Acts RevoDevos – The Setup:
The New Testament books of Luke and Acts were both written by Luke, one of Jesus’ disciples. Together they were written to one of Luke’s friends with the purpose of letting him know an orderly account of Jesus’ life (the book of Luke) and the works of the Apostles (Acts). Acts takes up where the book of Luke left off.
We know only a little about Luke himself. We know from Colossians 4:14 that Luke is a doctor (“Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings…”). It is therefore likely that he was a somewhat educated man. His style of writing is the same throughout Luke and Acts, which gives more credibility to the idea that he is the author of both books. His books are also written in some of the best Greek in the New Testament (best grammar, spelling, vocabulary, etc.) which also suggest that he was an educated man.
As the four gospels came to be known collectively, the book of Acts was left to stand on its own. The stories in Acts describe the work and power of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. It shows how the saving power of Jesus relates, corresponds, and finds its roots in the Old Testament. This book was probably written about 64-69 A.D. which is about the same time that Paul’s letters started circulating.
There are a several central themes that run through this book. The main one is the Kingdom of God. This book relates how the Kingdom of God, which was begun with Jesus work on earth, continues to progress from Jerusalem, to Judea, to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8). In Acts we also see the birth of the Church (with a capital “C”, meaning the Christian Church or all of Christianity rather than a specific building or church) and how God welcomes the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) into His great plan. We also see the mighty power of the Holy Spirit and how it works through and shapes the Church as it starts to grow.
As we go through Acts, keep and eye out for speeches. Speeches make up about a third of Acts. There are nine speeches by Paul, eight by Peter and seven from others. Read these speeches carefully. Try and identify what kind of speech it is (defense, evangelism, argument, etc.). Also look out for the way God reveals his nature and will to humans (theology). Ask yourself: where are the locations and who are the people groups that are mentioned? How is Christ explained to these people? Is he explained from different sources to different people? How is salvation described? How is the Church described? What is commanded, or set up for the church for all time, and what is descriptive of that time period? Look at how the apostles evangelize. By what method do they explain God? Why are people so angry when the Gospel is shared to them?
We can learn a lot from the book of Acts and will study it for the purposes of continuing God’s revolution in the world today! Now let’s get to it! Read together Acts chapter 1 and go through the following study.
RevoDevos were written by students of The War College (Vancouver, B.C.) and were edited and adapted by David Witthoff and Eric Himes (Chicago, IL).
Monday, June 25th
Read: Acts 1
Now Jesus’ disciples were left waiting for the promised Holy Spirit whom Jesus had spoken about after seeing his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. Instead of doubting and being anxious, the disciples were entirely confident in their mission to ‘win the world for Jesus’ and “they were in this for good, completely together in prayer…” (v.14)
With the promise of the Holy Spirit the disciples were assured to be reminded of all that Jesus said, to be lead into all truth, and to hear through Him what God was saying to them. Their faith was great because they believed what Jesus told them and they lived that faith out. This core group of followers had taken a hard blow. One of their own had outright betrayed Jesus for a small fortune in coins that lead to Jesus’ crucifixion. Ultimately, Judas committed suicide upon realizing the extent of what he had done. (Matt. 27:5 has Judas dying in a field, but there is no reason to think that these suicide accounts must be contradictory).
Nowadays we would likely send in a group of grief counselors to help such a group deal with the loss, betrayal and shock appropriately. Instead, Peter stood and spoke the plain truth of the situation. Peter didn’t dwell on the tragedy, analyze why Judas did what he did, or urge the group to take some time off to deal with their grief. Peter initiated the next course of action, that is, the next step necessary in fulfilling their mission; he got the ball rolling to fill the hole that was left in Judas’ absence. Simply put, they needed to find someone to take his position. Peter understood that, although Judas was a traitor, he had previously worked in an assigned place of ministry and they could not be entirely effective without replacing him. (In Hebrew culture twelve symbolized being complete and with only 11 leaders left they needed an extra man for the job).
When we look at the way in which Judas was replaced we may be somewhat confused. The disciples narrowed the choice down to two people and then drew straws to determine who would fill the position of ministry. If we knew that our church leaders today were making decisions by drawing straws we would likely question their logic and maybe even doubt their sanity! The practice of ‘casting lots’ was a long standing method of hearing from the Lord and a place in which chance was not in control. The disciples prayed in faith for God to “show (us) which of these two you have chosen.” Their faith in God’s methods was revolutionary because they trusted His hand in something that, when logic is applied, seems ridiculous.
What can we learn from this revolutionary group of disciples who began the early church? First, we should continually look forward and avoid dwelling to much on the past. It’s great and healthy to be inspired by successes and victories of the past but dwelling on the set-backs, disappointments and failures we’ve seen really drags us down. Paul (a true revolutionary) wrote in Philippians 3 that although he wasn’t perfect he was “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (v.13) and goes on further to say that “All of us who are mature (some translations may say “perfect,” but mature is a much better translation) should take such a view of things” (v.15). It is God’s desire that we press on in the difficult situations. We need to have His perspective on what is happening in the Kingdom and see what we must do in order to bring His work to completion.
Second, we need a revolutionary faith to believe that God will guide and direct as He sees fit. The responsibility is on us to learn to hear Him and his directives clearly. Peter and the other disciples believed with great faith that God’s hand was truly in the ‘casting of lots.’ This method was their way of making sure that the Lord was making the decision for them. We, too, can experience God’s plans in fullness when we submit all things to Him, having extraordinary faith to believe that He wants to speak to us in our decision-making. James 1:5 reminds us: “if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Process:
– Is there anything in your past that is holding you back from fully living out God’s calling for you? Pray Psalm 139:23-24 and see what the Lord reveals to you. Be prepared to listen and submit to what He reveals.
– Do you have faith enough to believe that God will speak to you when you ask him for guidance in making decisions? Pray for wisdom and believe what He reveals to you—it will revolutionize your life.
– Think about the ways in which God speaks to you. How can you better recognize His voice?
Youth Department