Good men, below are some insights into the fourth and fifth verses of Acts 1. Keep reading. A daily reading of Scripture is needed. To grow as men, to grow spiritually, we need God’s Word. Trust that is changes us. 

Verse 4 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;

Verse 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

he ordered them: This is a good word to see in Scripture. We don’t always take the commands of Scripture seriously. We are passive to God’s word at our own peril.

Jerusalem: It is no small thing that the place where they torture and mock and kill Jesus is the place where the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples. In the next chapter the Holy Spirit will change Jerusalem.

but to wait: Ah, to wait. To be put on hold. To be patient when we do not want to be patient. First, see that this is a God thing. He moves slower than us. Second, see that we are not alone. God makes other people wait too. Third, patience is one of the highest virtues.

the promise: As we struggle with the word ordered we also struggle with the word promise. We tend to think God promises things that don’t come true. Things like health, financial stability, relational well-being, and a culture that would get more and more moral. It is easy to be discouraged about the promises of God. The fault is not with God, but what we believe we can rightly expect from God. Trials, struggles, suffering, setbacks, broken relationships, and financial struggle are seen all through Scripture. This promise, though, and this kind of promise, is 100% reliable and true and effective and successful. The authentic promises of God are always true and always reliable.

Father: This is another tough word. If we think of God as a human father who keeps his kids from harm, and meets every need as we expect, we will be discouraged and disappointed. If we see God as a Heavenly Father, then we will trust that He is all-wise and fully sovereign, and his actions will always be for our good, even when things feel the opposite. A heavenly Father will carry us forward, day by day, maturing us and preparing us for heaven. See Philippians 1:6. And see Proverbs 3:5. And see Isaiah 55:8-9.

He: Notice again that all this is about Jesus. It’s about what he is doing, what he is ordering, and what he is reminding them of. Always watch for and listen to Jesus in the Bible. He is always the main thing.

you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit: This! This the game changer and life changer in the transition between Jesus’ death and the birth of the church. And it will be the Holy Spirit that empowers the apostles. This is also personal. This is for us too. God lives within us. The Holy Spirit is IN us. This is a promise we can count on.

In our generation, and in our style of church, the Holy Spirit is spoken of, even championed, but we are not good at teaching and modeling how to walk through our day with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is more real, more true, more encouraging, and more helpful than we know. A short article about walking in the Holy Spirit.

 

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Disappointment with God is a heavy thing to live with. This is one of the best books on the subject.

A link about encouragement

Some quotes

Good men, below are some insights into the second and third verse of Acts 1. Let us read and re-read. Let us dig deep!

Verse 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.

Verse 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.

He: In verse two the word he is used three times. In verse three the words he and his are used.  These verses, and the chapter, and the whole book are about Jesus. Jesus is always the central focus of the New Testament. “Let us keep our eyes on Jesus.” Hebrews 12:2

He was taken up: This is what is a called his ascension. It will take place in verse nine.

Given commands: His commands are truth, and we desperately need truth. We are not big on Jesus commands. We prefer his promises and blessings. But, his commands are about how to wisely live, how to successfully go about life as a Christian, and how to have the healthiest perspective possible.

Through the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is at work guiding, directing, empowering, to fulfill the purposes of God. The Holy Spirit is active throughout the book. This is true in our life too. We must (MUST!) be careful not quench and grieve the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).

The apostles whom he had chosen: This is the twelve disciples, minus Judas. What Jesus began with these men he will continue with. Jesus is sending them out to speak for Him, to go out, into the world, and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them. What God begins in us he will also complete. (Philippians 1:6)

He presented himself alive to them: We often take these five words for granted. But at the time these were mouth-dropping words. These words changed people, and in time changed the world. Let us be careful. Jesus is very much alive. He was dead, killed by sinners. But he did not stay dead. He died for us. He came back to life for us. He is very much alive!

after his suffering: Suffering is part of life. No one is exempt. Jesus is God, but Jesus is a wounded God. He understands suffering, not only in his crucifixion, but also the years they chased after him confronting him, accusing him, threatening to kill him. He knew disappointment, discouragement, personal conflict, etc.. He can relate to us more than we realize.

by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days: This is a gap of time, between the resurrection and book of Acts, that is often forgotten. But for the disciples this is an immediate continuance of the men walking with and being taught by Jesus. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he picked up where he left off on Friday.

speaking about the kingdom of God: This! Notice THIS! Life is always about perspective. Jesus wanted their minds filled with good and great and future things. He wanted to give them their marching orders, how they will do the work of God, and that this work is as big and as important as the very kingdom of God. This is the same work we are to be deeply involved in.

The first chapter of Acts is the hinge between the resurrection and Jesus establishing His church. It’s full of little things (and big things) that help us see God at work. He is always at work. Every single day in all of our lives.

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One of the best books on suffering

An article about quenching the Holy Spirit

A helpful link

Good men, what follows is intended to be a bit of help as we read and re-read Acts 1 this month. Below is verse one. Below that is hopefully some help in seeing the what Luke was trying to say.

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

The first book: The first book is the Gospel of Luke. It’s introduction (Luke 1:1-4) is much like the introduction to Acts. Luke and Acts, both written by Luke, are one seamless story.

Theophilus: His name means, dear to God. Luke is writing to tell Theophilus about Jesus. This is significant because Luke is following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) to communicate the life and teaching of Jesus to another person.

I have dealt with: This is a mark of a mature Christian to thoroughly deal with (or attend to, or take necessary action regarding) the life and teaching of our Savior.

All that Jesus began to do and teach: These eight words cover a lot of ground. But there is a lot of ground to cover to really teach someone about Jesus.

We too are Theophilus. We are dear to God. Let us dig deep this month into a very, very good chapter.

 

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