Acts 1:1-3

Acts 1:1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3to whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God

Luke wrote the Gospel According to Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles. His immediate purpose in writing them was to help a man named Theophilus see the truth about what Jesus did and taught and how the church spread throughout the Roman world.

Theophilus was a person of some rank and needs clarification and assurance about the understanding of Christianity he has so far received (Luke 1:4). Theophilus is probably some kind of Roman official because of the title “most excellent” which Luke uses only for Roman officials like Felix (Acts 23:26) and Festus (Acts 26:25), the governors of Judea. Theophilus had some knowledge of Jesus and the church, but it was not clear and certain and complete. Luke’s aim was to give him a faithful account of what Jesus did and said and then of the progress of the church in the world.

In Colossians 4:14 Paul calls Luke “the beloved physician.” We meet him for the first time in Troas where he joins Paul and Silas and Timothy on the second missionary journey (Acts 16:10, note the “we”). He may have been converted there and joined the missionary team as a kind of staff doctor.

He traveled with Paul for years and went with him finally to Rome where Paul died. one of Paul’s most moving sentences in his last letter (2 Timothy 4:11) during his final imprisonment in Rome. He says simply, “Luke alone is with me.”

All these years in all these travels, including two years in Palestine, Luke is taking notes about the works and words of Jesus and the progress of the church. God moves him to write a two-volume work that makes up more of the New Testament than what any other New Testament writer wrote, including the apostle Paul.

Luke Says, These Works are Just the Beginning of Jesus’ Deeds and Teaching

Verse 1: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up.”

The work of Jesus Christ is both finished and unfinished. His great work of providing redemption is finished, and nothing may be added to it (cf. John 17:4). His work of ministry and proclamation, however, is not finished. That work He only started. Along with the other gospels, the first account composed by Luke for Theophilus (the gospel of Luke), records all that Jesus began to do and teach during His life on earth. The rest of the New Testament describes the continuation of His work by the early church. We are still finishing it until He comes.

Christ’s work of redemption is completed, and the church’s work of evangelism begins. Acts chronicles the initial stages and features of that unfinished work, and sets the path the church is to follow until the end.

During His ministry on earth, the work of preaching and teaching was done primarily by Jesus Himself as He trained His disciples. Now it is time to pass that responsibility on to the apostles, before He ascends to the Father. The burden of proclaiming repentance and the good news of forgiveness to a lost world will rest
squarely on their shoulders. The apostles will also be responsible for teaching the truths of the faith to the church, which is us.

The key word for understanding the relevance of the book of Acts is the word “began.” Luke says, “In the first book—in the gospel all that Jesus BEGAN to do and to teach until his Ascension into heaven after his resurrection.” The gospel of Luke ends (in Luke 24:51–53) with the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. And Luke says that the story he told, ending with the ascension of Jesus into heaven, was the BEGINNING of the teaching ministry of Jesus. It was the BEGINNING of the deeds of Jesus.

This is absolutely crucial for understanding the purpose of the book of Acts and who we are as a church and what this age is all about. Because the clear implication is that NOW, now that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, he is NOT finished. He is not done with his work and with his teaching. He is not dead and he is not absent, He is alive and he is present, He is still doing and teaching.

The incarnation of the Son of God into human flesh, the once-for-all sacrifice of himself for sin on the cross, the mighty resurrection and Ascension to the Father’s right hand is just the BEGINNING of what Jesus came to do and to teach. And the rest of what he came to do, he does NOW in this age until the time appointed by the Father for the consummation of all things.

The book of Acts is not just the acts of the apostles; it is the acts of the risen, living, enthroned Jesus. He said in Matthew 16, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus began his doing and teaching until he was taken up to heaven. Now he goes on completing his doing and teaching—he goes on building his church just like he said he would.

Paul’s Ministry in Acts Reveals Christ Work Through Us

“Movements must exhibit three characteristics: (1) there must be a commonly owned direction; (2) there must be a common basis on which that direction is owned, and (3) there must be an esprit that informs and motivates those who are thus joined—their common cause.”

Paul is one of the main human heroes of the book of Acts. Half the book could be called the Acts of Paul. Look at what was really happening in the ministry of Paul (Romans 15:18–19):

I will not venture to speak of anything except what CHRIST HAS WORKED THROUGH ME to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Whatever Paul accomplished for the kingdom, it was Jesus doing and teaching. Note the same pair of words: Christ worked through me “by word and deed.” Jesus is speaking and acting. He is alive, and he is building his church. That is what the book of Acts is about. And that is why it is so relevant for us today. Jesus is still alive. He will always be alive! He is still speaking and working. He is building his church, wherever people come under the authority of his name and receive his forgiveness for sins and trust his power.

As Living Instruments of Jesus, We Need Certain Things

What does Jesus give to people so that they become his fellow workers and fellow speakers in building his church in the world until he comes?

From a purely human standpoint the apostles were in no way ready for such a task. There were things they still did not understand. Their faith was weak, as evidenced by our Lord’s frequent reprimands of them.

They also, did not handle well the traumatic events surrounding Christ’s arrest and crucifixion. They had not only failed in public witness but also in private loyalty and in personal faith. Peter, their acknowledged leader, had vehemently and profanely denied even knowing Jesus.

The apostles themselves obviously lacked the understanding and spiritual power to complete Jesus’ unfinished ministry of evangelism and edification. However, in these His last words to them before His ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ reiterates (cf. John 20:22) the promise of the Spirit. He will empower the apostles (and all subsequent believers) with those resources necessary to finish the Savior’s unfinished work. They needed the correct message, manifestation, might, mystery, mission, and motive.

Jesus Gives the Disciples and Us, a Commission or Command

He gave them a command. Verse 2, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.”

To be the instrument of Jesus as he works and speaks in the world, the apostles needed a command, or commission, or an authorization that came with the authentication of the Holy Spirit. When Luke says that he gave them command through the Holy Spirit, he refers to all the teaching imparted by Jesus throughout his resurrection appearances and also a single command is in view and that this is detailed in v. 4, where a synonym is employed. The command to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Spirit.

Luke emphasizes that the one who was himself especially endowed with the Spirit became the one who eventually poured out the same Spirit at Pentecost

Luke means when he says that Jesus gave them a commandment through the Holy Spirit. It was through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that he spoke, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that they received, the word of commission. The Spirit helped them in those days before Pentecost to understand the command (Luke 24:45) and to accept the command and to be glad with the command (Luke 24:52).

Jesus Verifies His Victory Over Death

They needed verification that he is alive and triumphant over death. Verse 3: “To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days …”

You can’t be an authentic instrument in the hands of a living Christ, if you do not think he is alive. Until the apostles were profoundly persuaded that Jesus had broken the power of death and that he was alive with indestructible life, and therefore could never be defeated and that his cause was unstoppable—until then, the apostles were ready to go back to fishing for a living. But for 40 days Jesus appeared to them again and again.

“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have” … And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

So when 40 days of appearances and conversations and meals were past, the apostles were beyond doubt. They had many infallible proofs and at the level of persuasion they were ready for their ministry.

The apostles needed not only the proper message but also the confidence to proclaim that message even if it cost their lives. They could hardly have been enthusiastic about proclaiming and facing martyrdom for a dead Christ. They needed to know that He was alive and would fulfill His promise of the kingdom.

The Greek text actually reads “through forty days.” That affirms that though He was not with them continuously, He did appear in their presence at intervals. Although it is by no means exhaustive, the most extensive summary of those appearances is found in 1 Corinthians 15:5–8.

The end result of these appearances was that the apostles became absolutely convinced of the reality of their Lord’s physical resurrection. That assurance gave them the boldness to preach the gospel to the very people who crucified Christ. The transformation of the apostles from fearful, cowering skeptics to bold, powerful witnesses is a potent proof of the resurrection.

The Lord wanted them to know that the crucifixion did not nullify the promised millennial kingdom (cf. Isa. 2:2; 11:6–12; Dan. 2:44; Zech. 14:9). The apostles no doubt had difficulty believing in that kingdom after the death of the King. The resurrection changed all that, and from that time on they proclaimed Jesus Christ as the King over an invisible, spiritual kingdom

The kingdom of God (the realm where God rules, or the sphere of salvation) encompasses much more than the millennial kingdom, however. It has two basic aspects: the universal kingdom, and the mediatorial kingdom

The universal kingdom refers to God’s sovereign rule over all of His creation. Psalm 103:19 reads,

The mediatorial kingdom refers to God’s spiritual rule and authority over His people on earth through divinely chosen mediators. Through Adam, then the patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, the judges, prophets, and the kings of Israel and Judah, God revealed His will and mediated His authority to His people. With the end of Israel’s monarchy began the times of the Gentiles. During that period, which will last until the second coming of Christ, God mediates His spiritual rule over the hearts of believers through the church (Acts 20:25; Rom. 14:17; Col. 1:13). He does so by means of the Word and the living Christ (Gal. 2:20).

During the church age, then, God mediates His kingdom rule through believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit and obedient to the Word. That is why Peter calls believers “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).

Today, Jesus Christ does not manifest Himself physically and visibly to believers. Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29),

The Message That is to be Proclaimed

Luke’s gospel, which he composed for Theophilus. That account was largely concerned with the earthly life and ministry of our Lord, revealing all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up.

It is axiomatic that those who would carry the message of Christ to the world must know what that message is. There must be an accurate understanding of the content of Christian truth before any ministry can be effective. Such knowledge is foundational to spiritual power and to fulfilling the church’s mission. The lack of it is insurmountable and devastating to the evangelistic purpose of God.

The apostle Paul was so concerned about this that it was central to his desire for all believers. In Ephesians 1:18–19a he wrote, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. (Col. 1:9–11)

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul charged Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” Then he challenged his son in the faith to teach sound truth to others (cf. 1 Tim. 4:6, 11, 16; 6:2b, 3, 20, 21; 2 Tim. 1:13, 14; 2:2; 3:16, 17; 4:1–4).
Mere factual knowledge, of course, was powerless to save those Hebrews, or anyone else, unless it was believed and appropriated.

Two major factors contribute to the church’s powerlessness today.

First, many are ignorant of biblical truth.

Second, those who may know biblical truth all too often fail to live by it. Proclaiming an erroneous message is tragic, yet so is proclaiming the truth but giving scant evidence that one’s life has been transformed by it. Such people cannot expect others to be moved by their proclamation.

The exemplary nineteenth-century Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne gave the following words of advice to an aspiring young minister:

Do not forget the culture of the inner man—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God’s sword, His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

Those who would be effective in preaching, teaching, and evangelism must give heed to those words. Sound doctrine supported by holiness of life is essential for all who would minister the Word.

While Jesus instructed thousands of people in His days on earth, His primary and constant learners were the apostles whom He had chosen. He saved, commissioned, equipped, gifted and taught them so that they could be eyewitnesses to the truth and recipients of the revelation of God. They established the message believers are to proclaim.

We Need What the Apostles Needed

We do not stand in the place of the apostles. They were unique in the history of redemption. They had unique face-to-face contact with the living Christ (Acts 10:41!). They had unique inspiration and authority as the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). But that doesn’t mean we don’t need much of what they had.

We need what they needed, if we are going to be instruments in the hands of the living Jesus who today continues working and teaching to build his church.

We need a Spirit-authenticated commission on our lives from the living Christ. We need a deep mind-persuading, heart-gripping verification that Jesus is alive and triumphant over all his enemies, and that his cause
is unstoppable. And we need to understand the kingdom of God and how it came, and how it is now coming, and how it will come. We need to be willing to try to help others understand Jesus loves them, died for them, and has a plan for their life now and in eternity.