It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. This should also be our focus before Pentecost and before Jesus Christ's return. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, Jesus claimed all authority, and He based His command to proclaim the gospel to all nations on this authority: 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. Maybe they had their hands in their pockets kind of like this, thinking, "Wow, that was neat. In verse 14, it says, "Then later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked them, rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. Jesus began to teach them, we read, from the Law of Moses, from the prophets, the Scriptures about Him, to explain to them what had happened. A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. Let me last observe that Acts 1 is the beginning of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Acts. But on the morning that those disciples were gathered there, before it happened, you have to imagine that they had no idea that, that would be what would take place. What we have in verses 12-14, then, is a description of where the apostles stayed and what they did from the time of our Lords death till Pentecost. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. I must tell you that the most problematic passage in Acts 1 is the final paragraph which describes the selection of Matthias as the twelfth apostle. These were not terrified, doubtful people. We sometimes just kind of tail off when we get to the end of one of the Gospels and we know the events, Christ was crucified, Christ was risen, and we don't look at some of the details there. And when they reached their decision, they made it clear that their decision was guided by the Holy Spirit. That's how we live the Word, that's how we drink in the Word, and it changes our life and it banishes the fear, gives us confidence in who we are and what we are to do. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. The Holy Spirit would internally indict sinners regarding the righteousness of Christ because He cannot be seen any longer. He made it clear that the Holy Spirit played a key role in their appointment. Lukes account of our Lords ascension is brief, but informative: 9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. It was originally an agricultural festival, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest. And then going on here, in verse 44, "He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me.' in 1971. Bold, Men and brethren, he begins to explain what's happened. Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. 28For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to usnot to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: 29 that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. Not completely unraveled, but the doubt and the disbelief has an impact. The Jewish authorities of their day had a very thorough doctrinal review process and Peter's would not have passed, which is why they ran smack in trouble with the Jewish leadership from this point forward because they were applying new meaning to old Scriptures that no Jew had ever heard before. And to live with the reality that there is a God who judges, who sees, and who knows. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. What were they standing there for, looking into the sky? Pentecost occurred 50 days after Easter Sunday or 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. Who wouldnt want to look like that? Because Easter is a moveable feast without a fixed date, and Pentecost. As I read the early verses of chapter one, I am also impressed with the realization that Luke provides us with some powerful evidences of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead: To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. 1Copyright 2005 by Community Bible Chapel, 418 E. Main Street, Richardson, TX 75081. I am inclined to think that verses 12-14 are an apt description of the apostles activity during the entire 50-day period preceding Pentecost. Shavuot, also called Pentecost, in full ag Shavuot, ("Festival of the Weeks"), second of the three Pilgrim Festivals of the Jewish religious calendar. In Eastern branches of Christianity, the Day of Pentecost is one of the Great Feasts. What they needed was power, power to proclaim the gospel so that men would believe and be saved. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned (John 16:7-11, emphasis mine). Let me explain why I have reached this conclusion. They left the selection of these leaders to the people, but they did set the qualifications. That's been the hallmark of our feature. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to assume the task of this service and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the one chosen was Matthias; so he was counted with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:15-26). Second, we learn that the Great Commission, which our Lord commanded His apostles, was given through the Holy Spirit (1:2). And of course, one of the most dramatic scenes in all the Bible occurred with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gathered disciples, and the speaking in tongues, and a mighty rushing wind that we find it hard to imagine what it was like, because it's not part of our custom to try to pray that down today like some other denominations and religious forms do. One of the popular themes in contemporary advertising is that of before and after. There are the weight loss programs, which exhibit the most unflattering photo they can find to present as before their program was attempted. And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. The coming of the Spirit is described as: (1) the promise of the Father (verse 4); (2) that which the apostles heard from Jesus (verse 4); and, (3) that which John the Baptist foretold (verse 5). Go, therefore, make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, and lo, I am with you, always, even to the end of the age.'" Why does Luke spend as much time (12 verses) describing this one event as he does depicting the 40 days of our Lords appearances on the earth (11 verses)? Mark chapter 16, verse 9, now, "When He rose early on the first day of the week," speaking of Christ's resurrection. Now it has become popular to carry this theme over to homes, where pitiful or plain houses are transformed into palatial homes. They determined that others needed to be appointed to oversee this ministry. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. This should come as no surprise because the Great Commission of Matthew also referred to all three members of the Godhead: 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. The apostles sought greater knowledge. Simply because there were 10 days of waiting, watching, and praying before Something Big happened to the church. While it is not plainly stated, it would seem that from a human point of view the events at Pentecost were partially a response to the prayers of these saints. And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. The Apostle Peter may have been the most outspoken of the twelve apostles in Jesus' ministry on earth. We are not, however, given any indication as to just what things Jesus taught them. Our Lords last words sum up the focus of the first 11 verses of Acts: They are to be His witnesses, beginning in Jerusalem and ending in the remotest part(s) of the earth. What's the next step?" What was the doubt that was nagging away at them even as they saw Him, and even worshiped Him, knowing that they as they did know that He had died, and yet there was doubt? This is Peter's first sermon since Jesus left for heaven. Put another way, the same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus as He gave the Great Commission is the One who will empower the apostles (and the church) to carry out this command. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Community Bible Chapel. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. What happens?". 3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. Other scholars have tackled this problem and have proposed solutions. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This united prayer lasted for another ten days after our Lords ascension.6It was during this ten-day period that a replacement was chosen for Judas. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. First, I note the wording of the first part of verse 13: When they had entered Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs roomwhere they were staying(Acts 1:13a, emphasis mine). 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. These accounts of like what we have read in the gospels and others for a 40-day period. Of course, on the day that He died there had been an earthquake, the sun had turned to dark at midday, people had come out of their graves and it had set Jerusalem all abuzz. 13 ThenPaul and his companionsput out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:9-13, emphasis mine). And all the others came right in and were a part of it with him. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. 3You will note that I do not use the termdisciplesto refer to the eleven here, or the twelve elsewhere in Acts. And it is also the mission of the Church, we see right here, it has begun. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Luke chapter 24. Furthermore, He no longer comes and goes but rather remains permanently. After Jesus' ascension, his followers, about 120 of them, continued to meet in Jerusalem. And I didn't know how to make a connection. As you read on in Acts chapter 1, one of the main things they did was to choose a successor to Judas. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Acts 2 states early Christians were "filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them . First, the replacement of Judas occurs prior to Pentecost. Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. They will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. Every generation of God's people have done that. Pentecostal Christians believe in the direct experience of the Holy Spirit by believers during all of their services. Pentecost is a Christian holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter. Hymns sung at Pentecost take the Holy Spirit as their theme, and include: The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove. Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. From this point on, with very few exceptions (Acts 14:14; 15:12, 25), it was always Paul and Barnabas, or Paul and Silas, orPaul and his companions.It was evidence of the Spirits working through Paul that seems to have triggered this exchange in roles of Paul and Barnabas. Jesus promised authority within the boundaries of what God purposed, because the coming of the Spirit was the promise of the Father (verse 4). As the writer to the Hebrews constantly emphasized, the New Covenant is vastly superior to the Old. Again, what they thought that they were becoming a part of was a movement that was noble, that was good, there had been many movements of other Messiah-type figures at this period of time in Judea. It is the Spirit of God working through weak and even foolish (in the eyes of the world) men that reveals the power of God, and brings glory to Him, not us: 26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth"). Doubt, some of them doubt, what did they doubt? That is how the mission of the Church is done and that is how then that vision of a community, of a Church, of a people who are rooted in the Word of God, who actually do care for one another, is accomplished; by no other means, by no other means.