Tag: Acts 1

Acts

Joshua 5-6

Psalm 33

Acts 1

-Devotion by John Railton (IN)

Both the US and Israel have fought some amazingly strategic and successful battles in recent times, but none have been so strategic and successful as Israel’s victory over the city of Jericho! Who would have thought marching around the city every day, and then seven times on day seven would have brought the walls tumbling down? Some believe the city was built upon a fault, and that the marching disrupted the stability of the earth. Could be! Of course, it was God’s strategy, God’s instructions, God’s victory! It’s one of the most amazing and most loved battle stories in the Bible. We also see here the fulfillment of the promise two spies had made to Rahab, to save her and all her people that were safely within her home. They had offered her salvation, upon adherence to the terms. She followed it exactly, and they were saved.

Read again Psalm 33. Notice again we’re commanded to worship the LORD in numerous ways. Consider again the reasons he’s worthy! His word is right! He is always faithful! He loves righteousness! The earth is full of his love! He created merely by speaking his word! His plans stand firm! He watches over those who fear him! I suppose we’re all impatient at times, but we can always trust God will absolutely do as he says. It doesn’t matter how long it may take; He will always do as he says. Here are the last three verses, “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you!” (Psalm 33:20-22)

Acts 1 is a beautiful introduction to a new era. It was written by Dr. Luke, who had also written the gospel of Luke. In the gospel he had reported all that Jesus began to do and to teach. He now reports much of the history of the very early church, especially featuring two great apostles – Peter and Paul. We’ll here note just a few highlights from chapter 1.

Verse 3 tells us what Jesus did with his followers for the 40 days he remained on earth after his resurrection. He spoke about the Kingdom of God. That should come as no surprise. The good news of the Kingdom of God (sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven – same thing) was his absolute favorite topic. He began his ministry preaching the KOG, continued his ministry preaching the KOG, and wrapped up his ministry focusing on the KOG! We ought to follow his lead in our ministry today. In fact, I would suggest that any gospel message that does not focus on the KOG is inadequate, incomplete, and insufficient.

Verses 4-8 include a lot. He told his men to stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized (filled, immersed) with the holy spirit. In a sense that is the power of God, and it would enable them to be witnesses for Jesus. Numerous other purposes for the holy spirit are given, especially in the book of John. Verse 6 is interesting. It’s no surprise his disciples asked if he would immediately restore the kingdom to Israel, because it must have seemed that’s all he talked about. Again, this would suggest the meat of our ministry and message must focus on the KOG! Verse 8 is for all intents and purposes, an outline of the book of Acts.

Verses 9-11 report the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and the promise that this same Jesus would return in the same manner. That is as sure a promise as any. Every New Testament writer at least mentions the return of Jesus. Verses 12-14 then make note that his men returned to Jerusalem (as instructed) and that they joined together constantly in prayer. This would suggest their dedication to the Lord and the task at hand. They must have been at a loss, with Jesus disappearing on them, and needed direction. The rest of the chapter talks about the foolish reaction of Judas when he realized what he’d done, as well as Pater’s recommendation they they replace Judas with another.

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever fought a battle, enjoyed a victory, and felt the Lord was behind it all?
  2. Following the lead of Psalm 33, name some of your own observations as to why God is worthy of our worship. What are some specific ways you worship?
  3. If the book of Acts is about the acts of the Apostles, or perhaps the acts of Jesus through his apostles, what acts for the Lord are you doing? If someone wrote about your ministry, what would be included?      

Prayer    

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the victories we can have when we trust and obey you. Help me to worship you in numerous ways, in new ways. Thank you for the hope of the Kingdom of God! Thank you for those who shared that good news with me and those who’ve taught me about it. Use me to do that for others. Help me to be an agent for your coming kingdom. Help me to be a witness for Jesus, for the message of the kingdom. Help me to bring it into conversations. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!”  

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Eye-Witnesses and Proof of Life

Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus: Acts 1

Old Testament: Malachi 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 149

            Have you ever been a witness and had to testify in court?  I have.  I once witnessed a crime while I was on vacation at the beach.  I was called to come back and testify at the trial.  I didn’t mind, it was a free trip back to the beach.

            There are different kinds of witnesses.  If you ever watch television shows that feature courtrooms like Law and Order or CSI you know that different people are called to witness different things.  You can have a character witness who tells about the defendant as a person.  You can have forensic witnesses to talk about evidence.  Maybe the most important is the eye-witness, who talks about what they saw with their own eyes.  If you get two or three eye-witnesses who testify the same thing, there’s a good chance the defendant will be found guilty.

            In today’s reading from Acts, we get a small glimpse of what Jesus was up to during the first 40 days after he was raised from the dead.  He went around showing his disciples that he was still alive.  Luke, who wrote Acts, says that Jesus gave “many convincing proofs” that he was alive. 

Most of my adult children live a good distance from me, in another state, and one lives in another country.  If I haven’t heard from one of them for a while I will text them and ask for “proof of life” which means- “send me a text, call or Facetime with me so I know you’re doing okay.”  Fun fact: Dads are happier when they can see proof that their kids are okay (even if their kids are in their 20’s and 30’s and have kids of their own.).  A phone call, text, or Facetime is pretty low level proof of life, but I doubt that anyone is kidnapping my kids and doing a deepfake proof of life.  If I can see their face or hear their voice, I’m good. 

For the disciples in the first century, they had proof of life right in front of them.  Jesus was there, in his newly resurrected body, still bearing the scars from his crucifixion.  They were eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus.  But it wasn’t enough for them to just see for themselves that Jesus was risen, he told them that they had an important mission.  They were to be his witnesses.  They were to take the story of his life, teaching and resurrection to the whole world.  And they did.  That is why, 2000 years later there are people all over the world who follow Jesus Christ.

The disciples also witnessed Jesus ascend up from the earth through the clouds to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God.  As they were eyewitnesses to Jesus ascending, they also witnessed the angels who assured them that Jesus would return in the same way that he left, visibly, in the clouds.  For 2000 years the church has kept alive this testimony from the eyewitnesses: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, God raised Jesus from the dead and many people saw him in his risen body, Jesus ascended to heaven and we heard the promise that he would one day return in the same way.  Each generation of Jesus’ followers have kept this message alive and spread it.  Now you have received it, it’s up to you and your generation to continue keeping this eye witness testimony alive, until Jesus returns.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. If you were called up as a character witness for Jesus how would you describe him? What do you know about Jesus as a person? 
  2. If you were called up as a forensic witness testifying to the evidence of Jesus what would you say? What convincing proofs do you have that Jesus is alive?
  3. If you were called up as an eye-witness for what Jesus has done for you what would you say? How is your life different because of Jesus?
  4. Who needs to know what you know about Jesus, about the evidence surrounding his life, death, resurrection, ascension and coming return, and about how you have experienced Jesus and what he has done for you? How will you share? 
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What is Your Act?

Acts 1

April 19

The first few verses of chapter one constitutes an introduction to the book of Acts, giving us the key to the book. Here we have revealed the essential strategy by which Jesus Christ proposes to change the world, a strategy which is the secret of the character of the church when it is operating as it was intended to operate. I strongly suspect that most Christians suffer from a terrible inferiority complex when we confront the world around us. We have bought the idea of many around that the church is quite irrelevant, an archaic group that is irrelevant today. That view is false. The church is the most important body in the world today because whatever happens in the world happens because of something that is, or is not, happening in the church.

Now, in his first statement here, Luke gives us the great strategy by which the Lord works among mankind. He says, “In my former book…I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach… ” The Gospel of Luke is the record of the Son of God. Jesus, the man, came to begin something, to do and to teach, and the record of that beginning is in the Gospels. But this second book is the continuation of what Jesus began to do. In a very real sense, Acts is not the acts of believers, but the continuing acts of Jesus. It is an account of what Jesus continues to do and to teach. In the Gospels he did it in his physical body of flesh. In the book of Acts he is doing it through the bodies of men and women who are followers of him and endowed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever God wants to get a message across to men, he does not simply send someone to announce it; his final way of driving it home is to express the message in flesh and blood. He takes a life and aims it in a certain direction and, by the manifestation of his own life through the blood and flesh of a human being, he makes clear what he has to say. That is the strategy of the book of Acts. It is the record of followers of Christ endowed in the Holy Spirit; men and women,  owned by him, and thus manifesting his life. That is the secret of authentic Christianity. Anytime you find a Christianity that is not doing that, it is false Christianity. No matter how much it may adapt the garb and language of Christianity, if it is not the activity of human beings possessed and indwelt by the life of Jesus Christ it is not authentic Christianity. That is the true power of the church, as we shall see in this book.

The book of Acts therefore is an unfinished book. It is not finished but is still being written. The book abruptly closes with an account of Paul in the city of Rome, living in his own hired house. It just ends there as though you might turn over the next page and begin the next adventure. What is your act?

-Andy Cisneros

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What is your act?
  2. How would you rate yourself as a follower of Christ? What role does the Holy Spirit have in your life?
  3. Looking at Acts 1 what do you find the disciples of Jesus doing? What is their mission? What is their hope? Is this an appealing group to be a part of? Explain.
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Do You Believe Jesus is Alive?

FREE THEME DAYS: Evidence for the Risen Jesus

Acts 1

Acts 1 3

Over the next few days, I have been given free reign to focus on any portion of scripture. However, I am going to hop around a bit, focusing on a theme: evidence for the risen Jesus.   (And on Sunday our devotions will continue our chapter-by-chapter walk through the New Testament with the book of 1st Corinthians.)
We just celebrated Easter/Resurrection Sunday. This is the most important, most key and most crucial story to what it means to be a believer in Jesus. If Jesus is not raised from the dead: Christmas is little more than a nice story, his teachings are little more than nice words, and his death is little more than a sad story of injustice. BUT, if Jesus was raised to life, never more to die, it means that God put his seal of approval on Christ. Christmas becomes the birth of the Savior, his teachings are divinely given mandates from the best of all possible prophets, and his death is a sacrifice for sin and a ransom from evil/Evil.
Many people in our world today doubt all sorts of miracles. They question the Exodus story due to the “outlandish” claims about the Nile turning to blood or the parting of the sea. They question the stories of creation: was the Earth created in six literal 24 hour days six thousand years ago or through a gradual process involving billions of years? Did Jesus REALLY feed 5,000 people with some fish and some bread, or did they share with one another and no one was left hungry? All of these are interesting questions, and different theological beliefs and convictions lead to various answers.* However, as noted above, CHRIST’S RESURRECTION  is not incidental to the story of the Bible; the Bible IS THE STORY OF THE LIFE, DEATH AND NEW LIFE OF CHRIST. That is God’s Central theme in the pages of Scripture. It gets us to Jesus or points back to him. Jesus, then, connects us to God. Therefore, whatever we believe about other miracles, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is essential.
Which is why Acts 1 was included in Scripture.
READ ACTS 1!
What is so interesting about it is that Christ doesn’t appear to one guy in a room with the door closed (we could chalk that up to lying or insanity). He doesn’t even appear to just the twelve. There are anywhere from 120 (Acts 1:15) to 500 (1 Cor. 15:6) witnesses who saw Jesus resurrected, walking around preaching and teaching and convincing them that He was real and not a figment of their imagination.
Were the disciples crazy? Scripture shows their flaws but none of them would have been delusional.
Were the disciples lying? That could have been refuted easily and wouldn’t they have quickly given up the story and admitted the lie. (We are getting ahead of ourselves, stay tuned.)
The important point to make is pretty clear. Jesus began a movement. The movement didn’t end with his death, but continued on far afterwards, presumably with him coming back to life. Over and over, this has been confirmed in the pages of Scripture and in the lives of believers. When I ask, “Do you believe Jesus is alive?” I am really asking three question.
Is scripture trustworthy about its claims? If yes, then we must believe Jesus is alive.
Are believers trustworthy about their claims? If yes, then we should trust scripture, and should believe that Jesus is alive.
Have you experienced Jesus? If yes, then tell others that Jesus is alive.
So, do you believe Jesus is alive?
-Jake Ballard
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*For my part, I think when the Bible tells a narrative, we should trust the narrative to be historically accurate, and when it tells poetry and myths, we don’t hold poetry and myths to that same standard. That discussion takes a lot to unpack… if you are intrigued, be on the lookout for a Young Adult Class coming to FUEL this Summer!