Acts 1 - The Promise of the Holy Spirit

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Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

It doesn't take long to realize that the writer of Acts is none other than Luke, the physician, who begins the book in the same way he does in Luke 1.  In his former book Luke gave a detailed account from the eyewitnesses of Jesus. In this book, he now will teach about all that happened after Jesus was taken up into heaven after 40 days. During these 40 days, he had given the apostles many convincing proofs that he had indeed been raised from the dead. 

The former account is the Gospel of Luke. At one time the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were joined together as one book with two volumes. - Guzik

The disciples were not sure what was going to happen next. Was Jesus going to restore Israel right then and there? Jesus answered this question by stating, 

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you 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.” Acts 1:7-8

In these verses Jesus says three very important things. First, they will not know the date of His return. Only the Father knew the day. Second, after he left he was going to send them the Holy Spirit, who would give them to power to be his witnesses. They would witness to his resurrection from the dead thus proving Jesus was truly the Son of God. And finally, their mission would be ever expanding, starting locally in their hometown Jerusalem,  spreading to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. Literally the mission Jesus gave them would reach the WHOLE WORLD. 

If we want to be witnesses, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The best training program for evangelism is of little effectiveness without the filling of the Holy Spirit. - Guzik

Jesus then ascended into heaven. Two men dressed in white, presumably angels, told them that Jesus would return in the same way he left. He would come down out of the clouds. 

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

There was one item of business on agenda that came up right away. Who would replace Judas as an apostle? They went to the upper room and were joined by some women and Mary the mother of Jesus. There they prayed. Peter speaking as the leader of the group, reminded them that Judas' betrayal was prophesied long ago in the Psalms. The criteria for Judas' replacement would be someone who had been with them the whole time during the three years of Jesus' public ministry.

The two that fit this criteria were Matthias and Barsabbas. As they prayed, they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias, who was chosen as the twelfth apostle. The casting of lots may seem like an unusual way to make this decision. 

The casting of lots may be an imperfect way to discern God’s will, but it is much better than the methods many Christians use today – that is, to rely on emotions, to rely on circumstances, or feelings, or carnal desires, and so forth. - Guzik 

Wonderfully, what Jesus began still continues. There is a real sense in which the Book of Acts continues to be written today. Not in an authoritative Scriptural sense; but in the sense of God’s continued work in the world by His Spirit, through His church. - Guzik

The apostles and the women who gathered in the upper room were ordinary people like you and me. They had walked with Jesus and seen the extraordinary things he had done. Now Jesus was calling them to carry on the work that he had started. Importantly he gave them the same power he relied on in his ministry, the Holy Spirit. 

We will see through the book of Acts, like in Luke, the emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Tomorrow we will see the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. 

It is an important reminder to us that we can do nothing without the Holy Spirit!