Acts Chapter 1
I have been saying over and over that we all must read and understand the book
of Acts, because it shows us how the apostles and disciples did the work that
Jesus did.
The book of Acts was written by Luke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
and we know that Luke also wrote the gospel of Luke. Acts chapter 1 starts out
with Luke speaking about what Jesus did (Acts 1:1-3) says “the former treatise
have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Until
the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. To whom also He showed
Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”. Jesus
showed Himself to over 500 after His resurrection.
In verse 4 it says “and, being assembled together with the, commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father
which, says He, you have heard of Me”. Jesus spoke this in John 14:15-18, He
says “if you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever. Even the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither
knows Him; but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless; I will come to you”. And again in John 16:12-14, Jesus
says “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear (understand)
them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all
truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall
He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it to you”. Our teacher is the Holy Spirit, we are
told to walk in the Spirit and we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh in Galatians 5:
16.
In verse 5 Jesus says “for John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from here. Remember when John the Baptist
was alive, he said in John 1:32-34 “and John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and He abode upon Him. And I knew Him
not; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, upon whom
you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which
baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of
God”.
In verses 6-7 it says “when they therefore were come together, they asked of Him,
saying, Lord, will You at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He
said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father
has put in His own power”. You see they were looking in the natural, but Jesus
was explaining what power they would receive.
In verse 8 Jesus says “but you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judae’a, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth”. Jesus teaches
us to ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be
opened to you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to
him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a
serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him”? The Holy Spirit came
to live on the inside of us when we accepted Jesus has our Lord and Savior. Yet
we need to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us take the time now to ask the
Father to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that we are to be His witness,
telling others of Him. In our own area, and in the area surrounding us, to the
farthest part of the earth.
In verses 9-11 says “and when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He
was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men (angels) stood by
them in white apparel. Which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing
up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven”. Yet some say
that another Jesus will return.
In verses 12-14 it says “then returned they to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they were
come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James,
and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James
the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren”. Now His brothers did not
believe in Him, until after His resurrection; remember that they came to take Him
away (Luke 8:19-21) “then came to Him His mother and His brethren, and could
not come at Him for the press. And it was told Him by certain which said, Your
mother and Your brethren stand outside, desiring to see You. And He answered
and said to them, My mother and My brethren are these which hear the word of
God, and do it”. They then went as Jesus had told them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
In verses 15-26 Peter encourages the others to choose a replacement for Judas
who betrayed Jesus; it says “and in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the
disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and
twenty). Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which
the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, which was
guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained
part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity;
and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed
out. And it was known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is
called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, the field of blood. For it is
written in the book of Psalms, let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein, and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have
companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.
Beginning from the baptism of John, to that same day that He was taken up from
us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection. And they
appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, You, Lord, which know the hearts of all men, show
which of these two You have chosen. That he may take part of this ministry and
apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was
numbered with the eleven apostles”.
Some say that the apostles took it upon themselves to choose Matthias; but the
Lord Jesus Himself chose Saul who was called Paul.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: November 8, 2011
I have been saying over and over that we all must read and understand the book
of Acts, because it shows us how the apostles and disciples did the work that
Jesus did.
The book of Acts was written by Luke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
and we know that Luke also wrote the gospel of Luke. Acts chapter 1 starts out
with Luke speaking about what Jesus did (Acts 1:1-3) says “the former treatise
have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. Until
the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. To whom also He showed
Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God”. Jesus
showed Himself to over 500 after His resurrection.
In verse 4 it says “and, being assembled together with the, commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father
which, says He, you have heard of Me”. Jesus spoke this in John 14:15-18, He
says “if you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever. Even the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither
knows Him; but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless; I will come to you”. And again in John 16:12-14, Jesus
says “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear (understand)
them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all
truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall
He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it to you”. Our teacher is the Holy Spirit, we are
told to walk in the Spirit and we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh in Galatians 5:
16.
In verse 5 Jesus says “for John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from here. Remember when John the Baptist
was alive, he said in John 1:32-34 “and John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and He abode upon Him. And I knew Him
not; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, upon whom
you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which
baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of
God”.
In verses 6-7 it says “when they therefore were come together, they asked of Him,
saying, Lord, will You at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He
said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father
has put in His own power”. You see they were looking in the natural, but Jesus
was explaining what power they would receive.
In verse 8 Jesus says “but you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judae’a, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth”. Jesus teaches
us to ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be
opened to you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to
him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a
serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him”? The Holy Spirit came
to live on the inside of us when we accepted Jesus has our Lord and Savior. Yet
we need to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us take the time now to ask the
Father to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us that we are to be His witness,
telling others of Him. In our own area, and in the area surrounding us, to the
farthest part of the earth.
In verses 9-11 says “and when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He
was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men (angels) stood by
them in white apparel. Which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing
up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven”. Yet some say
that another Jesus will return.
In verses 12-14 it says “then returned they to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they were
come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James,
and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James
the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These
all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren”. Now His brothers did not
believe in Him, until after His resurrection; remember that they came to take Him
away (Luke 8:19-21) “then came to Him His mother and His brethren, and could
not come at Him for the press. And it was told Him by certain which said, Your
mother and Your brethren stand outside, desiring to see You. And He answered
and said to them, My mother and My brethren are these which hear the word of
God, and do it”. They then went as Jesus had told them to wait for the Holy Spirit.
In verses 15-26 Peter encourages the others to choose a replacement for Judas
who betrayed Jesus; it says “and in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the
disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and
twenty). Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which
the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, which was
guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained
part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity;
and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed
out. And it was known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is
called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, the field of blood. For it is
written in the book of Psalms, let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein, and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have
companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.
Beginning from the baptism of John, to that same day that He was taken up from
us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection. And they
appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, You, Lord, which know the hearts of all men, show
which of these two You have chosen. That he may take part of this ministry and
apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was
numbered with the eleven apostles”.
Some say that the apostles took it upon themselves to choose Matthias; but the
Lord Jesus Himself chose Saul who was called Paul.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: November 8, 2011
