Acts 1:1-26

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

About this book

The writer

Most people agree that Luke wrote Acts. Luke also wrote the third *Gospel. In Acts, he told how the good news about Jesus *Christ spread. It spread to the world beyond *Jerusalem.

Luke was a *Gentile and he was a doctor (Colossians 4:14). He worked with Paul and he travelled with Paul (Philemon 1:24).

Luke was very careful about what he wrote. He knew that some things were true. And he wrote only those things. At the beginning of his *Gospel, he wrote this. ‘You have heard many things. I am writing this account so that you will know the truth about them’ (Luke 1:4). In Acts, he continued with this account.

Luke was travelling with Paul. Luke wrote about what happened during that time (Acts 16:10-17; Acts 20:5-21; Acts 27:1-28). In these verses, he used ‘we’ instead of ‘they’ or ‘he’. So, we know that Luke was there at those times.

After Luke had arrived in *Jerusalem (Acts 21:17), he stayed in *Judea. He stayed there for two years. Then he left to travel to *Rome (Acts 27:1). He went to *Rome with Paul. While Luke was in *Judea, he probably spoke to other witnesses. They told him about the other events that he describes.

The purpose of the book

Luke had several reasons why he wrote Acts. People were telling false stories about *Christians. They were afraid that *Christians wanted to make trouble. Luke wanted the *Roman rulers to know that this was not true. *Christians helped other people to behave well. He wanted to show that to the rulers. It was good for the *Roman government.

Luke wrote about many *miracles. God gave to *Christians the power to cure people, for example. Also, God rescued Peter from prison by a *miracle. So, anyone who opposed the Christians was opposing God. He also wanted to show to the *Jews that the *Christian *faith was not a separate religion. Instead, it made *Judaism complete, because Jesus is the *Messiah.

However, Luke had one main reason why he wrote this book. The good news about Jesus had travelled from *Jerusalem to *Rome. Luke wanted to record how that happened. *Rome was the most important city in the world. Luke showed that the *gospel was for all people in every nation. It was for *Jews and it was also for *Gentiles.

Contents

We can divide Acts into 6 parts. Each part ends with a report that more people were joining the *church.

1. Acts 1:1-6

In the first part, Luke describes how the *church grew in *Jerusalem. This part ends like this: ‘So, God’s message spread. The *disciples in Jerusalem continued to increase quickly in number. And very many priests obeyed the *faith.’

2. Acts 6:8-9

From this part, we learn how the good news reached *Samaria because of Stephen’s death. This part ends like this: ‘Meanwhile, the *church all over *Judea, *Galilee and *Samaria enjoyed a peaceful period. The *Holy Spirit made the *church strong and he encouraged the *Christians. They respected the *Lord and more people joined the *church.’

3. Acts 9:32-12

In this part, the writer tells us how Paul met Jesus. This happened on the road to Damascus. Damascus is a city in Syria. We learn how the *gospel reached Antioch, the capital city in Syria. Also, we learn how Peter accepted Cornelius into the *church. Cornelius was a *Gentile. This part ends like this: ‘God’s message continued to grow and it continued to spread.’

4. Acts 12:25-16

In this part, Luke describes how the *gospel spread through more countries. It ends like this: ‘So, the Christians became stronger in the *faith and more people joined the *churches daily.’

5. Acts 16:6-19

We learn from this part how the good news about Jesus reached Europe. Paul started a new *church in Corinth, a city in Greece. He also started a new *church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a very important city. It was in the same country that is called Turkey today. It is near Greece. This part ends like this: ‘In this manner, the *Lord’s message continued to increase in power and it spread widely.’

6. Acts 19:21-28

In the final part, Luke tells us that Paul reached *Rome. When it ends, Paul is in prison. There, ‘he *preached boldly about God’s *kingdom. He taught the facts about the *Lord Jesus *Christ and nobody tried to stop him.’

When Luke wrote Acts

When the book ends, Paul is in *Rome. The *Romans had arrested him. Luke does not say what happened to Paul next. So, many students think that Luke completed Acts very soon after this. Also, he said nothing about Nero. Nero was an *Emperor. He killed many *Christians in *AD 64. Probably Luke had finished the book in *AD 62. But we do not know the exact date.

Chapter 1

Why Luke is writing this book, 1:1-3

v1 Dear Theophilus, Jesus began to do many things and he began to teach many things. In my first book, I wrote about all those things. v2 He spoke to the *apostles that he had chosen. Then he went up to heaven. He told them what he wanted them to do. He did this by the *Holy Spirit’s power. v3 After he had suffered, he showed himself to these men. He showed himself to them in many ways. This proved that he was alive. He appeared in front of them many times. This was during a period of 40 days. He talked to them about God’s *kingdom.

Verse 1 Luke referred to his *Gospel here as ‘my first book’. Acts is the second book in the history that Luke wrote. He wrote both books for Theophilus. This *Greek name means ‘someone who loves God’. Perhaps Luke was using it to mean any *Christian reader. But it is more likely that Theophilus was a real person. In Luke 1:3, Luke called him ‘most excellent’. Therefore, Theophilus might have been an important man that worked for the government.

Verse 2 Luke wrote that his *Gospel was about everything that Jesus began to do. And it was about everything that Jesus began to teach. After he had returned to his Father, Jesus continued to do things. And he continued to teach. Luke’s second book describes these things. Jesus continued his work by his *Holy Spirit, by means of his *apostles. The *Greek word ‘apostolos’ means a person with a message. That person (an *apostle) had special authority from the person who had sent him. Therefore an *apostle could act for the person who sent him. So, the *apostles too would be leaders of *Christians, as Jesus was their leader. Jesus chose his 12 *disciples to be his *apostles.

Verse 3 The *disciples were sure that Jesus had overcome death. He had proved to them many times that he was still alive. His *resurrection had really happened. It was true. This was the most important part in their message.

Jesus continued to teach them about his favourite subject. This was God’s *kingdom. God’s *kingdom had come by means of Jesus’ life, death and *resurrection.

God’s promise that he would give the *Holy Spirit, 1:4-8

v4 One time, while he was staying with them, he told them not to leave *Jerusalem. He said, ‘You must wait for the gift that I told you about. My Father promised to give this gift. v5 As you know, John *baptised with water. But after a few days, you will receive *baptism with the *Holy Spirit.’

Verse 4 Jesus was ‘staying with them’. The *Greek word for this can also mean that he was ‘eating with them’. Jesus was eating with his *disciples after his *resurrection. He also did this on other occasions after the *resurrection (Luke 24:30-31; Luke 24:42-43). This was not because he needed food. It was to prove that he was real.

In his *Gospel, Luke recorded the Father’s (God’s) promise. The Father had promised that power from above would come to the *disciples (Luke 24:49).

Verse 5 In this verse, Luke reminds us about John the *Baptist’s words. John said this about Jesus: ‘He will *baptise you with the *Holy Spirit and he will *baptise you with fire’ (Luke 3:16).

v6 So, when they were all together, they asked him this: ‘*Lord, will you now give back the *kingdom to *Israel?’ v7 He said to them, ‘The Father has fixed these times and dates. They are under his control. You cannot know them. v8 But you will receive power when the *Holy Spirit comes upon you. You will be my witnesses in *Jerusalem. You will also be my witnesses in all *Judea and *Samaria and all over the earth.’

Verse 6 The *Jews were proud that God had chosen them as his people. They wanted other nations to know that they (the *Jews) were important. But other nations had defeated them. The *Jews seemed weak and the *Romans ruled over them. The *Jews wanted God to prove that they were superior. They wanted him to give them power over all the other nations. So, the *disciples asked Jesus, ‘*Lord, will you now give back the *kingdom to *Israel?’

Verse 7 Jesus did not answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the *disciples’ question. Instead, he said that this information belonged to the Father only. He did not want them to think about political power. He wanted them to *preach the *gospel. He wanted them to concentrate on that.

Verse 8 The power that they would receive was not power over other people. Instead, it was power from heaven. This power would make them able to continue *Christ’s work on earth.

‘You will be my witnesses in *Jerusalem. You will also be my witnesses in all *Judea and *Samaria, and all over the earth.’ A witness has seen something with his own eyes. Therefore, he knows that it is true. The *Greek word for ‘witness’ is ‘martus’. It also means ‘*martyr’ (a person who is willing to die for his or her beliefs). A witness must be willing to die for *Christ if this is necessary. In verse 8, Luke tells us what the whole book is about. In the first 7 Chapter s, he describes how the good news spread in *Jerusalem. In Acts 8:11, he describes what happened in *Judea and *Samaria. In the last part, he describes how the *gospel spread through the *Gentile world.

Of course, the story did not end there. Today, *Christians must continue to tell people in every nation about Jesus. God wants everyone in the world to hear the good news.

Jesus returns to heaven, 1:9-11

v9 After he said this, he returned to heaven. They watched as he went there. A cloud hid him, so then they could not see him. v10 While he went, they were staring up at the sky. Immediately, two men in white clothes stood next to them. v11 They said, ‘Men from *Galilee, you should not stand here and you should not look at the sky. This Jesus has left you and he has gone up to heaven. But he will come again. He will come in the same way as you have seen him go.’

Verse 9 Luke also described this event in his *Gospel (Luke 24:50-53). Jesus had showed his *disciples that he was alive. He had done this during a period of 40 days. At the end of that period, this event happened. The cloud contained God’s *glory. The last time when the *disciples saw Jesus on earth, God’s *glory surrounded him.

Verse 10 They were ‘staring up at the sky’. Some students say that Jesus did not actually rise up to heaven. But Luke uses words like ‘watched’, ‘see’, ‘staring’, ‘look’ and ‘seen’. With their own eyes, the *disciples saw everything that happened!

The ‘two men in white clothes’ were *angels with a message. Two men also appeared in front of the women in Luke 24:4. These men in Acts were like them. Luke wants us to consider them as witnesses. There had to be two witnesses that saw an event. (Two was the minimum number.) Only then, people would believe that the event had happened (Deuteronomy 19:15).

Verse 11 Jesus went from the earth in power. And he went with *glory. He will return to the earth in power. And he will return with *glory. Nobody knows when that will be. Until then, the *Holy Spirit is here. Some people believe in Jesus and they trust in him. The *Holy Spirit lives in all those people. Our *Lord is alive and he is in heaven. We can talk to him. We can do this by means of the *Holy Spirit.

The *apostles together in *Jerusalem, 1:12-14

v12 Then the *apostles returned to *Jerusalem. They returned from the hill that was called the *Mount of *Olives. This is a *Sabbath day’s walk away from the city. v13 They entered the city. And they went up to the room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (Alphaeus’s son), Simon the Zealot and Judas (James’s son) were there. (A zealot was an enemy of the *Roman government.) v14 They were always gathering to pray as a group. Certain women were with them. Also, Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers were there.

Verse 12 ‘The Mount of *Olives’ was a hill where *olives grew. ‘Mount’ here means ‘hill’. Olives were fruits that were important for food. People made oil from them. They used the oil to cook with. There were many olive trees on this hill.

‘A *Sabbath day’s walk’ was the distance that *Jews could walk on the *Sabbath day. The *Sabbath is the day when *Jews rest. On that day, they must not walk further than 2000 cubits. (This is about a kilometre or two thirds of a mile.)

Verse 13 The *disciples had eaten the *Passover meal with Jesus in a room upstairs (Luke 22:7-13). This was probably the same room.

Here Luke names all the *disciples except Judas Iscariot. But he mentions only Peter, James and John again in Acts.

Verse 14 Luke shows that women were important. These women had travelled to *Jerusalem from *Galilee with Jesus and his *disciples (Luke 8:2-3; Luke 8:23-55). Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also there. This is the last time that anyone mentions her in the *New Testament. For the first time, Jesus’ brothers were together with the *disciples. Jesus’ brother James became a leader in the *church in *Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13-21; Acts 21:18).

Judas’s death, 1:15-20

v15 At this time, Peter stood up and he spoke to the *believers. About 120 people were there. v16 He said, ‘Brothers, the things that the *Holy Spirit said about Judas have happened. The *Holy Spirit said these things by means of David’s mouth. Judas led men to Jesus and they arrested Jesus. v17 He was a *disciple with us and he worked with us.’ v18 (Judas received money for his wicked act. With this money, he bought a field. He fell down and he died there. His stomach burst open. And the parts that were there inside his body fell out. v19 Everyone in *Jerusalem heard about this. So, they called the field ‘Akeldama’. In their language, this means ‘Field of Blood’.) v20 Peter said, ‘In the book called Psalms, the writer says, “Let his house become empty. Let nobody live in it” (Psalms 69:25). He also says, “Let someone else do his work” (Psalms 109:8).’

Verse 15 Luke records that there were about 120 *believers there. The *church began with only a few people. It is good for us to remember this. You may be the only *Christian in your family. Or you may be the only *Christian in the place where you work. There may be only a few *Christians in your country. But God will use you to spread the good news.

Verses 16 -17 Jesus had chosen 12 *disciples to work with him. The number 12 was important because there were 12 important families in *Israel. Now there were only 11 *disciples. So, they needed to replace Judas.

Verses 18-19 Peter did not speak the words in these two verses. Everyone in the room knew what Judas had done. Luke probably heard this story when he went to *Jerusalem in *AD 57. He tells it to us here.

‘His wicked act’ happened like this. Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests. They wanted to arrest Jesus. They gave Judas 30 pieces of silver and he led them to Jesus. He greeted Jesus with a kiss. In this way, he showed the people whom to arrest. (Luke 22:3-6; Luke 22:47-48).

In Matthew’s *Gospel too, we can read about Judas’s death. The details are not exactly the same as they are in Acts. But we can be sure that Judas killed himself (Matthew 27:1-10).

Verse 19 Here, ‘their language’ means the *Aramaic language.

Verse 20 Here, Peter began to speak again. He said some words from Psalms 69 and Psalms 109. The famous king David wrote these psalms. Peter had said that ‘the *Holy Spirit said these things by means of David’s mouth’ (verse 16). David wrote them many hundreds (100s) of years before. But they are about Judas. In his *Gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus helped the *disciples to understand the *scriptures. He taught them these things after his *resurrection (Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:32; Luke 24:45-49). They began to understand that the *Old Testament had many *prophecies about the *Messiah. Psalms 69 is about Jesus. We learn this from 5 verses in the *New Testament (John 2:17; John 15:25; Romans 11:9-10; and here, Acts 1:20).

A new *disciple, 1:21-26

v21-22 ‘So, then, we must choose someone. That man must be someone who saw the *Lord Jesus with us. It must be someone who was there from the beginning. He must have been at Jesus’ *baptism. That man must have seen Jesus rise up to heaven. That man must have been with us all the time, between these two events. One such man must become a witness, with us, that Jesus has become alive again after death.’ v23 They decided to choose between two men. One man was Joseph, who was called Barsabbas. He was also called Justus. The other man was Matthias. v24 Then they prayed, ‘*Lord, you know everything about everyone. Here are these two men. Show us which man you have chosen v25 to serve as an *apostle. Judas would go to where he belongs. So, he has gone away from us.’ v26 Then they cast lots. (Look at the note below.) Matthias won. So, he too became an *apostle. Then there were 12 *apostles in total.

Verses 21-22 The 11 *disciples that remained had been very close to Jesus all the time. He had taught them when they were away from the crowds. They had helped him in his special work on earth. Also, they had seen him many times after his *resurrection. They had watched him leave the earth. And they had watched him go up to heaven. They wanted the new *disciple to be someone who had known Jesus like this. With them, he must tell everyone that Jesus had beaten death. So, he needed to have seen with his own eyes that Jesus was alive.

Verse 23 Barsabbas means ‘son of the *Sabbath’. Maybe he was born on the *Sabbath day. Justus is a *Gentile name. Many *Jews had both a *Jewish name and a *Gentile name.

Eusebius lived from about *AD 260 to *AD 340. He was a writer, who wrote history. He said that the 70 *disciples in Luke 10:1 included Matthias and Barsabbas. But we do not really know that. Luke does not write about Matthias and Barsabbas again.

Verse 24 ‘Then they prayed’. The *disciples asked God to choose between Matthias and Barsabbas. God always knows what is best. Therefore, we should pray about everything that we do.

Verse 25 Judas chose to leave his life as a *disciple. Therefore, the place ‘where he belongs’ was not with the *disciples. And it was not with Jesus. It was with *Satan. God does not force us to do what he wants. God allows us to choose what we do.

Verse 26 ‘Then they cast lots.’ This was the usual way for *Jews to make a choice. It was used many times in the *Old Testament.

When people ‘cast lots’, they wrote people’s names on stones. They put the stones in a jar. Then they shook the jar until a stone fell out. The name on the stone was the person that they must choose. This was the last time when they cast lots in the *New Testament. After the *Holy Spirit came, the *disciples did not need to do this. Instead, the *Holy Spirit guided them.

Gospel ~ a book at the beginning of the New Testament. There are 4 Gospels. They are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
gospel ~ the good news about Jesus; the message that Jesus came to save us.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
save ~ to rescue from sin’s result.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Gentile ~ not Jewish; a person that is not a Jew; a person who does not know God. ‘Gentiles’ can mean people from all countries (but it does not include Jews).
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Judea ~ a region in the country where the Jews lived.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Roman ~ a person from Rome; a word that describes someone from Rome; or it describes something from Rome. The Roman soldiers fought against people in many countries. And they defeated them. They made the people obey the rules that officials in Rome made. They made the people pay taxes to Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
faith ~ when someone believes in someone or something; when someone is really sure about God and Jesus his Son; ‘the faith’ means the things that Christians say are true about Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Messiah ~ in the Old Testament, the anointed king; in the New Testament, Jesus. It means the same as *Christ.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil. This shows that God has chosen him or her.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Gospel ~ a book at the beginning of the New Testament. There are 4 Gospels. They are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
gospel ~ the good news about Jesus; the message that Jesus came to save us.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
save ~ to rescue from sin’s result.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Samaria ~ a region between Judea and Galilee.
Judea ~ a region in the country where the Jews lived.
Galilee ~ a region in northern Israel, where Jesus and some disciples lived; a lake in that region.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Galilee ~ a region in northern Israel, where Jesus and some disciples lived; a lake in that region.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
preach ~ to tell the good news about Jesus to a person or people; and to explain it to them.
kingdom ~ where a king rules; a country where a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules.
emperor ~ the most important ruler in Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
AD ~ AD 50 means 50 years after Jesus was born, and so on.
apostle ~ a man that God chose to lead other Christians; a man that God chose to teach about Jesus; one of the 12 men that Jesus chose to be his helpers.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Greek ~ the language that the people from Greece spoke; the language in which authors wrote the New Testament; a person from Greece.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.
baptise ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; how we show that *Christ has made a person clean; to send the Holy Spirit into someone, which God does; to show to everyone that a person belongs to *Christ together with other people; to show to everyone that a person is in the church.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
baptism ~ when someone baptises someone; when the Holy Spirit comes into a person when they know *Christ.
baptise ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; how we show that *Christ has made a person clean; to send the Holy Spirit into someone, which God does; to show to everyone that a person belongs to *Christ together with other people; to show to everyone that a person is in the church.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Baptist ~ a man who baptises people.
baptise ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; how we show that *Christ has made a person clean; to send the Holy Spirit into someone, which God does; to show to everyone that a person belongs to *Christ together with other people; to show to everyone that a person is in the church.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
martyr ~ a person that enemies kill, because of his or her beliefs.
glory ~ great love and praise and honour; the beautiful light round God; God’s power and his great importance.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
Mount ~ a short word for mountain; or, a hill.
olive ~ a tree with small fruits that people use to make oil; or those fruits themselves. People use the oil to cook food.
Sabbath ~ the Sabbath was the 7th day in the week. That day was special to the Jews. On that day, the people had to rest from work (Exodus 20:8-11).
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
olive ~ a tree with small fruits that people use to make oil; or those fruits themselves. People use the oil to cook food.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews; a special meal that they ate on this day every year. At the time when Moses was alive, their people had been slaves in Egypt. Then God had freed them from Egypt. This special meal helped them to remember that. They came to Jerusalem, to meet in the Temple. And then they ate the same food together.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Egypt ~ a country in North Africa. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for several hundred years. God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And finally they went to the Promised Land. The escape from Egypt was a very important event in Jewish history.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.

Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his family.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.

'New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
Aramaic ~ a local Jewish language. Jesus spoke Aramaic.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
scripture ~ the Bible, the book that contains God’s holy messages; the Old Testament.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.

'Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
prophecy ~ special messages and stories that God gives to a person; messages about things that will happen in the future; the words that a prophet speaks or writes.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.