The Word This Week
Acts 1:1…
The Book of Acts was authored by Luke, a physician who traveled with the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. He was most likely led to be a born-again Christian by Paul, and from then on Luke was closely associated with Paul’s ministry.
While Paul wrote most of the books contained in the New Testament, Luke actually wrote the most words.
Luke, as a physician, was a man who paid great attention to detail. This is on full display through his extensive interviews with those who witnessed the ministry of Jesus Christ which produced the Gospel of Luke.
The Gospel of Luke was addressed to a man named Theophilus, who was possibly the man who had purchased Luke to be his personal physician – and then set him free to travel with Paul once Luke had been saved.
The Book of Acts is likewise addressed to Theophilus and covers the birth of The Church and the first 30 years of Church history, with the same attention to detail he exhibited in the Gospel of Luke. The Book of Acts picks up right where the Gospel of Luke left off and is basically a continuation of Luke’s Gospel account.
Now that Jesus has been raised from the dead, we learn here He spent 40 additional days on earth before His ascension to heaven. During those 40 days He made many appearances, and in one of those appearances Jesus instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received, “the Promise of the Father,” which He had told them about.
Jesus went on to describe this ‘Promise of the Father’ as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
By this instruction we understand Jesus thought it a requirement they receive this further baptism before doing anything in the realm of ministry service. They were faithful to Jesus’ command.
We are left to wonder why the modern Church now seems to argue against the necessity of or even the existence of this subsequent baptism with the Holy Spirit Jesus commanded His apostles – already indwelt by the Holy Spirit for salvation previously – to wait for before they did anything in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Bill
The Book of Acts was authored by Luke, a physician who traveled with the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. He was most likely led to be a born-again Christian by Paul, and from then on Luke was closely associated with Paul’s ministry.
While Paul wrote most of the books contained in the New Testament, Luke actually wrote the most words.
Luke, as a physician, was a man who paid great attention to detail. This is on full display through his extensive interviews with those who witnessed the ministry of Jesus Christ which produced the Gospel of Luke.
The Gospel of Luke was addressed to a man named Theophilus, who was possibly the man who had purchased Luke to be his personal physician – and then set him free to travel with Paul once Luke had been saved.
The Book of Acts is likewise addressed to Theophilus and covers the birth of The Church and the first 30 years of Church history, with the same attention to detail he exhibited in the Gospel of Luke. The Book of Acts picks up right where the Gospel of Luke left off and is basically a continuation of Luke’s Gospel account.
Now that Jesus has been raised from the dead, we learn here He spent 40 additional days on earth before His ascension to heaven. During those 40 days He made many appearances, and in one of those appearances Jesus instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received, “the Promise of the Father,” which He had told them about.
Jesus went on to describe this ‘Promise of the Father’ as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
By this instruction we understand Jesus thought it a requirement they receive this further baptism before doing anything in the realm of ministry service. They were faithful to Jesus’ command.
We are left to wonder why the modern Church now seems to argue against the necessity of or even the existence of this subsequent baptism with the Holy Spirit Jesus commanded His apostles – already indwelt by the Holy Spirit for salvation previously – to wait for before they did anything in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Bill