Acts Chapter 1 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for August 31 - September 6, 2006
(Read Acts 1 Online)

Reflections on Acts 1 by Mark Chesner, Coach

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." One thing we learn reading great novels is that all good writers open their stories with something that tells us where we are and tells us what kind of story is coming our way. The Book of Acts is no different. Luke (the same writer as the gospel of Luke) spends the first chapter telling us where we are, and where we are going.

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After 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. On 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. For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 1:1-5

Luke begins by telling us where we are. Jesus has lived, taught, died, and been resurrected. He has not only risen, but PROVEN that he had risen to a large number of witnesses. These witnesses would be the source of Luke's reporting, as they would most likely have still been alive. Jesus has completed his ministry with the disciples, and has set the scene for upcoming events by commanding his people to stay in Jerusalem.

So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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."
Acts 1:6-8

Next Luke directly addresses the expectations of the disciples on the ground to tell them what the story is NOT. It is NOT going to be about the End of the World, and/or a massive war to throw off the shackles of Rome. It is important to remember that Jews of Jesus's day understood the role of Messiah to be a warrior to lead Israel to freedom and greatness, in the mold of King David. Jesus (and Luke in his report) needs to remind Christians that this next story is not war, but instead a time of reaching out to the world.

But since he has now told the disciples that the story is NOT about a war, that means they have to live in the same world that killed Jesus. The same world which will now want to kill them. How can they possibly survive, and what are they supposed to do? Jesus answers by telling them (1) the Holy Spirit is coming, and (2) that their life from here on out is about telling people about Christ locally, regionally, and globally.

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Acts 1:9-11

But then, Luke reminds the readers that Jesus is not saying there will not be a triumph to come. Jesus is taken away, but He is coming again! The next chapter is about reaching out and living in the current world, but the climax of the story is still coming. Stay tuned for more!

"For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms,
" 'May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,' and,
" 'May another take his place of leadership.'"
Acts 1:20

Finally, as the disciples hang out in Jerusalem, they realize that the death of Judas (the disciple who betrayed Jesus) has left a hole in their group. They see that they need to have twelve apostles again, and instead of waiting to see what God does, they look within their own group for the next leader. They find a man everyone respects and who knew Jesus, and choose him to step up into leadership. But we have ANOTHER leader coming up in Acts, and we'll see that even in the first generation of Christians, God did not always work the way people expect. Instead, He is following His own plan to make sure every need is filled in the right way.

So Luke has set for us a few key pieces in this first chapter which we can expect to see played out in the ones to come:
1. Everything starts in Jerusalem,
2. The Holy Spirit is coming,
3. A new leader is coming for the Christians.

The story has begun! Now we can proceed and see how the plot plays itself out.

Questions to Consider

• Why did Jesus have to tell the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit?
• Why were the disciples expectations different from what Jesus knew was to come?
• When in your life has God worked in a way that was completely different from your expectations?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 1

I. Book One: The Birth of the Church in Jerusalem (1:1–2:47)
A. Prologue (1:1-2)
B. Anticipation: From Resurrection to Pentecost (1:3-26)
1. From Resurrection to ascension: Christ’s Forty Day Ministry (1:3-11)
a. The Apostles’ Commission (1:3-8)
b. The Ascension (1:9-11)
2. From Ascension to Pentecost: The Apostles’ Ten Day Wait (1:12-26)
a. Praying in the Upper Room (1:12-14)
b. Selecting a Replacement for Judas (1:15-26)

Finish the Verse Questions for Acts 1

Finish the Verse: After 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. [Acts 1:3]

Finish the Verse: For John // baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. [Acts 1:5]

Finish the Verse: He said to them: "It //
is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [Acts 1:7]

Finish the Verse: 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. [Acts 1:8]

Finish the Verse: After he // said this, he
was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. [Acts 1:9]

Finish the Verse: "Men of Galilee," // they said,
"why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." [Acts 1:11]