“Acts 1:1-11”

Monday, December 14, 2015

“The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit [g]not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’ And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

---End of Scripture verses---

The first account spoken of in verse one was a chronicle of the life, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, called the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:1-4). But Luke realized that the account of the life and work of Jesus is really an ongoing, never ending story. The impact that the crucified, risen Savior has on the lives of people is the reason behind the blood that Jesus poured out on Calvary’s cross. The next logical step was for Luke to compose a narrative about some of the acts of some of the men that Jesus empowered to carry out His plan of salvation after He ascended back to the Father in heaven. If the Lord is willing, over the next several weeks we look on as the ambassadors of Jesus implement the Great Commission and disseminate the Good News and alter the eternal destinies of people with receptive hearts from all nations.

Luke’s account of the Gospel ends with the ascension of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53). The beloved physician begins the book of Acts by filling in some of the missing details of Jesus’ conversations with His apostles shortly before He was “carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51). What’s interesting to me is that Jesus was with them “over a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God” (verse 3) to them, and yet it seems they still didn’t understand the spiritual nature of that kingdom (verse 6). That misunderstanding would be corrected soon when the Holy Spirit would come upon them and they would receive the power previously promised to them (verse 8). The Holy Spirit would “guide them into all the truth” (John 16:13) and they would “proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2) with a more perfect understanding of the nature of it.

“And after He said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (verse 9). What an incredible sight this must have been to behold by these privileged men. Jesus had told them prior to His crucifixion that it was to their advantage that He go away, even though the thought of Him leaving saddened their hearts at the time (John 16:6-7). Now, on the other side of the cross, the future was looking much brighter to them. When Jesus arose into the sky they beheld the spectacle with amazement, and after He had gone they actually “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). Their Master had defeated death and ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, and soon nothing would stop them from telling the world the Good News.

Hopefully I will have the reading schedule composed and posted within the next few days. For tomorrow, please read Acts 1:12-26. Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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