I am currently going through the book of Acts with my small group at church. This would be the second time I have gone through Acts with a group, but as with most books of scripture, they seem to take on a different theme or flavor each time you go through them. That's why it' s so important to continue reading through scripture.
Since it's the Spirit that interprets scripture to us, its not unreasonable to suppose that the scripture reveals different parts at different times,(but that's beside the point.)
This time going through Acts with a group of close knit fellow believers has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with a church group in a long time.
As we went through chapter one here were some questions that we asked eachother, some food for thought we served up and some compelling arguments and points that some made. Some of these are no brainers, most are not that profound. But for me, many of these things were small points that I had never really stopped to consider or ponder.
1 Jesus didn't want his disciples to leave Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit, and therefore not begin preaching the gospel until they had received the Spirit. This is both encouraging and humbling. First because it shows the futility of trying to preach the Gospel without the power of the Holy Spirit. and it shows that we have an indwelling strength we can rely on in witnessing and ministering. Verse eight say the disciples would receive POWER! Bam! Holy power! to go and be witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria and all the world,
(Note that the phrase"Bam!Holy Power!" is not in the bible)
2. Small piece of food for thought that I won't go into details about or give my opinion on.In verse 6 and 7, The disciples ask if Christ is going to restore the Kingdom to Israel at this time. Common thought is that Christ was never actually offering a physical kingdom to the Jews, That it was always a spiritual kingdom and the disciples and Jews just didn't get it. My question is, even after all they had seen and Christ rising from the dead and spending 40 days with them speaking things of the Kingdom of God, were they still so dense and caught up in tradition that they just didn't understand any of it? While that seems unlikely, even if it were the case, Christ doesn't respond by telling them they still don't understand. He simply says its not for them to know the times or seasons God has put in his own power. What does he mean? You figure it out. (Email me if you want to discuss it.)
3. The casting of lots has always fascinated and slightly amused me in the first chapter. The thing that sticks out to me is the fact that they never cast lots again in the book of Acts. That may not be significant other than the fact that after they received the Holy Spirit, they had no need for lots to determine Gods will. They had the indwelling spirit to guide them. Throughout the rest of Acts we see numerous times when the apostles were pressed by the spirit towards a certain path or action. Obviously before the gift of the spirit, they relied on casting lots for Gods decisions. The other things that comes to mind when I read this section is the story of Jonah and the sailors casting lots to determine who to cast off the boat, and also the story of Gideon putting out his fleece. I have heard people contemplate determining God's will for themselves through some type of "putting out the fleece".
I think it's important to realize that everything changed when God sent his Holy Spirit. His children no longer had to cast lots or put out fleece to know what god wanted. The Spirit moving a leading was the only indication they needed.
So, if you're looking for an application to take away from the first chapter of Acts. I would say the emphasis is on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help with witnessing and for guidance in all areas. Something to ask yourself or others in your group or church is how to become more sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to learn how the spirit presses us and strengthens us.
