The Church Established

Beginning in Advent of 2024, we embarked on a study of the gospel of Luke. This was essentially Luke’s perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus. Over the course of a year and a half, we learned about the events surrounding Jesus’ miraculous birth. We got a brief glimpse into his adolescent years. We observed him handle temptation and then embark on an earthly ministry of teaching, healing, and leading. He called 12 men to be his Apostles. He welcomed dozens of other men and women into His inner circle and ministered to thousands of others. All of this was culminated in His crucifixion and resurrection. Luke’s gospel closed with a summary of the next month of his life and a glimpse into his ascension.

That brief summary in the end of Luke’s gospel is some of what we will cover today as we begin on study in the book of Acts. Open your Bible’s to Acts 1. p. 866 in the pew Bibles.

As we read scripture, we come across things that are descriptive - where they describe or delineate the way things are. We also come across things that are prescriptive - telling us about how things should be done or what should be done. We can learn from both.

Over the course of our study in the book of Acts, as we watch the church being established, empowered, and expanding, we will observe descriptive things and prescriptive things. My hope is that we can look at what happened there - what characteristics, qualities, and patterns that existed in the early church and learn from them - applying what we can apply and adapting what needs to be adapted, learning and growing throughout.

A bit of background

Authorship - while the book is anonymously written, tradition and most scholars agree that it was written by Luke. In many ways, this book is a sequel to the gospel of Luke. While he only wrote 2 of the 27 books of the NT, Luke wrote roughly 25% of the material that makes up the New Testament.

Audience - as noted in the gospel of Luke, a man named “Theophilus” is the named intended audience. His name means “lover of God” or “loved by God.” Other than his name, we know very little about this person. There is some speculation that he could have been a person of importance because of the title “most excellent” that Luke adds to his name in the gospel (Luke 1:3).

Dating and Timeline - Most scholars date this book in the late 60s AD. The material of the book covers the timeline from about 33AD (just after Jesus’ resurrection) to the mid-60s AD - about 30 years. As we’ll see over the course of our study, Luke was a periodic companion of Paul in the later chapters of the book - so some of his material comes as an eye-witness. Others of the material would have been gleaned, like the gospel, through interviews, testimonies, and documents that Luke would have then compiled into the historical narrative that we have before us.

As we approach this passage today, it seems like the Big Idea is that Preparation, prayer and planning precede empowerment and productivity.

This opening chapter to the book of Acts provides some helpful information, observations about the earliest days of the church. One if the first things that we observe is that Jesus prepared his people.

Prepared (1-3)

We see this in the first three verses, but also in Luke’s gospel. Jesus prepared them in at least three ways.

by example - Over the course of the 3+ years that He spent with the disciples, Jesus demonstrated the godly life, how He interacted with the Father through prayer, how He treated other people - Jews and Gentiles alike, how He helped the helpless, loved the loveless, and corrected the religious.

But his preparation didn’t just stop with an example of a godly life, Jesus prepared his people…

by His death, burial and resurrection - You see, even if we emulate all that Jesus did, or at least all that we can do of what he did, we will still fall short of God’s holy, perfect standard. By His death on the cross - Jesus took on Himself the just penalty for our sin (“for the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23) - resulting in His death. Being fully God and fully human He should not have died. He died on our behalf. His resurrection paved the way for humans to enter into a relationship with God.

Years later the Apostle Peter would summarize this entrance or access in this way…

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

It’s as though by His life Jesus said “this is how you should live” and by his death and resurrection He said “this is how you live with me for eternity.”

Imagine, if you will, one of those conferences like ComicCon - where a bunch of people gather to celebrate all things Comic. Many people will show up at those events dressed like different comic or fictional characters. They will walk the walk and talk the talk, but they won’t be granted access to the conference unless they have a ticket.

When we respond to Jesus’ call for salvation, we accept that ticket into an eternal life with Him. We acknowledge that we can’t live up to His perfect standard on our own and need His help. We receive His righteousness and get to rest in His holiness, knowing that He is with us by His Spirit. We are gradually transformed into His likeness.

There is one other way that Jesus prepared his disciples - with…

instruction - Most of this instruction happened over the course of His ministry, but in the final 40 days of time with them He would have been able to help them assemble a more thorough theological framework about the kingdom. We don’t have very many of those conversations - primarily a few things at the end of each of the gospels, especially Luke, and a few of the things that are summarized here. Notice what Luke writes in verse 3…

Acts 1:3 ESV

He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

I think the point that we need to see is that Jesus didn’t simply call His followers to be groupies. He invested in them and instructed them in the ways of God. He provided information that they needed to begin the mission that He had for them.

In a similar way, we are not called into a relationship with God just for fire insurance from hell or for a good feeling, we are called to be on mission as Jesus’ church. As we engage in the Word of God, we learn about how we should live and what we should do. We are instructed, like the apostles and the first believers, in the ways of God. The question is, are we regularly engaging with his word? Are we allowing His word to prepare us for the mission that he has for us?

So, after Jesus took some time to instruct His disciples He prompted them to wait and promised His Spirit so that they might witness for him.

Prompted and Promised (4-11)

Let’s consider some elements of this prompting or this command.

Wait

First of all, they were called to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t tell them how long they will have to wait, but simply to wait.

I’m not one who likes to wait. I often don’t wait well, especially when I’m looking forward to something - something with a fixed date or time. When waiting for an appointment, I’m often looking at my watch.

I don’t think these disciples were very good at waiting either. Look at what it says in verse 6:

Acts 1:6 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

As much as they had learned from Jesus - even about the here and the hereafter of the Kingdom, they still had in mind a geographically and ethnically oriented Kingdom. They still had so much to learn.

We still have so much to learn. Are we willing to make what Eugene Peterson called “The long obedience in the same direction”? Or are we impatiently taking things into our own hands?

The promise of the Holy Spirit would provide the next thing that the disciples were prompted to do, that is…witness.

Witness

But notice, that this witness would only happen when they were empowered.

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This verse, in many ways is Luke’s version of the Great Commission and becomes a sort of outline for the book. If ch. 1 is a prologue, then, according to the 19th century theologian JB Lightfoot, the remainder of the book looks like this:

2:1-4 - empowerment by the Holy Spirit

2:5-7:60 - ministry in Jerusalem

8:1-11:18 - ministry in Judea/Samaria

11:19-28:31 - ends of the earth

Over the course of our study in the book of Acts, we’ll see this gradual advancement, this expanding nature of the church. But what we have to realize is that the expansion doesn’t happen until the empowerment happens.

FF Bruce noted in his commentary (36):

“When the Holy Spirit came upon them, Jesus assured them, they would be vested with heavenly power - that power by which, in the event, their mighty works were accomplished and their preaching made effective.”

In Matthew’s version of the Great Commission, Jesus says that He would be with them to the end of the age (Mt. 28:20). It seems like this empowerment from the Holy Spirit is that presence. We will get into this a bit more next week, but I do think it’s important to realize that the Holy Spirit is not just a nebulous force. The Spirit is the very presence of God in our lives. The Spirit enables us to bear witness to what Jesus did in the past and what He has done and continues to do in our lives.

What does it mean to be a “witness” of Jesus? For these first disciples, they had first-hand knowledge of Jesus. They had seen Him walk, talk, heal, die, rise, and so much more. They could talk about what they had witnessed - and in this they would bear witness. The Greek word that is translated “Witness” is “martys” - from which we get the word “martyr.” We call someone a martyr who dies for their faith or for a cause.

There are a lot of times when we may feel uncomfortable sharing the gospel. Maybe we feel like we won’t say the right words or have the right tone. I think this is where the concept of bearing witness is very helpful. You might even just start with a simple testimony - what Jesus has done for you.

Life before meeting Jesus

A life changing experience

What life has been like since you met Jesus

For example, maybe your testimony is a bit like mine, where you’ve grown up in the church and almost can’t remember a time when you didn’t believe.

My testimony…going to church, but not yet a Christian - receiving Christ, wrestling with the Holy Spirit - yielding and getting baptized - finding purpose and meaning - leading people to engage with God in worship, a passion for missions…

You could also talk about what God has been teaching you in your personal quiet times or how He has answered prayer or how you’ve benefited from the fellowship of being a part of a group of believers. Which of course assumes that you are spending time with God, you are praying and you are fellowshipping.

Giving them these commands, Jesus ascends from their presence - He essentially leaves them. His work on earth was finished. The work of His followers was about to begin. I’ve sometimes wondered why Jesus didn’t just stay on earth. Would his work have been more effective if He had remained here? Possibly. While being fully God He can do a lot of things, frankly He can do anything - as we can read about in the Gospels, but by also being fully human, He was sort of limited to a physical space. By ascending back to the Father, empowering His people with His Spirit, and releasing them to do this work of reconciliation through witnessing, Jesus is able to reach far beyond the region of His physical location. Now, 2000 years since his ascension, He enables 2-3 Billion believers to bear witness about him in every nation, tribe, and language. As the prophet Habakkuk states:

Habakkuk 2:14 ESV

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

So Jesus prepared His followers for His departure and then provided both a promise and a prompting for work after their waiting was finished. So as Jesus ascends, Luke notes that the eleven remaining Apostles and several others gathered together for a time of prayer.

Praying (12-14)

Acts 1:14 ESV

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

We find out in the next couple of verses that this group was about 120 people - men and women. Luke doesn’t tell us how they organized their prayer meetings or how long they prayed each day, but that they devoted themselves to prayer.

One of the things that we will see in our study of Acts is that prayer is a common feature - being mentioned about 28 times. It may not be in every chapter, but it’s a prominent theme.

I do wonder if this is an area where we as a church might be able to learn and grow. I know for me personally, this is an area where I can grow.

On an average Sunday morning, we’ll usually pray together 3-4 times. When our Community Group meets, we typically open in prayer, praying for the food and the fellowship, and then close with a time of prayer for one other. In other settings, like Iron Sharpens Iron, the Women’s Bible Study, and the Men’s Breakfasts, prayer will have a similar role. We publish a prayer list each week in the Midweek email - with suggested prayers for some of us, for the community, for the nations, and more.

I just wonder if we are making all that we can in our use of this tool of prayer. Through prayer, God gives us an opportunity to simply commune with Him - talking some, hopefully slowing down to listen some.

It’s clear that prayer was an important part of the early church. It seems like over the course of these couple of days of waiting and praying, they were led to begin some…

Planning (15-26)

In verses 15-26, we see a scene where Peter speaks up as one of the 11 - noting that they should be 12. Jesus had initially appointed twelve apostles, but Judas left the office of apostle when he took his life.

So Peter acknowledges Judas’ absence and calls for them to replace him. Look at what he says in verse 17…

Acts 1:17 ESV

For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

One of the rationales that Peter gave for selecting another was that there was a share or portion in the ministry that would be left undone without him.

In the past, I had overlooked the fact that Judas had been “allotted his share” in the work that Jesus had for them. Each of the twelve had an assignment.

We might think of a share or a portion as being a part of a business or an inheritance. We might purchase or be granted a number of shares of a company. Or in an inheritance, an estate might be divided in portions according to the beneficiaries. In some ways, this is a similar use of that word.

What’s more, the number 12 was important in their culture. Not only were the people of Israel divided among twelve tribes, but several other secular civic groups enlisted twelve people to run them.

Prompted, possibly through prayer, by this vacancy, Peter also suggests that Judas’ seat should be filled according to scripture. He quotes from Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 when he states:

Acts 1:20 ESV

“For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “ ‘Let another take his office.’

After saying this, he lays out certain qualifications that the person to replace Judas should meet.

Acts 1:21–22 ESV

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

So, of all of the people who had been in their midst, they found two guys that met these qualifications. So they followed an Old Testament principle…

Proverbs 16:33 ESV

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

…and they cast lots, after praying, in order to decide who should fill that office.

The lot fell to a man named Matthias. This is the first and last time that we hear of him. Some people have speculated that this was a mistake since we don’t hear of him again. The fact is, we hear of very few of the other Apostles again. There are some extra-biblical sources that suggest that Matthias went south to minister among the Ethiopians.

I think the point that we need to see here is that in this period of waiting, the believers were quite intentional. They prayed intentionally - looking for specific answers. They intentionally considered scripture and as a result they made plans for the future.

Closing thoughts

When we started this sermon I mentioned that it seems like the big idea is: Preparation, prayer and planning precede empowerment and productivity.

As we look at the church that God has called us to be here in Poolesville and the ministry that He has allotted to us here and around the world, I’d love for us to reflect on a couple of questions:

Are we actively being prepared for the work - personally and corporately? Or are we simply going through the motions and coasting?

Are we communing with God in prayer - individually, in our families, in community?

Are we prayerfully planning for the future?

ministries to begin

churches to plant

groups to start

missionaries to send

Over the course of our study, we will get a glimpse into a church that became dozens, even hundreds of churches because they made themselves available to the transformative work of Jesus and the empowering work of His Spirit. We will get to see a few of the main participants, but we will also get glimpses into the lives of thousands of other people.

May we be available for the work of the Kingdom in our generation, just as these people were available in their generation.

Let’s pray.

Benediction

Jude 24–25 ESV

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Read: Acts 1

1. What are some ways people react to the idea of studying history? How should we study Acts?

2. What were some of Luke’s purposes for writing Acts?

Prepared

3. After His resurrection, how did Jesus spend His time with the apostles? (1:3–5)

4. How did Jesus prepare His followers for His departure? How does He prepare us for the work that He has allotted to us?

Prompted and Promised

5. What specific commands did Jesus give the apostles? (1:4)

6. What gift did Jesus promise to the apostles? (1:4–5)

7. What did the apostles misunderstand? (1:6)

8. How did Jesus answer the apostles’ question? (1:7–8)

9. What task did Jesus assign the apostles? (1:8)

10. How would the apostles be able to carry out the task Jesus gave them? (1:8)

11. After speaking to the apostles, where did Jesus go? (1:9–11)

Praying

12. How did the apostles show that they were following Jesus’ orders? (1:12–13)

13. What did the group of eleven apostles do when they got together? (1:14)

14. How can you improve your prayer life?

Planning

15. Why did the apostolic number of twelve need to be restored? What relevance does this have to our lives?

16. Why was it important that the candidate for apostle be an individual who had accompanied the other apostles “during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us” (1:21–22)?

17. What did the apostles do to select the right candidate to succeed Judas? (1:24–26)

18. Why is prayer important in our decision-making process?

19. What is one way you can include God in all important decisions you make?

Sources:

Bruce, F.F. The Book of Acts, Revised Edition. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988

Fernando, Ajith. Acts. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998.

Keener, Craig S. Acts: An exegetical commentary, Volume 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012

Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Lightfoot, J.B. The Acts of the Apostles: A newly discovered commentary. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2014NICNT

Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Toussaint, Stanley D. “Acts.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.