August 20, 2001
Get more information about Bible Study for Texas here.
September 30 Lesson
A life led by the Spirit brings trials and joy
___Acts 1:1-9; 2:43-47
___1:1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men 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. 4On 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. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
___6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
___7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But 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."
___9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ...
___2:43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
___By Karen and Tim Gilbert
___Every day the followers of Jesus live out the life of Christ in school, in the marketplace and in the home. All of this is because they believe the Spirit of the living Christ is guiding them in the living of their lives. This is done locally and globally.
___This means the task of missions in the church is centered in living out the Christ-life before the world. This is the significance of the resurrected Christ. Christ did not remain in the grave but is alive and working in our world today through his followers. The ministry of Christ did not end with his ascension into heaven. The church shares in Jesus' continued ministry in every age.
___The author of the Acts of the Apostles is Luke, the author of the gospel, the physician and companion of Paul. In the early church, Luke/Acts would have circulated as a single book.
___The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke and therefore a continuation of Jesus' ministry in the life of the church. Its chief purpose is to tell how Jesus' followers, led by the Holy Spirit, spread the Good News about him "in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). It is the story of the Christian movement as it began among the Jewish people and went on to become a faith for the whole world.
___An important feature of Acts is the activity of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the living Christ in the church. The structure of the book itself reflects the ever-widening area in which the Good News about Jesus spreads--from Jerusalem to expansion into Palestine and into the Mediterranean world as far as Rome.
___The book of Acts is written to Theophilus, the same person Luke wrote in his gospel. We do not know whether Theophilus was an actual person or a general term referring to all Christians because the name literally means "lover of God."
___ Luke begins Acts by saying the first book he wrote was about what Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up into heaven. This implies that the book of Acts is a story about the continuation of Jesus' ministry found in the life of the church.
___Before leaving his followers, Jesus gave them instructions. Luke says Jesus appeared to his disciples many times in the 40 days after his resurrection to prove to them he was alive and to continue to tell them about the kingdom of God.
___With Jesus' resurrection from the dead, many of the teachings he had given to his disciples before his death became much clearer. His appearances during those 40 days helped to clarify all he had taught them before his death. Just before he ascended into heaven, he gathered the disciples and told them not to leave Jerusalem until the promised gift of the Spirit was given.
___The church's mission in the world would be powered by the presence of the living Christ through the Holy Spirit.
___Before he ascended, the disciples asked Jesus one more time, "Lord, will you at this time give the kingdom back to Israel?" Reflected in their question is the old Jewish hope that the Messiah of God will rule a physical kingdom of Israel on earth. Jesus reminds them that his Father alone knows when that time will be, and it is not for them to know.
___Their task, when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, is to be witnesses and to spread the gospel throughout the world. It's interesting that they do not see what Jesus is offering them is the opportunity to help spread a kingdom of God ruled by a living Christ. Jesus' understanding of the kingdom is far greater than their limited minds can grasp.
___After these instructions, Jesus is taken up into heaven away from their eyes. While the disciples are gazing into heaven, two men in white garments appear and asked them why they are looking up into the sky. They tell the disciples Jesus will return in the same manner in which he ascended.
___The disciples obeyed Jesus' command and waited for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost in Jerusalem. The events at Pentecost, where the gathered disciples preach the Good News, are the birth of the church. The great wind, the tongues of fire and the hearing of the gospel in the language of every person present symbolize what the task of the church will be. Her power will come from the Holy Spirit, and she will spread the message to every people and nation.
___Peter's sermon at Pentecost shows the continued development of the understanding of the early church about who Jesus was and the church's mission in the world.
___Because of the events at Pentecost, people who observed the apostles were saying they were drunk. Peter defends them and says the events they are observing are a fulfilment of the prophet Joel's words (Joel 2:28-32). Peter then interprets who Jesus was for the crowd in the temple who have been making fun of the events. He argues that the Jesus who they crucified is Lord and Messiah.
___Peter's message results in about 3,000 of them joining the disciples as followers of Jesus. Luke says they spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship and sharing in the fellowship meals and prayers.
___Once the power of the Spirit had fallen, many miracles and wonders were done through the apostles.
___The early believers had a close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another as all had need. They would sell their property and possessions and distribute the money among the believers "according to what each one needed." They met daily as a group in the temple and had meals together in their homes.
___Luke says that every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. This shows the life of an early church that has not yet completely separated itself from the worship practices of Judaism. They still go to the temple daily and would have gone to the synagogues on the Sabbath if the Jewish leadership had allowed them.
___The development of the church's unique worship style is part of the rest of the story of Acts as it learns how to carry out the continued ministry of the living Christ. It is later in Acts in Antioch that the believers come to be called Christians, which means "little Christs."
___Because of the nature of this early church, the home fellowship played a significant role in the early life of the church. Luke says they went to the temple daily, but this was probably to proclaim the Good News at a place where the crowds were gathered.
___They went to the temple because they still believed the gospel was first of all just for the Jews. They did not have the wider vision of the church spreading to all nations. The persecution that would soon come would help spread the gospel message throughout Palestine as the believers were forced to flee Jerusalem. For their worship, they gathered together in the homes of the believers. They ate their meals together probably developing an early version of what would later be called the agape meal. The agape meal was a meal eaten together by a larger group of house fellowships in which the Lord's Supper was taken. It was called the agape meal because the meal celebrated the love of God for the believers and their love for each other. They were together as Luke says, "... eating with glad and humble hearts, praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people."
___This early part of Acts represents the beginnings of the church. The believers here are working to understand what the ministry of Christ means in their world. They struggled with whether the way they were following was for the Jews or for a wider world. The rest of the book of Acts will reveal the conclusions they came to concerning the full nature of the ministry of Christ.
For thought and discussion
___
___
___
___
___
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook
