Acts Chapter 1
1. The Gospels, and the gospel Luke the writer of acts refers to is his gospel only recorded the things that Jesus began to do. In the book of acts we will see Jesus continue his work through the Holy Spirit and through Christians.
2. Jesus gave instructions to the apostles in the New Testament contains those instructions.
Jesus, by the Holy Ghost, and through the apostles wants to instruct us today and it happens when we study the New Testament and actually the entire Bible.
3. 11 appearances after Jesus was raised had been recorded in Scripture and probably more, many more than that actually occurred. The kingdom of God Jesus spoke to them about during those 40 days after he was raised included the purpose of the church age which is to preach salvation through Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus did not want his apostles to even try to minister the word of God until after they received the Holy Ghost. If they try to do something on their own they will mess it up and that's for certain.
5. The baptism of the Holy Ghost cannot be felt like the baptism of water and that's because it occurs in the spiritual ground. When a person repents and makes Jesus Christ their Lord the Holy Spirit baptizes them, or in other words places them into the body of Christ which is the universal invisible church that is made up of real Christians across denominational lines.
6. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is here right now in the souls of his people, but one day Jesus will be here on earth and his rule will extend over all people on the planet. The apostles wanted to know if that universal kingdom under Christ here on earth was going to happen right away.
7. God doesn't like us to ask "when". God's business is to determine when something will happen; our business is to concentrate on living for him while trusting that he will do the right thing at the right time.
8. In other words, don't try to figure out when Jesus will return; that takes too much energy, energy that should be used to live a holy life and helping to spread the kingdom of God before he really does return.
9. That cloud was symbolic of the presence of God throughout the Bible. I don't believe Jesus had to travel through outer space to get into heaven wherever it is. When he hit that cloud he reached heaven and he disappeared because he was there not here.
Obviously heaven is a place, a place where a physical resurrected body can exist because that's what Jesus is in and that's where he is.
10. The two men in white apparel are two angels and they appear out of nowhere.
The Angels are seldom named in Scripture and that's because their identity is not important. There service to God is important, but like us, that's all they are his servants.
Jesus is the important one. These angels speak of Jesus not themselves.
11. Jesus left visibly and physically and he will return visibly and physically. Jesus disappeared into the clouds when he left and he will return in the clouds when he comes back. His feet launched from the Mount of olives just outside of Jerusalem and the Bible says that when he returns his feet will stand upon the Mount of olives once again.
12. The religious laws of the Jews affected people in ways that are difficult for us to even imagine. For example, a Sabbath day's journey was less than a mile so if you walked further than that you committed a sin, at least that's what the leadership taught. But it does give you an idea of how the man-made rules and regulations of the Jewish religion restricted the people.
13. This room likely was the place where they had the last supper and were Jesus appeared to them on two consecutive Sundays; it is where they all stayed.
14. The brothers of Jesus were unbelievers until the resurrection. They saw Jesus after he was raised and from that point on they became his faithful followers. As a result, they, along with his mother and the other ladies who had followed Christ and his apostles stayed in that room and had a 10 day prayer meeting.
15. Jesus had told Peter that it was his job to care for his sheep and so he takes the lead here and presides over some church business.
Peter repented after his denials of Christ and God restored him. God demands perfection but if we fail he will still use us if we repent and confess.
16. Peter reminds everyone Scripture predicted Judas would betray Christ. Judas acted with his own free will and is accountable for his sin and yet the Scripture had to be fulfilled concerning the betrayal.
17. Judas had a real part in the ministry. He preached, baptized, and did miracles and was even the treasurer. Which just goes to show that character not religious works is the proof that one belongs to Christ.
18. Peter fills in all the gory details concerning Judas. After the branch or the rope that he hung himself on broke his rotting body smashed against a rock and broke open. A hideous and for a hideous center which is why I believe God described it so graphically in his word. In this gruesome picture only describes his body his soul is in even worse condition.
19. And everyone knew that that was the gruesome end of Judas Iscariot. The wages of his sin was a hideous death, a terrible reputation, and an eternity of hell fire.
20. Judas was replaced.
If someone chooses to live in rebellion against God they will be replaced just as he was.
21,22. There are no apostles of the Lord today because no one meets the qualification of an apostle set out here by Peter. An apostle had to be an eyewitness of the things that Jesus did and said and also of his resurrection.
23. They chose to men who met the biblical qualifications. Evidently it seemed like a tie so they decided to let the Lord make the decision and since they would be his apostles he should choose them just like he chose the original ones.
24. Judas had looked very good on the outside but inside he was full of moral and spiritual rot. Consequently they want God to choose the one that he knows will do the best job.
When it comes to establishing relationships it is very important to pray and ask for God's leading.
25. Peter didn't presume to know for certain that Judas went to hell with Judas definitely went to the place that he deserved to go and he went there because he rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
One huge difference between Christians and non-Christians is that non-Christians go where they deserve to go and Christians, only by God's grace, do not go where they deserve to go.
26. The apostles were not indwelt by the Holy Ghost at this time so they were still functioning under Old Testament guidelines for discerning God's will and that would include the casting of lots. According to Proverbs 16:33 the Bible says the lot is cast into the lap but it's every decision is from the Lord.
1. The Gospels, and the gospel Luke the writer of acts refers to is his gospel only recorded the things that Jesus began to do. In the book of acts we will see Jesus continue his work through the Holy Spirit and through Christians.
2. Jesus gave instructions to the apostles in the New Testament contains those instructions.
Jesus, by the Holy Ghost, and through the apostles wants to instruct us today and it happens when we study the New Testament and actually the entire Bible.
3. 11 appearances after Jesus was raised had been recorded in Scripture and probably more, many more than that actually occurred. The kingdom of God Jesus spoke to them about during those 40 days after he was raised included the purpose of the church age which is to preach salvation through Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus did not want his apostles to even try to minister the word of God until after they received the Holy Ghost. If they try to do something on their own they will mess it up and that's for certain.
5. The baptism of the Holy Ghost cannot be felt like the baptism of water and that's because it occurs in the spiritual ground. When a person repents and makes Jesus Christ their Lord the Holy Spirit baptizes them, or in other words places them into the body of Christ which is the universal invisible church that is made up of real Christians across denominational lines.
6. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is here right now in the souls of his people, but one day Jesus will be here on earth and his rule will extend over all people on the planet. The apostles wanted to know if that universal kingdom under Christ here on earth was going to happen right away.
7. God doesn't like us to ask "when". God's business is to determine when something will happen; our business is to concentrate on living for him while trusting that he will do the right thing at the right time.
8. In other words, don't try to figure out when Jesus will return; that takes too much energy, energy that should be used to live a holy life and helping to spread the kingdom of God before he really does return.
9. That cloud was symbolic of the presence of God throughout the Bible. I don't believe Jesus had to travel through outer space to get into heaven wherever it is. When he hit that cloud he reached heaven and he disappeared because he was there not here.
Obviously heaven is a place, a place where a physical resurrected body can exist because that's what Jesus is in and that's where he is.
10. The two men in white apparel are two angels and they appear out of nowhere.
The Angels are seldom named in Scripture and that's because their identity is not important. There service to God is important, but like us, that's all they are his servants.
Jesus is the important one. These angels speak of Jesus not themselves.
11. Jesus left visibly and physically and he will return visibly and physically. Jesus disappeared into the clouds when he left and he will return in the clouds when he comes back. His feet launched from the Mount of olives just outside of Jerusalem and the Bible says that when he returns his feet will stand upon the Mount of olives once again.
12. The religious laws of the Jews affected people in ways that are difficult for us to even imagine. For example, a Sabbath day's journey was less than a mile so if you walked further than that you committed a sin, at least that's what the leadership taught. But it does give you an idea of how the man-made rules and regulations of the Jewish religion restricted the people.
13. This room likely was the place where they had the last supper and were Jesus appeared to them on two consecutive Sundays; it is where they all stayed.
14. The brothers of Jesus were unbelievers until the resurrection. They saw Jesus after he was raised and from that point on they became his faithful followers. As a result, they, along with his mother and the other ladies who had followed Christ and his apostles stayed in that room and had a 10 day prayer meeting.
15. Jesus had told Peter that it was his job to care for his sheep and so he takes the lead here and presides over some church business.
Peter repented after his denials of Christ and God restored him. God demands perfection but if we fail he will still use us if we repent and confess.
16. Peter reminds everyone Scripture predicted Judas would betray Christ. Judas acted with his own free will and is accountable for his sin and yet the Scripture had to be fulfilled concerning the betrayal.
17. Judas had a real part in the ministry. He preached, baptized, and did miracles and was even the treasurer. Which just goes to show that character not religious works is the proof that one belongs to Christ.
18. Peter fills in all the gory details concerning Judas. After the branch or the rope that he hung himself on broke his rotting body smashed against a rock and broke open. A hideous and for a hideous center which is why I believe God described it so graphically in his word. In this gruesome picture only describes his body his soul is in even worse condition.
19. And everyone knew that that was the gruesome end of Judas Iscariot. The wages of his sin was a hideous death, a terrible reputation, and an eternity of hell fire.
20. Judas was replaced.
If someone chooses to live in rebellion against God they will be replaced just as he was.
21,22. There are no apostles of the Lord today because no one meets the qualification of an apostle set out here by Peter. An apostle had to be an eyewitness of the things that Jesus did and said and also of his resurrection.
23. They chose to men who met the biblical qualifications. Evidently it seemed like a tie so they decided to let the Lord make the decision and since they would be his apostles he should choose them just like he chose the original ones.
24. Judas had looked very good on the outside but inside he was full of moral and spiritual rot. Consequently they want God to choose the one that he knows will do the best job.
When it comes to establishing relationships it is very important to pray and ask for God's leading.
25. Peter didn't presume to know for certain that Judas went to hell with Judas definitely went to the place that he deserved to go and he went there because he rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.
One huge difference between Christians and non-Christians is that non-Christians go where they deserve to go and Christians, only by God's grace, do not go where they deserve to go.
26. The apostles were not indwelt by the Holy Ghost at this time so they were still functioning under Old Testament guidelines for discerning God's will and that would include the casting of lots. According to Proverbs 16:33 the Bible says the lot is cast into the lap but it's every decision is from the Lord.