One In Jesus

(Act 1:4-5 ESV)  4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;  5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The apostles were Galileans. Home was a long way away, but Jesus insisted they stay in Jerusalem. After all, the prophets had promised that God’s salvation would come from Jerusalem.

(Isa 51:11 ESV)  11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Continue reading →

At last, we arrive at the text.

(Act 1:1 ESV)  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

Scholars differ as to whether Theophilus is a particular person, otherwise lost to history (it’s a common enough name), or a reference to the reader (it means “loved by God” or “lover of God”). Contemporary scholarship favors an actual person because it was very unusual for First Century books to be addressed to a fictitious reader.

As previously noted, Luke’s theology shows through immediately when he refers to the Gospel of Luke as merely the beginning of Jesus’ work. Luke sees Jesus as still teaching and still doing. Much of this is through his Holy Spirit and, via the Spirit, through the church. Indeed, we could fairly refer to the Acts of the Apostles more accurately as “The Acts of Jesus, Part 2.” Continue reading →

We continue to look at some of the overriding themes of Acts.

Jesus

(Act 1:1 ESV) In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach …

Ponder the grammar for a moment. If the Gospel of Luke is about what Jesus “began to do and teach, ” what is Acts about? The clear implication is: what Jesus continued to do and teach. Jesus’ ministry did not end with the Ascension!

Acts is all about Jesus — alive, well, active, and living through his Spirit and his church.

Jesus is, of course, not merely a great teacher. He is the Messiah — God’s King now enthroned in heaven ruling over God’s Kingdom. Continue reading →

We’re starting a new adult Bible class series at my church on Acts of the Apostles, called “God on a Mission.” The first suggestion was “The Church on a Mission,” but Acts is much more about what God does than the church. God often acts through the church, but the primary character in Acts is God. And God mainly acts in Acts through his Spirit.

Over and over, Luke credits the Spirit with prompting this or that action. Sometimes God. Sometimes Jesus. But it’s always divine action at work.

I’m writing the lesson material and, for the first few weeks at least, teaching a teacher prep class on Wednesday nights. I’ll be posting lesson notes here.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that the readers comment less on my lesson materials, but these posts will generally be as substantive as the other posts. Continue reading →