Acts Chapter One Commentary

Acts chapter ONE commentary.
During the “shelter-in-place,” I’m doing a chapter by chapter commentary on the Book of Acts. Feel free to read along with your Bible (not every verse is addressed).
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Chapter ONE
Jesus is risen!
Verse 2: While on earth, Jesus “through the Holy Ghost” taught and mentored his disciples giving them the best Bible school in the world. “Through the Holy Ghost” (the Spirit of God) is an important qualifier because the disciples are about to be filled with the Holy Ghost. What Jesus had, they will have. Beware of teaching not originating from the Holy Ghost and the Word.

Verse 6: The Disciples ask Jesus if he is about to restore the kingdom (of Israel)—liberating it from the Romans. The resurrected Christ has visited them for 40 days. He’s taught them. And yet the disciples are still landlocked mentally into a political way of thinking. God has something else in mind.

Verse 7: "He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." God is in control of history. It is “His Story.” Believers are not shown everything in its completion but rather they are told what they need to know. Now…we see through a glass darkly...

Verse 8: “But 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.” The power of the Holy Ghost is directly correlated with being a witness.

Verse 10-11: Jesus is taken up into heaven and the disciples stand around looking at the clouds. Before he ascended, Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait on the promise. First they must travel to Jerusalem…yet they stood there, eyes glued on the clouds that Jesus ascended into. For this they receive a gentle admonishment from two angels: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?...”
They received their marching orders from Jesus and yet they were transfixed in the clouds. People can develop an unhealthy fascination with the miracles of the past while ignoring the imperatives of the present. God is going to do greater things in their lives.

Verse 13-14. They enter into an upper room and wait on the promise of God-the Holy Ghost. How do they do this—they “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” To call this a “lockdown” would probably not be true. They probably left to get food, etc. Some perhaps had jobs and work. But it would seem that to the extent possible, these people were gathered together day after day in prayer—seeking God.
Biblically—the recipe for revival does NOT change. Revival comes with consistent, unified prayer.

Verse 15-26: The Disciples are aware of the death of the betrayer Judas. They want to fill the vacant position. Peter cites Psalms 69:25 in his reasoning. They choose two followers of Jesus—Mathias and Joseph as candidates for this honor. They prayed for the will of God and then cast lots to choose the person.

However, they only offered God two choices. This is not a realistic way to pray. It’s like making up your mind to buy a car, picking out two that you like, and then telling God to choose one of the two choices you have already chosen!
Furthermore, they cast lots. This is a form of gambling. Casting lots has some history in the Old Testament. The soldiers crucifying Jesus also cast lots for his garments. However, the point is that after the Holy Ghost is poured out—you will never see early Christians using this form of decision making again. Why gamble when you are being led of the Spirit? God does not gamble. He does not cast lots. He has a specific Will that He desires to enact.

Similar to how the book of Judges showed Israel’s confusion without a king, the first chapter of Acts shows how the disciples were before the Holy Ghost was poured out on them. Their absolute NEED to be led by the spirit can be inferred.

MAIN POINT: In the following chapter, things are about to change drastically for the followers of Jesus. The Spirit will soon take up residence within them. Jesus said, “when, he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Acts Chapter One portrays the disciples prior to this event. They are well meaning, but as of yet, the Holy Ghost is not leading them. Modern Holy Ghost filled believers (that’s us!) have what the disciples waited for, what they sought for, what they prayed for. However the question remains: are we allowing ourselves-on a daily basis—to be guided by the Holy Spirit?