Acts Chapter 1
The first chapter of Acts, Jesus commits himself to his disciples, appearing to them over a span of forty days. He instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the promised Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples are gathered together in one place when the Spirit descends on them. They begin to speak in tongues, and crowds gather, wondering what is happening. Peter preaches to the people, telling them that the prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah. Many people are convicted and ask what they should do. Peter tells them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
In Acts 1:1-5, Luke tells us that his account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is a continuation of what he wrote about in his Gospel. He also reminds Theophilus (and us) that Jesus had instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit.
This promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in an extraordinary way, giving them power to speak in other tongues and to boldly proclaim the Good News about Jesus Christ. Pentecost was the official beginning of the Church, and from that day forward, the message about Jesus began to spread like wildfire throughout Jerusalem and Judea.
The Ascension of Jesus
In Acts Chapter 1, we see Jesus ascended into heaven after instructing his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they are “clothed with power from on high.” We also see the disciples return to Jerusalem and begin to wait and pray for this promise of power.
While they are waiting, they elect Matthias to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. And then, Luke tells us, “He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was famished.”
We see here that even Jesus was not exempt from temptation, but he resisted it and remained faithful. This should give us hope that we too can resist temptation and remain faithful even when things are tough.
After Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness, we see him begin his public ministry. He starts by teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth and then begins traveling around Galilee, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing people of their diseases.
As he goes, more and more people begin to follow him until he has a large group of disciples. And it is with this group of disciples that Jesus begins to accomplish his mission: to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom and bring about its dawning in this world.
The Choosing of Matthias
In the beginning of Acts, we see that the disciples are gathered together in Jerusalem praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit. They have just witnessed the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and are feeling confused and uncertain about the future.
At this time, there were two vacancies in their ranks caused by the betrayals of Judas Iscariot and his suicide. So they prayed and cast lots to choose a replacement for Judas. The lot fell on Matthias and he was welcomed into the group.
Chapter 1 Explained
Chapter 1 of Acts gives a great deal of background information on Jesus Christ. We learn that he was a real person who lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins. Christ was raised from the dead and appeared to many people before he ascended into heaven.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
In the first chapter of Acts, we see the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to his disciples that he would not leave them as orphans (John 14:18). The ascended Lord had told them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit (v. 4-5), and on the day of Pentecost, that is exactly what happened. As Luke describes it, “suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (v. 2). Out of this miraculous manifestation of God’s presence came “tongues as of fire” that “rested on each one of them” (v. 3). And “filled with the Holy Spirit,” the disciples began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (v. 4).
The events of Pentecost show us that, just as Jesus had promised, he had not left his disciples alone; he had sent them his Spirit. But what does it mean to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? In short, it means to be under his control. To be filled with the Spirit is to be yielded to him—to be open to his leading and obedient to his commands. It is to have our minds transformed by his Word and our wills conformed to his will. In other words, it is to allow him to reign over every area of our lives.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will evidence the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23), which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We will also begin to manifest the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), which are given by him for “the common good” (v. 7). These gifts include such things as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing ,miracles ,prophecy ,distinguishing between spirits ,tongues and interpretation of tongues .The purpose of these gifts is not primarily personal edification but rather building up and serving others in love . So if you are a Christian who has not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit—if you have never yielded your life completely to him—I urge you to do so today . Allow him to take control and use you for his glory .And if you are already walking in step with the Spirit ,continue yielding yourself afresh to him each day ,asking him for greater power and greater fruitfulness .
The Ascension of Jesus
In the first chapter of Acts, we see Jesus ascend into heaven after spending 40 days with his disciples. This event takes place on the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem. After Jesus ascends, two angels appear to the disciples and tell them that Jesus will return in the same way that he left. The disciples then return to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come upon them.
The Choosing of Matthias
Early Christians were guided by the Holy Spirit to choose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot. This is significant because it means that the twelve apostles were all chosen by God. Matthias was chosen because he had been with Jesus from the time of His baptism by John the Baptist to His ascension into heaven.