Reflection on Acts 1

Here we go. We are all set to dive into the Book of Acts. Are you ready?

One reformer called the book ‘a kind of vast treasure’. 

Martin Lloyd Jones said ‘live in that book, I exhort you. It is a tonic, the greatest tonic I know of in the realm of the Spirit.’

These words of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit and we see the wind of the Spirit all through this powerful book. In fact, the Greek word for Spirit, ‘pnuema’, is used 70 times in this book alone…more than any other book in Scripture! If you want to see the power of God at work in His people for His purposes, LOOK NO FURTHER!

As we engage in Luke’s second New Testament work, he brings us back to the MAIN EVENT of the Christian faith right away: the resurrection. Our faith hinges on this event. It really happened in history.  Jesus died a real death. God raised Him from the grave with a resurrected body to NEVER DIE AGAIN. Jesus appeared to His disciples as evidence of this miraculous event and then gave them commands to follow before His departure. 

So what did Jesus focus on? We can be sure that His last words are critical, of utmost importance. What did He command? 

Here we find the most important verse in the whole book. In fact, it is a summary of the book of Acts:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea & Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8

 Check out the structure of the book for a second:

The disciples will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to engage in God’s mission to share God’s plan of salvation which is not just for Jews, but for ALL people!

Here we see the beautiful synergy between the gospels and this book. The gospels present the history of the Saviour. Here in Acts we find the history of the saved. In the gospel accounts we learn Jesus is the way to salvation. In the book of Acts we see what salvation looks like in day to day life. We become convicted by this book that a complacent faith is a waste of our lives and our true callings. True faith in Jesus is compelled to share about Jesus with an unbelieving world.

The good news is that we are not called to do this in our strength, in fact we CANNOT. God gives His Spirit, His promise to us (see verse 4) that will empower us to live out His mission in the world.

Do you feel weak? Inadequate? Unable? Well then you are in good company.  It is wise for us to know we cannot accomplish God’s purposes in our own strength. A quote I hear often among Christians is that “God doesn’t call the equipped, but he equips the called.” I think there is sufficient biblical evidence for such a statement. He equips us for His purposes with power through His Holy Spirit. 

You were made to make a difference in our world. You are not only called to believe upon Jesus, but to take part in His Kingdom mission. The gospel is alive. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world (see Colossians 1:6). Will you join Him on this larger-than-life mission to see hearts and lives changed for all eternity?