Acts 1: Jesus & His Disciples
We kicked off our series in Acts by looking at what Jesus promised about the Church (Matthew 16) and the Spirit (John 16). You can read about those here. This background matters for what we see take shape in Luke’s account of Acts. Then comes Acts 1.
We will do well to consider a few things about Acts:
Acts is big. It is part 2 of a 2 part account written by Luke. Luke’s writing comprises nearly 20% of our New Testament.
Acts is important. It helps us read our Old Testament properly and is meant to give us certainty about the things written about Christ(Luke 1:1-4)
Acts is often misunderstood. Acts seems to primarily be written in narrative form. It tells the history of the church's beginning and is not necessarily an exhaustive prescription for how the church functions today.
(I must give my appreciation to a seminary professor of mine for sharing these three words to describe Acts: big, important, often misunderstood)
Acts can be summed up like this: The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus, through the Indwelling Spirit, according to the Eternal plan of the Father through the bold, grace-empowered, Spirit-empowered obedience of the Apostles.
It is most certainly intended to embolden, commission, and equip us for the mission as God’s people. So how do we see this in the opening section of Acts?
The Risen Lord Equips(vv. 3-5). Acts 1:3 tells us that for forty days after His resurrection, Jesus spent time speaking to the disciples about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not about the place we go when we die, nor is it summed up in the modern liberal vision of earthly peace apart from God’s rule, holiness, and power. We know that part of this kingdom teaching included teaching the disciples how to properly read the Old Testament (Luke 24). The risen Lord Jesus gives the disciples a mission and equips them to fulfill it.
The Risen Lord Commissions(vv. 6-8). As Jesus prepares to depart, His disciples ask a question that would have made sense to them and likely wasn’t entirely uncalled for. However, they don't yet seem to fully grasp what Jesus wants them to know. Jesus doesn’t give a full rebuke; rather, He redirects their question not by answering “when,” but by answering the “how”, “who”, and “what.” How will they fulfill his mission, and who will empower them for it, and what will He empower them to do?
How and who? “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
What? “And you will be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He commissions them for what happens through Acts: Jerusalem(Acts 1-7), Judea & Samaria(Acts 8-12), ends of the earth(Acts 13-28).The Risen Lord Ascends(v. 2; 9-11). The ascension of Christ may be the most overlooked aspect of Jesus’ ministry and exaltation, but it must not be, because it is visible and fulfills prophecy. Luke intentionally notes “as they were looking on”, telling us that this is a public, visible, historical truth. This is not a metaphorical or mere spiritual event; it is physical. Did you know that Christ's ascension is good news for us? It is this that enables Him to do the work He is doing now, as Paul teaches in Romans 8:34: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Jesus has done His work. His sin-defeating, satan-crushing, substitutionary atoning work. He has secured it by His promise. But the text isn’t finished. It gives us one more bit of information:
The Disciples Prepare for the Spirit(vv. 12-14). What is the disciples’ response to all of this? They prepare for the promise of the Spirit. How?
They obey. Jesus told them not to depart, but to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit. (v. 4)
They pray. Not only the 12, but the women, Mary, and Jesus' brothers. This foreshadows the reality of the Spirit being poured out on all flesh.
This theme of prayer will be significant. As David Peterson notes, “At almost every important turning point in the narrative of God’s redemptive action in Acts, we find a mention of prayer.”
