CHAPTER 1 JESUS COMMISSIONS HIS APOSTLES AND THEIR NUMBER IS MADE UP READY FOR THE GREAT MOVE FORWARD. This chapter is the chapter of the great commission. In it Jesus' task for His own is described. It is often looked on as being preparatory to Acts 2, but while it is, of course, that, it is far m... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by man... [ Continue Reading ]
INTRODUCTORY WORDS (1:1-3).... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And, being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which,” said he, “you heard from me”.' The importance of the Holy Spirit in what follows comes out here. The book commences with reference to ‘the promise of the Father... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS' COMMISSION TO HIS APOSTLES (1:4-11). Here the risen Jesus calls on His believing people to wait for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit Who would be poured out on them like rain on fruitful ground. Once this happens they are to forget their own ideas about what the future holds, and go ou... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For John indeed baptised (drenched) with water; but you will be baptised (drenched) in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' The risen Jesus now confirms the final fulfilment of all that John's baptism pointed to in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in terms of rain as forecast by the prophets... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, “Lord, do you at this time restore the kingly rule to Israel?” ' ‘Lord.' What a different view they had of Jesus now. He was no more ‘teacher' or Rabbi' or even ‘Master'. He was ‘Lord'. In the words of Thomas, ‘My Lord and my God' (J... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has set within His own authority.” ' Jesus' reply is basically that they must leave the more distant future, and questioning how the Father will go about things, in the hands of God and not take a morbid interest in... [ Continue Reading ]
“But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come on you: and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.” What they are to spend their thoughts and concentration on is now outlined. The very purpose of the coming of th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.' Once Jesus had given His commission and prepared them for the downpouring of the Holy Spirit He was taken up skyward until He was hidden in a cloud. From that time onward they wo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you beheld him going into h... [ Continue Reading ]
PREPARATION FOR PENTECOST (1:12-26). In obedience to His command they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives where all this had happened, and entered the upper chamber where they were staying. And from this time on they spent their time in ‘the prayer', probably mainly in the Temple with a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is nigh to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey off.' The citing of the place where all this had occurred is a testimony to its genuineness. In Luke 24:50 it is at Bethany, which was on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives. Luke... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.' Arriving at their lodgings they went up to th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer (or ‘the prayer' or ‘the meetings for prayer'), with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.' The total unity of the infant church is emphasised. Both men and women disciples share an equality not usually known outsid... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and said (and there was a multitude of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty),' It was some time during the ten days before Pentecost that Peter stood up among the gathering of disciples of about one hundred and twenty.... [ Continue Reading ]
“Brethren, it was needful that the Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry (diakonia).” We see in these words clearly expre... [ Continue Reading ]
“Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong (or ‘prone'), he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” Among the Jews, when a man had entered into a contract from which he wanted to withdraw for conscience sake, and the other party refused... [ Continue Reading ]
“And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood).” The result of this vivid and seemingly ominous death was that the name of the place where it happened became known to the locals as Akeldama, ‘the fi... [ Continue Reading ]
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate, And let no man dwell in it', and, ‘His office (episkope) let another take'. Peter then cites two Scriptures which had especially struck him in connection with the incident, one found in Psalms 69:25 and the other in Psa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Of the men therefore who have kept company with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.' The credentials for the replacement, f... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.' The two finally seen as fulfilling all the requirements adequately, and approved of by all, were Barsabbas and Matthias. Barsabbas means ‘son of the Sabbath', and Justus would be his Roman name. Matthias was... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show of these two the one whom you have chosen, to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.” ' Having made their final selections they committed the matter i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they gave lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.' Choice by lot had been common in Israel right from the first giving of the Urim and Thummim which probably worked on the same basis. The Urim and Thummim appear to have allowed answers of ‘yes'... [ Continue Reading ]