Acts 1

Read: Acts 1

The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, which is the “first narrative” that he is referencing in verse 1. In The Gospel of Luke, we learn about the things that Jesus did during his earthly ministry; The Book of Acts starts after he has been resurrected. Jesus spends forty more days with his disciples during this time preparing them for his ascension to the Father when he will depart and entrust them to spread the Christian message after he is gone.

This must have felt like daunting task to the disciples. I mean, how could they carry on what Jesus had done? They were just ordinary men and women after all. But Jesus doesn’t leave them without hope; he leaves them with a promise. He tells them that they “will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come” upon them. This is the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Old Testament prophets to do miraculous things, and Jesus said they would receive this Spirit too!

The Spirit of God is the power to live the Christian life. Many of us don’t really know what to do with all the Holy Spirit jargon. It sounds a bit too superstitious or unnatural. But if you are trying to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit… you probably aren’t doing a very good job of it. The Holy Spirit is a gift to all believers. Through him, we can conquer sin in our lives. Through him, we can be bold in our faith as witnesses to the world around us. Through him, you can do things you could never do on your own because it is God who is doing those things through you.

In verses 9-11, Jesus ascends and his disciples just stand there staring up into the sky. At this point, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2). But today, if you are a follower of Christ, you have already received the Spirit. You might just not realize he’s there because you don’t listen to him. Have faith in Jesus’ promises and step out in faith trusting that the Holy Spirit can use you, and you will see him work.