NOV 11

Acts 1:8

Memorise Acts 1:8

“…Christ had a mission for them now and He would fully equip them for it...”

WHAT IS THE MAIN THEME OF ACTS?

The Book of Acts records the acts of the Apostles as written by Luke. It describes the growth of the Church under the guidance of the Apostles after Christ’s ascension. It provides an important link between the Gospels and the epistles as it allows us to understand the historical context of the epistles and thus enriches the doctrinal lessons found in the epistles.

The Book of Acts begins rightfully with the ascension of Jesus Christ who is the sole reason and driving force of all the acts recorded in this book. After His resurrection, Christ appeared to the Apostles intermittently for 40 days and was finally returning to His Heavenly kingdom. Before His ascension, He gave the Apostles a clear mandate to spread the Gospel. The Apostles had asked Christ if He was going to set up His earthly kingdom in Israel but Christ taught them that this was not what they should be concerned about now. God alone knows when this would be. Christ had a mission for them now and He would fully equip them for it. He commanded them to be “witnesses unto [Him] both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”. He commanded them to proclaim the Gospel not only in Jerusalem but to the ends of the earth. To carry out the Great Commission, Christ would send the Holy Spirit to empower them. They need not do so with their own strength but would be enabled by God’s own Spirit. The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost which resulted in the miraculous speaking of tongues by the believers was proof that God would enable them to do His will. These miraculous acts of the Holy Spirit in aiding and guiding the Apostles in the establishment of the early Church, in Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria and then throughout the known world is therefore what the book of Acts is all about.

Christ’s commandment to the Apostles holds true to all believers as well. All of us receive the Holy Spirit when we become believers. This same Spirit who gave power to the Apostles to preach the Gospel is with us. We should therefore not fear when we evangelise but trust that God will empower us. It is our duty to be Christ’s witnesses in our “Jerusalem”, which consists of the people closest to us, to the people around us in our “Judea”, and unto everyone, even to the uttermost part of the earth.

Thought: Imagine that you were at the Mount of Olives, hearing Christ’s commandment to preach His Gospel. How would you react?
Prayer: Lord, enable me to proclaim thy Gospel everywhere I go.