book is regular people who are just trying to do what the Lord calls them to do. They make mistakes, they have their flaws, and yet God used these ordinary people to transform the world. It should be an encouragement to us. God used ordinary people in the middle of nowhere to make a profound impact on the world 2,000 years ago. He can do the same today. But we must stand on His truth and rely on His power. If we will do that, there’s no telling what we might see Him do through us.

© February 2nd, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts