Read Acts 1

Highlights:

Ascension of Christ; promise of the Lord's return; coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost; Peter's sermon.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21).

Our Lord emphasized the importance of going forth as witnesses of the Gospel by saying, Ye shall be witnesses unto me (1:8). The first Christians knew that all hope for eternal life rested in Christ alone. Consequently, the word witness can be found more than thirty times in this dynamic book of Acts. It is obvious then that it was a priority of the early church to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with their families, neighbors, and even total strangers. They took the call seriously to win souls. They knew that this is a work with eternal ramifications. They were not afraid to tell the Gospel story. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16).

Godly men were appointed to tend to material and physical needs so the early church leaders could give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). But it is also said of these early Christians, And daily in the Temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ (5:42). Leaders were needed in the church to help with the work the disciples were doing. They had become overwhelmed with the workload. Even with their time limited, they continued teaching and preaching. So, they chose godly men to help with certain parts of the ministry. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee (Titus 1:5).

Not only the leaders, but the early converts also continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine . . . and in prayers (Acts 2:42). It is the privilege of every Christian to tell and teach others about Christ and His Word. Ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . unto the uttermost part of the earth (1:8). This call was not just for the disciples or the elders or the deacons, but to all that followed Christ. The fruit of their witness is recorded when the believers were scattered abroad because of persecution . . . . Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord (11:19-21). God does not limit who can follow Him.

Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 10:32).

Thought for Today:

A person may be wrong about many things, but he dare not be wrong about how to gain eternal life.

Cross References:

For Acts 1:20: See Ps. 69:25; 109:8. Acts 2:17-21: See Joel 2:28-32. Acts 2:25-28: See Ps. 16:8-11. Acts 2:34-35: See Ps. 110:1. Acts 3:22-23: See Deut. 18:15,18-19. Acts 3:25: See Gen. 12:3; 22:18.

Word Studies:

1:3 after His passion, after He had suffered death; 1:12 a Sabbath day's journey, a little over one-half mile, the extent a Jew was allowed to travel on the Sabbath; 2:27 leave My soul in hell, forsake Me in the grave (Sheol).

Prayer Suggestion: When you pray, be brief and pray from your heart (Eccl. 5:2).

Memory Verse for the Week: Titus 3:3