ACTS 1

THE BEGINNING

The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel narrative. It’s often called “The Acts of the Apostles,” but more accurately, it’s the continuing acts of Jesus Christ—through His apostles, empowered by the Holy Ghost.

The human author is Luke, the beloved physician mentioned by Paul in Colossians 4:14. He was a Gentile and a companion of Paul during his missionary journeys. Luke was not one of the original twelve apostles, but he became a meticulous recorder of eyewitness accounts. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote two volumes:

The Gospel of Luke – the story of what Jesus began to do and teach.

The Book of Acts – the story of what Jesus continued to do and teach through the early Church.

Acts 1:1–11 bridges the ministry of Christ on earth with His ongoing ministry from Heaven. In verse 1, Luke writes, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” That phrase “began” tells us something important: Jesus' work wasn’t finished when He ascended—it was just moving into a new phase.

These first eleven verses give us:

A recap of Jesus' resurrection appearances

His final instructions to the disciples

His promise of the Holy Ghost

And His physical ascension into Heaven

But it also gives us a question: What are we supposed to do now that Jesus is gone? And the answer is: Be His witnesses, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

So as we go through this passage today, I want you to think about this question: Are we living as if Jesus is still working through us today?

Let’s turn now to Acts 1:1–11 and read the passage together.

Acts 1:1–11 “1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Acts 1:8–11 “8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Then why record these events? Why didn't Luke just start with the story of Pentecost? For several reasons.

To begin with, Luke was writing volume two of a work that began with what we call the Gospel of Luke (see Luke 1:1-4), and he had to start with the proper salutation and introduction. We don't know who Theophilus was or even if he was a believer, but Luke's salutation suggests that he may have been an important Roman official (see Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25). Likely, Theophilus was a Christian or at least a seeker who was carefully studying the Christian faith. His name means "friend of God," and we hope he lived up to his name.

But even more critically, Luke had to build a bridge between his gospel and the book of Acts (Luke 24:50-53). At the close of his gospel, he had left the believers in the temple, praising God. Now he had to pick up the story and explain what happened next. Imagine how confused you would be if, in reading your New Testament, you turned the last page of the gospel of John and discovered Romans! "How did the church get to Rome?" you would ask yourself; the answer is found in the book of Acts.

The book of Acts is also the account of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. The gospel of Luke records what Jesus "began both to do and teach" in His human body, and the book of Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do and teach through His spiritual body, the church.

Even today, congregations can learn much about church life and ministry from this book, and this even includes the business meetings!

In this chapter, we see the believers attending to "unfinished business" and preparing for Pentecost. What they said and did reveals to us the faith of the church. In what did they believe?

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH - THEY BELIEVED IN THE RISEN CHRIST (1:1-11)

After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for forty days and ministered to His disciples. He had already opened their minds to understand the Old Testament message about Himself (Luke 24:44-48), but there were other lessons they needed to learn before they could launch out in their new ministry. Jesus appeared and disappeared during those forty days, and the believers never knew when He might show up. It was excellent preparation for the church because the days were soon coming when He would no longer be on earth to instruct them personally. We believers today never know when our Lord may return, so our situation is somewhat similar to theirs.

The Lord taught them several essential lessons during that time of special ministry.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE RESURRECTION - The reality of His resurrection (v. 3a). 

Some of the believers may have had their doubts forty days before (Mark 16:9-14), but there could be no question now that Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead. To strengthen their faith, He gave them "many infallible proofs," which Luke did not explain. We know that when Jesus met his disciples, he invited them to touch his body, and he even ate before them (Luke 24:38-43).

Whatever proofs He gave, they were convincing.

Faith in His resurrection was essential to the church because their spiritual life is rooted in the truth of the resurrection (Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-8), and if Jesus were dead, the church would be without hope. Finally, the official Jewish position was that the disciples had stolen Jesus' body from the tomb (Matt. 28:11-15), and the believers had to be able to refute this as they witnessed to the nation.

These believers were chosen to be special witnesses of Christ's resurrection, and that was the emphasis in their ministry (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:30-32). Most of the people in Jerusalem knew that Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified, but they did not know that He had been raised from the dead. By their words, their walk, and their mighty works, the believers told the world that Jesus was alive. This was "the sign of Jonah" that Jesus had promised to the nation (Matt. 12:38-41)-His death, burial, and resurrection.

THE FUTURE OF HIS KINGDOM - The coming of His kingdom (v. 3). 

This refers to the reign of God over the hearts and lives of those who have trusted Him (see Matt. 6:33; Rom. 14:17; 1 John 3:1-9). When you read the four Gospels, you discover that the apostles had a strong political view of the kingdom and were especially concerned about their own positions and privileges. Being loyal Jews, they longed for the defeat of their enemies and the final establishment of the glorious kingdom under the rule of the King Messiah. They did not realize that there must first be a spiritual change in the hearts of the people (see Luke 1:67-79).

Jesus did not rebuke them when they "kept asking" about the future Jewish kingdom (Acts 1:7). After all, He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44), so they knew what they were asking. But God has not revealed His timetable to us, and it is futile for us to speculate. The important thing is not to be curious about the future but to be busy in the present, sharing the message of God's spiritual kingdom. This is another emphasis in the book of Acts (see Acts 8:12; 14:22; 20:25; 28:23, 31).

THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT - The power of His Holy Spirit (v. 4-8). 

John the Baptist had announced a future baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke

3:16; John 1:33; and see Acts 11:16), and now that prophecy would be fulfilled. Jesus had also promised the coming of the Spirit (John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15). It would be an endowment of power for the disciples, enabling them to serve the Lord and accomplish His will (Luke 24:49). John had spoken about "the Holy Spirit and fire," but Jesus said nothing about fire. Why? Because the "baptism of fire" has to do with future judgment, when the nation of Israel will go through tribulation (Matt. 3:11-12). The appearance of "tongues of fire" at Pentecost (Acts 2:3) could not be termed a "baptism." Acts 1:8 is a key verse. To begin with, it explains that the power of the church comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man (see Zech. 4:6).

God's people experienced repeated fillings of the Spirit as they faced new opportunities and obstacles (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.

Witness is a key word in the book of Acts and is used twenty-nine times as either a verb or a noun. A witness is someone who tells what they have seen and heard (Acts 4:19-20). When you are on the witness stand in court, the judge is not interested in your ideas or opinions; he only wants to hear what you know. Our English word martyr comes from the Greek word, which means "witness," and many of God's people have sealed their witness by laying down their lives.

We hear a great deal these days about "soul winning," and the emphasis is a good one. However, while some of God's people have a calling to evangelism (Eph. 4:11), all of God's people are expected to be witnesses and share the gospel with those who are lost. Not every Christian can bring a sinner to the place of faith and decision (though most of us could do better), but every Christian can bear faithful witness to the Savior. "A true witness delivereth souls" (Prov. 14:25).

Acts 1:8 also gives us a general outline of the book of Acts as it describes the geographical spread of the gospel: from Jerusalem (Acts 1—7) to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8—9), and then to the Gentiles and to the ends of the earth (Acts 10—28). No matter where we live, as Christians, we should begin our witness at home and then extend it "into all the world." As Dr.

Oswald J. Smith used to say, "The light that shines the farthest will shine the brightest at home."

THE FUTURE OF HIS COMING - The assurance of His coming again (v. 9-11). 

Our Lord's ascension into heaven was an essential part of His ministry, for if He had not returned to the Father, He could not have sent the promised gift of the Holy Spirit John 16:5-15). Also, in heaven today, the Savior is our interceding High Priest, giving us the grace that we need for life and service (Heb. 4:14-16). He is also our Advocate before the Father, forgiving us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9-2:2). The exalted and glorified Head of the church is now working with His people on earth and helping them accomplish His purposes (Mark 16:19-20).

As the believers watched Jesus being taken up to glory, two angels appeared and gently rebuked them. Angels play a vital role in the ministry described in Acts, just as they do today, even though we cannot see them (see Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 10:3-7; 12:7-10, 23; 27:23). The angels are the servants of the saints (Heb. 1:14).

The two messengers gave the believers assurance that Jesus would come again, just as He had been taken from them. This seems to refer to His public "coming in the clouds" (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7) rather than to His coming for His church "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Regardless of the different views people may hold about God's prophetic program, Christians agree that Jesus is coming again and that He can come at any time. This in itself is an excellent motivation for faithful Christian service (Luke 12:34-48).

As we close our study on Acts 1:1–11, let’s reflect on what we’ve learned.

We’ve seen Jesus, risen from the dead, spending forty days teaching His disciples about the kingdom of God. We’ve heard His promise that the Holy Ghost would come, empowering them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (v. 8).

Then we watched as Jesus ascended visibly into Heaven—His body rising until a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And then came those piercing words from the two men in white apparel: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?”

It’s almost as if they were saying: “You’ve seen Him go—but you’ve also been given a mission. Why are you standing still when He’s given you marching orders?”

That’s the challenge for us today as well. We serve a risen and ascended Lord. He’s not dead; He’s not distant. He is alive, seated at the right hand of the Father, and working still—through His Church, through His Word, and through His Spirit.

And just as surely as He ascended, He is coming again. “This same Jesus,” they said in verse 11, “shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

So, what do we do in the meantime?

We don't just stand gazing into the sky—we go into the world. We pray, we preach, we disciple, and we live in the power of the Holy Ghost, awaiting the return of our King.

In closing, I challenge each of us:

Are we looking for His return?

Are we living in His power?

Are we witnessing with purpose?

The Book of Acts is the beginning of our story too. Jesus is still at work—may He work through us.

Let’s close in prayer.