Acts 1:1-23
Jesus Taken Up to Heaven
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed,“Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 2:1-47
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “ Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 9:1-43
Saul’s Conversion
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan.Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Aeneas and Dorcas
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
Acts 28:1-31
Paul Ashore on Malta
28 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
Paul’s Arrival at Rome
11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26
“‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29]
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
The Story of Jesus and His teachings and His Words have stood the test of time...And there are reasons for that...First of all He is the Son of God...And so God had a Plan to keep this Story, about His Son alive and well throughout the ages...But other men would try to suppress it, depress it, persecute and even kill those teaching about Him, after His Son's death...Jesus had just died on the cross as a criminal...Those who were His devout followers were now following a dead Criminal...How could His message continue?...Why would people listen to the message of a dead Criminal?...Something happened after His death which must have affected the early apostles to make them want and feel this need to continue His Story...It must have been quite remarkable for they were keeping their doors locked, afraid of what the Jewish leaders and Roman officials might do to them and those who followed this Criminal (John 20:19)...And when you look around today and think about all the churches there are not only in the big cities, but look how many are in mid sized cities, and small towns and in the rural parts too -what has kept His message going?...Why did these churches start up and continue to start up over the years and what is their basis for sustainability today?...What gives them a foundation of belief, to be here two thousand years after their Leader's death, as a Criminal on a cross...
The Book of Acts or the Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke...Luke also wrote one of the gospels about Jesus...The four gospels give us a biography of Jesus...The gospels include His life, His miracles, His death on the cross, and His resurrection...And all these are very much important parts for us to learn about Jesus...But why does Jesus still resonate with us today?...Why is this life about Jesus, still discussed two thousand years later...This is where, I think, the Book of Acts comes in...It fills a part of history that we and I very much need...I need the Book of Acts to follow the Disciples...And this was no accident making it our fifth book of the New Testament...For me, this book is one of the main reasons that Jesus and the word of Jesus has stayed with us and is here today...Jesus had Twelve Disciples, and then lost one, His betrayer, Judas...So now they have only Eleven, very close disciples...But they choose Mathias to replace Judas...These are the immediate disciples who will spread His word until their deaths...And in the Acts, we are introduced to another man (and some others), who will help these Twelve and be sent off to spread the word of Jesus to the Gentiles...His name is Saul, and also is called Paul...Half of the Book of Acts speaks of him...He is a Pharisee and against the teachings of Jesus, until he meets Him on the road to Damascus...Saul meets Jesus after His resurrection, and he is converted by Jesus to His teachings and His Way...And Paul is very instrumental in spreading the word of Jesus around the World, which is the Roman Empire and world...
This thing that happened, I believe, was the early apostles seeing Him after His death...How can this be?...How can One come alive again?...But seeing Him after His death would be enough to truly believe that He is the Messiah...And the four gospels leave us with a mostly short resurrection story, and without the Book of Acts, we would be left to believe on the four books of the gospels alone...If not for Luke, he adds the Acts of those who followed Jesus...Luke continues his story for Theophilus (which means friend of God) from the Gospel According to Luke to the Acts of the Apostles...These Twelve men, Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and the other early apostles would change the world...But, as stated earlier, these men would die just like regular men, so they could get Jesus message out for another thirty, forty, fifty, or maybe sixty more years and then they would pass on...And why would they want to spend their entire lives spreading His Word, when most people in life have multiple interests...People have family, they have friends, their work and they may want to do a variety of things before they die?...But this group of early apostles were different...Something did and must have happened to them to want to spread the Word of Jesus to everyone they would meet...To see a Man die and come back to His life, was so intriguing, and it would leave such an impression on these early apostles that they would never forget Him and what He taught...And these early apostles taught a next generation, a new generation about Jesus...And this next generation continued on with the Words that would never pass away...
Now we are two thousand years later, so the new followers and apostles must continue to recruit and convince and teach others about Jesus, for His story to keep continuing...The new apostles must teach a new group about this Extraordinary Man who had walked the earth and who had spoke so many utterly different things in His teachings...And His teachings were all about the eternities, about His God, whom He called His Personal Father...And there are many hard teachings, teachings that are not so much about comfort and peace on this earth -but a peace is found in heaven and with Him...For those listening and believing in Him, God is no doubt the Living God, as taught by His Son...The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is very much alive, in Jesus' mind and His teachings...I would like to say again, that many of Jesus' teachings are hard and very tough to live by, and yet they are still with us today...
These men of the Book of the Acts would spread Jesus' teachings both far and wide, and near and far...Jesus' apostles would spread His word to the very ends of the earth...These early apostles who carried out Jesus mission, did it absolutely well...His Word continued...So they must have been carried along by and with the Holy Spirit...The Twelve were mostly average, unschooled, and ordinary men...They Jewish leaders and religious officials of the early apostle's day were astonished and they took note (of these unschooled men) about their teachings and that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13)...One smart Jewish religious leader listened to their stories of Jesus and so wisely said that if their teachings and purpose are from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God (Acts 5:39)...Gamaliel's words convinced the other Jewish leaders to let them go...But they still (on that day) called the apostles in and had them flogged...Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then these Jewish Religious Leaders let these apostles go (Acts 5:40)....The persecution of Jesus' followers would continue for another three hundred years...But despite being flogged that day, the Twelve continued to teach each day about Jesus...Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 5:42)...They just never stopped...They had learned and firmly believed that He was the Messiah, when He rose from the dead and lived for another forty days, before ascending to heaven...
So from chapter one in the Acts we learn that Jesus lived for forty days on earth and He gave many convincing proofs that He was alive to the apostles He had chosen...He even ate broiled fish with them to prove that He was alive...It is important both now and then that Jesus give them convincing proofs that He was alive...The Twelve, just like us today, believe in God's Natural Laws, the Laws of Nature...So when Jesus died it is not natural to come back to life...Most people who die stay dead and do not come back and give convincing proofs that they are alive again...Nor do they come back and show themselves to five hundred people (1 Corinthians 15:6)...So the argument of His being alive for forty days would be known to many and not to just one or two people or disciples...For forty days people saw Something tangible and heard Someone real...It was most convincing...That is why He is still believed today...
For Jesus Story to continue, the early apostles, must have gotten enough of the same conviction and belief that the resurrection really happened and was something the next generation could also believe in...Again, they must have been carried along by the Holy Spirit...The followers of Jesus were persecuted for almost three hundred years...Although Christianity and followers of Jesus were a solid belief system, the Roman Empire persecuted them for hundreds of years...In 313 a.d. Constantine I and Licinius, the two emperors and leaders of the Roman Empire signed the Edict of Milan...This edict made Christianity and followers less persecuted...Protesters against His followers were now, in that edict, to treat Christians benevolently...Generation after generation would follow the teachings of Messiah in the four gospels...Jesus would become worldwide known, and it all started with these early acts of these early apostles refusing to let go of His teachings, despite their beatings, floggings, and being killed (for their beliefs in Him)...
The Story of Jesus remains with us today...These tough teachings remain with us...The Truth was being taught all during Jesus' three year ministry...It was continued being taught for forty days after His resurrection...Lies have a way of being found out, and evil carries along with itself, its own punishment, but the Truth lives...And the Truth can be hard and tough at times to follow and believe...And there is an Absolute Truth, and Way, and Purpose in Life...And this Way, the Jesus Way is still being taught today...I thank God, that He allowed Luke to write the Book of Acts...Something happened to these early apostles, and it was Jesus' resurrection...Luke writes about what they did after they saw Him alive...They believed that He had returned to life after His death...The resurrection is the most important historical fact in the history of man...The Jesus Story is evidence of God...His Story is a matter of faith...His Story is a matter of Truth...Truth and faith and hope continue to live on...He is our Truth, He is our Faith, He is our Hope...These are the three most important things in our life (1 Corinthians 13:13)...These things are forever on earth...