Before We Begin
Author: Luke
Audience: Primarily Gentile believers and anyone wanting an orderly account of the early church.
Setting: Jesus has risen from the dead and is spending forty days with His disciples before ascending into heaven. The apostles are waiting for the promised Holy Spirit, who will empower them to continue Christ’s mission.
Questions I Had While Reading
- Why did Jesus spend forty days with His disciples before ascending into heaven?
- What did Jesus mean when He spoke about the promise of the Holy Spirit?
- Why were the disciples told to wait in Jerusalem instead of immediately preaching?
- What happened to Judas after betraying Jesus?
- Who was Matthias and why was he chosen to replace Judas?
What I Learned
As I studied Acts 1, a few things stood out to me that I had either overlooked or never fully understood before.
The first was realizing that Jesus spent forty days with His disciples after His resurrection. I read Acts before, but I don’t remember slowing down enough to notice just how intentional that time was. Jesus didn’t immediately ascend into heaven, He continued teaching, preparing, and encouraging His followers before sending them out.
Another thing that stood out to me was that Jesus told the disciples to wait. I think anyone’s natural instinct would have been to start sharing the Good News immediately. Instead, Jesus instructed them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the promised Holy Spirit. That challenged me because I think waiting often times feels unproductive, yet in God’s plan it was an important part of preparing them for what was ahead.
I also realized that Matthias who was never mentioned prior to Acts 1, didn’t appear just out of no where. He faithfully followed Jesus alongside the other disciples the whole time. It made me think about how God sees faithful obedience, even when it happens quietly and behind the scenes.
Finally, I remember learning about Judas’ death when I first read The Book of Acts. It was one of those moments that really surprised me because I didn’t realize the Bible gave me more detail about what happened after his betrayal. It reminded me that reading Scripture slowly often reveals details I’ve overlooked before.
What I’m Still Thinking About
One question that I’m still trying to understand is why Jesus told the disciples to wait before beginning their ministry. They spent years following Him, witnessed his resurrection, and were eager to share the Good News. Yet Jesus asked them to wait for the Holy Spirit before taking the next step.
As I continue studying Acts, I’m hoping to understand more about why the waiting was so important and what it teaches me about trusting God’s timing in my own life.
Digging Deeper
Okay, this was the question that stayed with me the longest while reading Acts 1.
At first, it seemed like the disciples were ready to begin telling everyone about Jesus. They witnessed his resurrection and spent forty days learning from Him, right? So why wait?
As I continued to study this passage, I realized that Jesus wasn’t delaying their mission. He was preparing them for it. He knew they couldn’t accomplish what He was calling them to do in their own strength. They needed the Holy Spirit to guide them and give them the boldness that they needed.
I like this because it really challenged me.
Many of us often want to move ahead before God has finished preparing us. Acts 1 reminds us that God’s timing is always intentional, even when we don’t understand it.
Walking Away With…
As I finished studying Acts 1, one thing really stood out to me: God prepares His people before He sends them.
The disciples wanted to know what was coming next, but Jesus asked them to focus on trusting Him one step at a time. He didn’t give them every detail of the future, He promised to give them the power they would need when the time came.
Acts 1 should be a reminder that waiting isn’t wasted time. Sometimes God is doing His greatest work on us before He does His work through us.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Word and for the opportunity to grow as I study it. Thank You for patiently preparing Your disciples before sending them out, and reminding me that waiting on You is never wasted. Help me to trust Your timing, rely on the Holy Spirit, and remain faithful even when I don’t understand what You’re doing. Continue to teach me as I walk through Your Word, and help me become more like Jesus each day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Heavenly Father,