Day Five

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 1:12-26 “Matthias is Chosen”

12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” 18 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: “‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’ 21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed the names of two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. (TNIV)

Beverly Gaventa notes that despite the prominence with which Matthias is introduced here, he does not appear in the rest of Acts.[1] Nor, in fact, do a number of other apostles and, in fact, only Peter appears prominently.

➡      Why, then, is Acts traditionally known as “the Acts of the Apostles”? Can you think of a better title?!

In reponse to Jesus’ instructions, his followers waited in Jerusalem meeting and praying together, presumably very unsure as to what would happen next!

➡      Are there times in your life when you have felt like you’re stuck in one place waiting for what God will do next? How has this felt? Do you find any encouragement from Acts in this regard and/or any tips?!

If you have a bit longer :-)

In both Psalm 69:25 and 109:8, which Peter quotes in v. 20, the psalmist is calling down a curse on his persecutors. He clearly does not have Judas in mind!

➡      Why, then, does Peter see these verses as fulfilled by Judas’ betrayal? Why does he think it is important to do so?

Thinking back over the whole of Acts 1, have a think about 1 or more of the following questions (depending on which you most resonate with!).

➡      What stands out to you the most from this chapter?

➡      What is the biggest challenge in this chapter?

➡      Do you have any unresolved questions about it?

➡      Has God spoken to you through this chapter? If so, what has he said?

➡      What have you learned about God through it?

➡      What have you learned about Jesus’ followers?

➡      Have you learned anything about the Bible?

➡      Is there anything you think you should do/change/pray in response to reading this chapter?

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[1] See her commentary.

Day Four

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 1:6-11 “Jesus’ Ascension”

6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (TNIV)

John Stott notes that it is not that Luke is about Jesus and Acts about his church rather, in Acts, Luke refers to Luke (i.e. his book!) as detailing what Jesus began to do and teach, implying that Acts records the continuation of this.^[1]

➡    How can this be, though, when Jesus ascends to heaven in the very first chapter?

Jesus’ ascension is, in some ways, an anticlimax. In the minds of his followers, Jesus had gone from being the expected Messiah who would bring about the restoration of Israel (his life), to failing completely in this (his death) to then being a Messiah who went above and beyond anyone’s expectations by defeating even death (his resurrection). Surely now, this Messiah would finally establish his kingdom once and for all (i.e. v. 6)? Well, no. Rather, Jesus is off back to heaven and, led by the Holy Spirit, his followers are to continue his work. It is, therefore, no wonder that they stand and stare for a while in slight disbelief that Jesus has gone away from them, again!

It is at this point that an important tension is introduced for Jesus has gone BUT he will return – the implication being that it is on his return that God’s kingdom will finally come fully. Thus the whole of Acts is set in the midst of a now/not-yet tension. On the one hand, the amazing miracle of Jesus’ resurrection has occurred and the promised Spirit is soon to be poured out. On the other hand, full restoration awaits Jesus’ return at an undetermined point in the future. As we read through Acts, it is important to remember this now/not yet tension, which is, indeed, a tension we still face today.

➡      In what ways have you experienced the now/not yet tension of Acts in your own life? How has this tension made you feel? How does remembering this tension impact our perspective on the ups and downs of life?

Throughout Acts, there is the overarching sense that the early Christians viewed Jesus’ return as imminent and something to be eagerly awaited (e.g. 3:17-21). In fact, they had orientated their whole lives around Jesus’ return; it was a future event that dominated their lives in the present.

➡     Does Jesus’ future return impact our lives in the same way? How might we change if it did?

If you have a bit longer :-)

As you will definitely know if you’ve done the Cairos course, Jesus’ “great commission” here (and in Matt. 28:18-12) is not the first time God has expressed his desire to reveal his love to the “nations.” Rather, right at the start of Israel’s life, God promised Abraham that “all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.” However, although there was a promising(ish) start – in that a “mixed crowd” left Egypt along with the Israelites and were readily welcomed into their community – by the time we get to the end of the OT, we find that a guy called Ezra is deliberately sending away from the community anyone with even a hint of unIsraeliteness about them (see Ezra 9-10)![2] 

➡      Inline with God’s desire to reach all people, we do not want to deliberately exclude anyone from our community but are there ways in which we may do this unthinkingly? If so, how can we change?

To be fair to Ezra, he acted as he did at a time when Israel was at its most fragile. It was just coming out of a period of exile and, according to Israel’s prophets, this exile had come about largely as a result of the Israelites’ uncritical incorporation of their neighbors’ religious beliefs and practices. Thus, Ezra understandably thought that Israel’s only chance of success was to be as focused on God as possible which, to him, meant removing any possibility of them being adversely influenced by the nations around them.

➡      How can we maintain an inclusive and welcoming community without incorporating beliefs or practices that will lead us away from God?

➡      Can you think of times in your life when you have compromised your faith in response to people around you? How did you feel?

➡      What could you do this week in response to Jesus’ desire that we bear witness to him in Loughborough AND BEYOND?!

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^[1] John Stott, “Acts,” pg. 32.

[2] See John Drane, “Introducing the Old Testament,” pgs. 207-208.

Day Three

If you have 5 minutes!

Read Acts 1:1-5  “The Promise of the Spirit”

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”(TNIV)

➡  What do you think Luke’s purpose was in writing Acts?

If you have a bit longer :-)

“The Spirit” was not a new concept for the early Christians; in fact, Judaism had a wealth of biblical and extra-biblical material contributing to its meaning. Within this material, receiving the Spirit was presented as inessential to participation in the covenant community. In fact, the Spirit’s ministry seemed to be limited, with few exceptions, to the leaders and prophets and thus was seen as an additional gift. However, it was anticipated that within the salvation of “the age to come” (within which the created world would be restored, Israel would be liberated from their enemies and God’s covenant would be restored) this would not be the case but rather the Spirit would be poured out on all! This outpouring, fulfilling Ez. 36:26, would enable ongoing obedience thus enabling God’s people to be the hoped for “light to the nations.” (Isa. 42:6) ^[1]

➡  What does Jesus mean by baptism with the Holy Spirit? Why does he distinguish this from John’s water baptism?

➡  In what ways have you experienced the Holy Spirit at work in your life?

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^[1] Max Turner, “The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts Then and Now,” pgs. 6-15.