Today, we are starting a journey together. Last week, we discussed some of the roles of the Holy Spirit, and beginning today, we start to see how He played out in the life of the early church. Part of our challenge is Hebrews 13:8.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
If this is true of Jesus, then it is true of the Father, and it is true of the Holy Spirit as well. Why would they change? In fact, God says this in Malachi 3:6a.
“For I the LORD (YWHW, the self-existent/eternal one) do not change;”
It is called the immutability of God; He is always the same and does not change. We need to keep that in mind as we observe how the Holy Spirit begins to function once Jesus ascends, just as He promised. John 16:5-7; 13,14
But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you……. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Holy Spirit is vital and essential in the life of every believer. It is our responsibility to deepen our understanding of Him, to be open to Him, so we can grow in the Spirit’s empowering, just as the early church did!
There is a part that I skipped, let’s look at it quickly, John 16:8-11
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
This is part of the Holy Spirit’s job that we can all agree on, so let’s begin our journey
Acts 1:1,2
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.
Theophilus was the patron who funded the research and writing of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Many believe these books were written as a deposition to send to Rome. According to 2nd-century historians, Theophilus allowed the church to worship in his home, which was a basilica in the city of Antioch. Some believe that Luke was a slave of Theophilus and was later granted his freedom. It was not uncommon during this time for wealthy individuals to have a doctor as a slave.
Acts 1:3
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.
Jesus had made 10 appearances that we have a record of, after his resurrection. (If you want to know what they were, e-mail me and I will send you a list.) We will be reading about his being taken up today! But he was with them for 40 days after the resurrection
We know that with one appearance, he was seen by at least 500 people, most of whom were still alive when the book of Acts was written around 60-62 AD. This fact could have been refuted by contemporaries if it were not true. For 40 days, he walked with them and taught them, then for 10 more days they would wait for the promise of the Father.
Acts 1:4,5
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.”
Just as Jesus was commissioned by the Holy Spirit before He began His ministry, He tells the disciples to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit so they, too, can be empowered to become witnesses. Salvation is simply the start of our journey; learning to wait, listen, and be guided by the Holy Spirit is part of the process of sanctification (maturity).
Acts 1:6,7
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.
This is a legitimate question as the outpouring of the Spirit and the establishment of the Kingdom of God are tied in together in the Old Testament in several places. (Isaiah 32:15–20; 44:3–5; Ezekiel 39:28–29; Joel 2:28–3:1; Zechariah 12:8–10) However, Jesus answers the question with a statement.
The Jewish Catechism is their calendar. The first three holidays are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Passover, and First Fruits. Then, 50 days later, comes the Feast of Pentecost. After that, the three feasts Jesus will fulfill on his return are the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths).
Acts 1:8
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.”
Jesus’ promise of power is that they will have everything they need to fulfill the call to be witnesses. They are meant to go from place to place, allowing people to see the truth that Jesus is God, that he rose from the dead, and that He destroyed the power of the enemy, and that He is coming again.
God’s plan for his disciples—later, we will see that there were 120 of them, not just the original 12. Their mission was to have the power to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the world. We saw this happen in the book of Acts. Acts chapters 1 through 7 show the early church in Jerusalem and Judea, chapters 8 through 12 depict Samaria and the surrounding areas, and chapters 13 through 28 cover the uttermost parts of the world.
The question we will be asking throughout the following weeks is, “Do we still need this power?
Acts 1:9-11
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.”
Notice he was lifted up; the implication is that Jesus was lifted up by the cloud, not into the cloud. This was not a meteorological cloud but the Shekinah glory of God. This is exactly how Jesus will return, and it’s important for us to understand that he was quite literally lifted up by God’s glory and taken into his presence. According to Jewish custom, there must always be two witnesses, as I mentioned before, and once again, two men are standing as witnesses to tell the disciples that this is how Jesus left and how he will return.
So they did what Jesus asked…..
Acts 1:12-14
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, 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. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
They had one heart; they dedicated themselves to prayer, including the 11, Mary, Jesus’ brothers, and most likely over 100 others.
During that prayer time, Peter was reminded of two verses of scripture. The Lord had spoken to them, blessing them with insight and understanding of scripture, Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-49.
Luke 24:44-49
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
It was the Holy Spirit that brought the scriptures to light as we see here…
Acts 1:15-21
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,“‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’ (Ps 69:25; 109:8)
Zachariah 11:12,13 prophesies the 30 pieces of silver and the purchase of the potter’s field.
There are two different accounts of Judas’s death: one from Matthew, which says he hung himself, and another from Acts, which states that his bowels gushed out as he fell headlong. They are actually connecting the stories. It’s understood that the rope Judas used to hang himself broke, and once it did, his body fell into the ravine and was torn apart by the rocks below. I know that’s probably more detail than you want, but when people see contrasting scriptures, they become curious, and I want to make that clear. That’s probably more than you want to hear, but when people see conflicting scriptures, they get curious, and I just want to clarify.
We will wrap up chapter 1 next week but I want to leave you with more questions
John 14:12-18
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
- Do we need to do greater works today so the world will know who Jesus is and what he did?
- The phrase “another Helper” means a person of the exact essence as Jesus, so if we have the Holy Spirit do we have Jesus in us?
- The Holy Spirit will be in them, at this point in their walk with Jesus he was just with them. Do you have the Holy Spirit in you?
- If you said yes, are you now doing greater works than Jesus did?
- If not, why not? (I guess we need to see more what scripture has to say)
- He came to them after the resurrection and then He came again as he and the Father, the Spirit are one but the Holy Spirit has a distinctive role to fill us with fruit and power are you seeing that fruit and power in your life?
Next week… “Get set” to see God move!