The power of the Holy Spirit

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (1) Jesus shifts the focus from the “future kingdom of Israel” to the “mission in front of them.” He told the apostles that they would receive power through the Holy Spirit. The place where they would receive the Holy Spirit is Jerusalem. (2) However, as to when they would receive the Holy Spirit, it is only stated vaguely as “not many days from now” (v 5). (3) Nothing is said about the preparation for receiving the Holy Spirit. The baptism by the Holy Spirit is a unilateral grace from God, not due to human effort or works.

Witnesses

“And you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.” The theme of this book is the apostles acting as “witnesses of Christ.” The Greek word for “witness” is “martus.” This mission is meant for the entire Church. Acts 1:8 also outlines the divisions of the Acts of the Apostles. (1) Evangelism in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-8:4). Jerusalem is the city where the Messiah was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended. The disciples from Galilee made Jerusalem their home. It is also the city where the first church of Jewish believers was born and the city where the priests and scribes who rejected Jesus wielded their authority. (2) Evangelism in Samaria (Acts 8:5-25). The Samaritans are distant relatives of the Jews. They became a mixed people following the Assyrian exile. They had their own form of worship and believed that Mount Gerizim was the true place to worship God. (3) Evangelism in Judea (Acts 8:26-12:25). This refers to Judea in the broader sense, including the region of Galilee. Galilee became a stronghold of Pharisaic Judaism at that time. Jerusalem, on the other hand, was where the Sadducees had strong influence. (4) To the ends of the earth (Acts 13:1-20:38). “The ends of the earth” in the terminology of the time refers to the world of the Gentiles. The early Jewish believers must have thought of it as referring to evangelizing the Diaspora Jews. As time passed, they came to understand that the gospel was for all people. (5) Chapters 21-28 deal with the activities of Paul while he was imprisoned. The Church, as a body, is a witness for Christ. The call is to become “witnesses for Christ.” The scope of this call extends “to the ends of the earth.”