Acts 1:1-5 The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 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.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:6-11 The Ascension
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 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.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
It has been some time since I studied the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s second letter to his friend Theophilus. Written around 62 AD, Luke records the history of the early church. The book of Acts is invaluable in documenting the establishment, growth, and persecution of Christianity in the first century.
Luke also introduces us to a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit rested upon individuals to accomplish God’s purpose. However, following Pentecost, the Holy Spirit inhabited the hearts of all believers and nothing has ever been the same.
While Luke never met Jesus, he became a faithful friend to Paul and not only accompanied him on his second missionary journey, but was with him near the end of his life.
As we delve into this book, let us look with eager anticipation into the inspiration we can receive from these early Christians and the way Christianity spread across the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
And I find myself wondering would I have been one of those who lingered in Jerusalem, waiting for the promise to come? Or would my impatience and fear propel me from the very place where the power of God would be made manifest in my life?
May we get the most from these scriptures as we we walk with Jesus day by day.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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