Acts Chapter 1 Explained | The Hidden Season Before Power (Episode 1 of 12)

✨ Episode Summary

In this opening episode of our 12-week journey through the book of Acts, we lay the foundation for understanding one of the most powerful books in Scripture. 

Acts is not just history—it is the continuation of Jesus’ work through His Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this episode, we walk verse-by-verse through Acts chapter 1, uncovering the deeper meaning behind Jesus’ final instructions, His ascension, and the preparation of the early Church before Pentecost.

This chapter reveals a powerful truth: before God releases power, He positions His people. Before movement, there is waiting. Before impact, there is formation.

🔑 What You’ll Learn

• Why Acts is truly the Acts of the Holy Spirit, not just the apostles
• The three movements of Acts: Jerusalem → Judea & Samaria → the ends of the earth
• What the “infallible proofs” of the Resurrection really mean
• Why Jesus commands His disciples to wait before moving
• The meaning of spiritual power (dynamis) and how it transforms your life
• The importance of unity, prayer, and hidden preparation
• Why proximity to Jesus is not the same as participation
• How the early Church models obedience, trust, and mission

📖 Key Scriptures

• Acts 1:1–26
• Luke 24:49
• Acts 1:8
• Joel 2:28
• Ezekiel 36:26–27
• John 14:16
• 1 Corinthians 15:6

🧠 Core Teaching Themes

1. Acts is Still Being Written

This is not just a historical account—it is an invitation.
Jesus continues His work through His people today.

2. Positioning Before Power

Acts 1 is a preparation chapter.
There is no Pentecost yet—only waiting, unity, and prayer.

God does not release power into chaos.
He prepares hearts first.

3. The Command to Wait

Jesus tells His disciples:

“Do not depart… but wait for the promise of the Father.”

Waiting is not passive—it is active expectation.
It is trust without control.

4. Power Comes From the Holy Spirit

The word for power is dynamis—divine, supernatural ability.

You are not called to live the Christian life in your own strength.
You are called to live it through God’s power within you.

5. From Curiosity to Calling

The disciples ask about timing.
Jesus redirects them to mission.

You don’t need the full blueprint.
You need obedience in the present moment.

6. The Pattern of the Church

• Gathered in unity
• Anchored in prayer
• Waiting in obedience
• Moving in power

This is still the blueprint today.

7. A Sobering Warning: Judas

Judas walked with Jesus—but did not remain faithful.

Proximity is not transformation.
The heart must stay surrendered.

8. The Mission Expands

Acts 1:8 gives the framework:

• Jerusalem (your immediate world)
• Judea & Samaria (beyond comfort)
• Ends of the earth (global impact)

Your calling starts where you are—but it doesn’t end there.

🔥 Life Application

1. Stop rushing ahead of God
If He says wait—wait. Power comes after positioning.

2. Build your life on prayer, not activity
The early Church didn’t strategize—they prayed.

3. Stay faithful in hidden seasons
What feels quiet is actually preparation.

4. Release control of outcomes
God holds timing. You hold obedience.

5. Guard unity deeply
Disunity drains spiritual power.

6. Live as a witness, not just a believer
Your life should testify to Christ.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Where in your life is God asking you to wait instead of move?
• Are you building your life more on activity

Welcome to The Bible Made Real.

Be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.

You can connect with Kathy on Instagram @kathyabidinglight and learn more at kathyabraham.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Made Real Podcast where scripture transforms your everyday life. I'm Kathy Abraham, and today we're going to be starting something very special. We're going to be starting an entire 12-week series on the book of Acts. We're going to go through all 28 chapters together over the course of 12 weeks. And I'm going to walk through every section and verse with you, explain to you what it means and how it applies to your everyday life. I have also created a Bible study for you to follow along with me. So I will go ahead and link that resource for you in this episode and in the other episode. So you can follow along, have your own quiet time, your own journaling, write down some processing your notes and answering questions. So before we dig into chapter one of Acts, I actually want to give you an introduction about this wonderful book. So the book of Acts is often called the Acts of the Apostles, but it's really the Acts of the Holy Spirit, and we'll see uh why later. It's really the story of Jesus continuing his work through his church. The church fathers saw this as the birth of the church and the blueprint for how we are meant to live today. And this isn't just history, this is an invitation for you and I, because in many ways, the story of Acts is still being written today. The Acts of the Apostles is a story of what happened after Jesus rose from the dead, after he ascended and he sent down his Holy Spirit. It is the birth, the empowerment, and the expansion of the church. Acts is really the contribution of the life of Jesus Christ, now lived through his people. Acts really has three main movements and categories of where the church is born and how it's being spread. So the first section is really Acts chapter 1 through 7. This takes place in Jerusalem. This is where the church is born, and how the Holy Spirit comes upon them in the day of Pentecost, and the apostles begin to boldly preach the gospel. The second part is Acts chapter 8 through 12. This is takes place in Judea and Samaria. And now the apostles are starting to spread the gospel beyond their inner circle. So the barriers begin to break, and we see outsiders are now being brought into the church. And then the third final section is to the ends of the earth. This is Acts chapter 13 to the end of Acts, which is Acts chapter 28. Here we see the missionary journeys, churches are being planted, and the gospel actually reaches Rome. So the moment we're entering right now, let me tell you about the setting. Okay, so Jesus has risen now. He has appeared before his disciples for 40 days. He has proven without question that he is alive. And we will see this at the end of Luke, actually. I'm going to read to you something in the end of Luke. But if you go to the last chapter of Luke, Luke chapter 24, Jesus actually tells his disciples, he says, touch me, handle me, see me. And he asks them for food so he can actually eat in front of them, right? And show them that he really truly is risen in the flesh and in risen bones. He's not just a spirit. And uh this is really important because he wants to prove that the risen flesh is also uh is alive and active because a lot of people said, oh, Jesus just actually rose in the spirit only, like a ghost. And he's saying, no, no, no, I actually am flesh, blood, and bones. Um, and then the way he ascends, there's a lot of urgency to his ascension, right? And then he tells him something really interesting at the end of chapter 24 in Luke. He tells him to wait, to wait for the Holy Spirit. I'll read that to you in a second. But before we go any further, there are five W's I'd like us to look at. So before I do any Bible study, I like to do a little bit of the inductive Bible study method, and we answer five W's: who, what, where, when, and why. So I'm gonna go through those with you right now. Okay, who wrote the book of Acts? The author is Luke. Luke was a physician, a historian, and a companion of the apostle Paul. Okay, and we know it's Luke because he writes with precision, he writes with order, and he has a very um close eyewitnessing sourcing. The recipient of this book is actually Theophilus. Theophilus means lover of God, which who is likely actually a real person, uh, probably a high-status Roman individual uh who already was teaching the faith, but now he is being grounded in certainty, right? So he's writing to Theophilus and the entire church at large that they would know what really took place in these early days and the early formation of the church uh with the work of the Holy Spirit. The main subject of the book of Acts is obviously Jesus Christ and then the Holy Spirit, right? Working through the apostles. And uh what he did, he did this to show the continuation of the church, right? What Jesus began, the church is now continuing through. And really, Acts is like the second epistle of Luke, right? The gospel of Luke really ends in one place and then Acts almost takes over. So it's like volume one is what Jesus began to do in his body, and then we see volume two of Luke in Acts is what Jesus continues to do through his church, through the Holy Spirit. So Acts is not just about the apostles, it's actually the ongoing work of Jesus Christ. And if we look at the end of Luke, like I had mentioned, we're gonna see that the Gospel of Luke, Luke, actually um ends with the ascension and that Acts begins with the ascension. So it's almost like they end and begin the same way. I'm gonna read to you the last chapter of Luke. Uh, Luke chapter 24, verse 49. Let's take a look and see what it says. Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Here Jesus is saying, wait for the Holy Spirit. Don't move until you have him, right? He's preparing them to receive the Holy Spirit, and he's saying, wait. And so when we open up our book of Acts and we actually see in chapters one and two, we actually see this fulfilled, right? The power does come down from on high uh during Pentecost, and we'll see that in in Luke, um, in Acts chapter two, and the mission of the church begins. Okay, so where is Acts chapter one take place? It Acts chapter one, like we had mentioned, the beginning uh takes place in Jerusalem. Now, this is the center of the Jewish worship, the temple, right? Jesus was recently crucified here and resurrected in this area. Later we see that it will expand outward uh as predicted in Acts 1.8, um, when he says, go and spread to Samaria and the rest of the region. Um, but in the beginning, it starts in Jerusalem. Okay, so this now starts uh right after the resurrection. So Jesus has now been with his uh disciples and apostles for 40 days. This was taken place around 6370 AD. Okay, so he's just been crucified, he was resurrected, and he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, and he's been with them for 40 days. Okay, in Acts chapter 1, verse 9, we see the ascension happening. Okay, so Acts actually opens up when Jesus has not yet ascended. It's like I said, a continuation of what happened in Luke. He's still with his disciples and he has not yet ascended. Okay. Again, he writes this to Theophilus and the whole church so that they can understand what's happening, they can be confident in what's being taught, and really be able to give an account of the birth of the nation and its growth. So now that we have a good intro and understanding of the setting of what is happening, who the author is, and why this book even exists, let's go ahead and start our Bible study. So let's start uh with Acts chapter one. Let's read the first three verses together. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up, after he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Okay, what does this mean? Let's begin. So he says, The former account I made, O Theophilus. Here we see that Luke opens this letter addressing Theophilus again, and he says, The former account I made. So he actually opens up Luke and addresses Theophilus in Luke, and he's doing it again here in Acts. So it's actually like two letters, right? Or almost like a volume one, volume two. Okay, what are these infallible proofs? So the Greek word for infallible actually means techmerios, that's that's how you pronounce it. But the the definition is an undeniable evidence, something that is objectively true, a proof. Like you cannot deny this existed, right? What are these proofs that Jesus is talking about here? Okay, there are a few things. The first one is his physical appearance. He has been seen multiple times by many people after he resurrected from the dead. It's not um, without question, everyone saw him, right? It was his real presence. It wasn't just a vision. Mary Magdalene saw him in the end of job in the end of John. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus saw him and spoke with him, and they ate with him, right? The disciples in the upper room conversed with him and spoke with him. They saw him by the Sea of Galilee at the end of John and John 21. So these all happened on different times and different occasions, different locations to different people, because he wanted to make sure everybody saw him, right? The second thing is that he was touched. Okay, he says that he tells them in the end of Luke, he says, handle me, see me, see that I am flesh and I am bones. And when Thomas was um doubting Jesus, he touched his wounds, right? And he touched his side and he felt it. Jesus is proving to them, right, that he's not a ghost or an illusion, but that he is the resurrected body. Another infallible proof is that he ate with them. He ate fish in front of them, right? He broke bread with them at the row, after Etimaeus after the after walking with them. He sat and ate with them. He had breakfast by the sea. He had broiled fish with them at the end of John 21. So why does this matter? Because spirits don't eat. Jesus is demonstrating the continuity of his incarnational being. The same Jesus who walked in the flesh before the disciples, with the disciples before the cross is still alive after it. And then this extended interaction, right? 40 days over the course of these 40 days, he appeared over and over again. This is critical because this wasn't a one-time appearance, like this emotional like moment, right, or a single encounter, but this was a prolonged, consistent experience where he taught again. He taught about the kingdom, he talked about um what's to come again, he gave his followers final instructions, he restored Peter. And then now we see that there's actually multiple witnesses to this, right? He appeared to groups of people, to individuals, different settings. He was seen by over 500 brethren at once. We see that in 1 Corinthians 15, 6. So all these infallible proofs removes any sort of private imagination, right? Jesus is saying, I want to make sure this is public and verifiable in nature and testimony. Okay, let's continue reading. Acts chapter 1, verses 4 to 8. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. This is exactly what he said. Remember at the book at the end of Luke, he said the same thing. He says, Which he said, You have heard from me, for truly John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? And he said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Okay, let's break this down. The first verse here, verse four, and being assembled together with them. See, Christ gathers together with them. It's not random but intentional. Community is so important because the church is born in gathering, not in isolation. So before power comes down, there is unity and there's presence together.

unknown 12:14

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SPEAKER_00 12:15

John Chrysostom says Christ gathers them to strengthen them in unity so that they would receive the spirit as one body and not as scattered individuals. This is the importance of unity of believers. The spirit descends on a unified church, not disconnected believers. Okay, the second part of verse 4, he commands them not to depart from Jerusalem. Why does Christ tell them to stay in Jerusalem? Because what's once the place of the crucifixion is now the place of glory. The place that was filled with fear now becomes the place of boldness. God often fulfills his work in the very place of our pain, of our weakness, of our failure. He doesn't move them away, but he transforms the place. And then what does he say? He says, but wait for the promise of the Father. They are called into active waiting. Okay. This is not passive. They're supposed to be waiting and expectation. What is the promise? The Holy Spirit. This was prophesized in Joel chapter 2 and Ezekiel chapter 36. This is the fulfillment of salvation history. The spirit is not something new, but the Holy Spirit personally is now going to indwell in each believer. And that is something new that didn't happen before.

unknown 13:25

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SPEAKER_00 13:25

Cyril of Jerusalem says the spirit was once given in measure, right? This Holy Spirit would come to certain people at certain times to accomplish things in the Old Testament, but now the Holy Spirit is poured out abundantly upon the entire body of the church. Jesus finishes this verse and he says, Which you have heard from me. He's reminding his disciples and his apostles. He's like, I already taught you about the Holy Spirit. Remember, in John 14, 16, he talks about the promise of the helper that's going to come. So this isn't anything new. This is something he's already spoken about. And now he's saying, I've already told you about the Holy Spirit. This is now the fulfillment of this promise. Okay, let's move on. Verse five. What does that mean? Yes, the baptism of John was real, okay, but it wasn't full. It was just the preparation. It was a baptism of repentance, cleansing, preparing, but it wasn't the full baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is something greater now that Jesus is pointing to, right? He's saying, you were cleansed with the baptism of John. You were prepared to receive this, but now I'm going to give you the full baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit that is going to fully consume you. And he says that. He says, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days now. So this changes everything. They're going to receive their full baptism, their full power and their full authority. They will be immersed and covered and filled. Not a little touch, but in an entire engulfing in this new divine life. And this is actually fulfilled sacramentally in our Orthodox life, as we have the baptism, which is the submerging in the water, and then we have the chrismation, which is the seal of the Holy Spirit. So we do both. We baptize in water and in the Holy Spirit. So Pentecost becomes now this new pattern of the life in the Spirit.

unknown 15:08

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SPEAKER_00 15:09

Gregory of Nyssa says the spirit does not merely visit, but he transforms the very nature of the one who receives him. And so Christ says, not many days from now. Why? He's saying the promise is coming. It's eminent. It's certain. I promise you, my timing is precise and perfect, not rushed, not delayed, not many days from now, you will receive the Holy Spirit. And he's and then they ask them, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? Right? And so they they totally don't get it right now. They're totally misunderstanding the point. They're still thinking from a political standpoint. This, like, are you gonna, is the kingdom gonna be restored? This national restoration, right? This like public authority and power, they don't get it. Even after Jesus' resurrection, they're still not fully seeing things. And we are often the same way, right? Our spiritual understanding is limited. It unfolds gradually. We still don't understand fully what God is doing or doing in our life, right? We see it gradually unfold. So, what does Jesus tell them after he asks them that? He completely uh doesn't even answer them, right? He's he's saying it's not even for you to know times or seasons which the father has put in his own authority. And then he just redirects their attention and he redirects it away from speculation or guessing or curiosity towards full obedience because God doesn't want them distracted with political power, worldly affairs, right? He wants them to focus on their calling at hand, the task, and the mission. Us too, we're not called to control God's timeline, right? We don't have to understand everything, and we're not called to decode everything and figure it out. God is saying, trust me, it's not for you to figure it out, it's not for you to know the timeline or the seasons, right? And we often want that. We say, Lord, win, but how? How are you gonna do this? And where are you gonna do this? And exactly like I need to know the details, right? I need to know what's gonna happen on this day and this day. We want a full blueprint and a full roadmap. But God doesn't operate like this. He wants total trust. He told us to return like little children who don't ask. They don't want to know what's happening next year. They just want to know in this moment, what do you need from me and what do you want from me? God is the same way with us. So we're told to participate in this total total trust, right? So then what does he say afterwards? He focuses them on the mission. That's what's gonna happen, right? He says, You shall receive power. And this is the turning point here. The word for power, this Greek word is dynamis, which means a supernatural ability, a divine force. Okay, this is not like I'm gonna give you personal influence or a good personality. No, God's saying the same power that rose me from the dead, the same power from heaven that God uses is the same power you are gonna have now. So he says, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, he's saying this is not an effort you do on your own. Guys, we don't we don't live this holy life and this holy calling on our own effort. It is through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in us. And this is what we call synergy, right? God gives us power, but man must participate with this power to bring about our God-given results and our God-giving calling and our God-given potential in this life. And then what does he say? He says, and then after you receive the power, what's gonna happen to me, to you? Then you will be witnesses to me. You will be witnesses to me. And this word witness here means martis in Greek, which is actually where we get the word martyr from. A witness is somebody who testifies, somebody who lives out their faith, and one who is, if necessary, willing to die for their faith. He says, So you're gonna witness to me in Jerusalem. He starts in Jerusalem first. Where? Because the gospel begins there, right? But for you and I, what is our Jerusalem? What's our immediate context of influence before we go to the nations, right, and try to save the world? Am I serving in my own home, in my own church, in my own family, in my own local community, in my own ministry here? Always start in your Jerusalem. Don't start somewhere else. Then he says, you will go to Judea and Samaria. Now the gospel is expanding, right? It's going beyond comfort and familiarity. Samaria is tension there, right? There's division. These are considered outsiders, remember? Uh we know this in the gospels, but the gospel now breaks these barriers through the work of the Holy Spirit. And then finally it says, and to the end of the earth. This is the full vision, the global expansion of the church, the expansive, unstoppable uh mission of the church, right? And we see that Paul's last place that he went to is Rome. It is the furthest geographically place that he could possibly go to. This is the pagan world that was the furthest away from God. Paul actually reached Rome at the end of his uh missionary journeys. So the expansion of this global church is still unfolding today. It's still happening. To the ends of the earth is still happening today. So we see this passage, it moves from waiting to fulfillment, to receiving power, to witnessing now of the gospel in Jesus Christ, and to expansion. Okay, let's move on now to verses 9 to 11. Now, when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly towards heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel. Who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Okay, verse nine starts with now when he had spoken these things. So this connects directly again to what came before, the promise of the Spirit, the call to witness, the mission to the nations. The ascension is not something random, right? It's the conclusion of the instruction of the launch of the church. So Christ does not leave them unprepared. He departs after establishing his promise and his purpose, right? And he says, Now when he had spoken these things. He says, and while they watched, he was taken up, the cloud received him out of their sight. What did he watch? This ascension. This ascension was visible. It wasn't something mystical or done, you know, hiddenly. No, the apostles all witnessed this with their eyes. Just um like the resurrection had infallible proofs. Same with the ascension. This was public and undeniable. The same Jesus that was crucified and resurrected is now exalted and ascends up in his human body. And a cloud received him out of their sight. So in scripture, we see that clouds usually signify the presence of God and the glory of God, right? In the Bible, we see the clouds represent when Moses was with the Israelites. In Mount Sinai in Exodus, the cloud over them, right? That uh supplied shade for them over the sun. We know the cloud filled the tabernacle with the spirit and the cloud at the transfiguration when Jesus was transfigured with Elijah and Moses. So this isn't weather here. We're not talking about clouds that you and I see outside. This is something glorious and from heaven. Okay. Okay, moving on. And while they looked steadfastly into heaven, so they were gazing upwards, right? They were looking at him. Uh, they were in awe, yes, a little confused. Uh, there was a moment of wonder, right? And stillness and transition in this time. Uh, but that's typical. Then it says, While they looked steadfastly towards heaven, so their gaze was upright, they beheld two men stood by in white apparel. Who are these two men? These were angels. And why are there two angels? Because in scripture, actually, two witnesses confirm truth. We see this in Deuteronomy 19, 15. God is confirming this really happened. This is a real event. This moment is holy and significant. They're in white apparel, um, obviously signifying heavenly origin and divine authority and purity, as angels do. Um, and they address them and they say, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? So the angels are gently correcting them, saying, Don't remain stuck looking upward. Don't remain stuck in this moment, okay? There is danger when you and I remain stuck in something that's amazing, even if it's a miracle, when we experience something supernatural, right? Or we hear about miracles, God doesn't want us to just stay stuck at this one thing. It's beautiful to take time and awe and amazement, but don't stay stuck there. You are called to live out your faith in movement, in obedience, right? Something, there's something important for you to do. We can't just live off like amazing supernatural experiences in our life. We need practical day-to-day uh work with the Holy Spirit. So, and then he says, the same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, he will come in the like wise manner as you saw him go into heaven. So the angels are telling him, it's gonna be the same Jesus, the same incarnate Jesus who was crucified, who is resurrected. You're not gonna get a different Jesus, okay? This is gonna be the same Jesus that's going to again come down in a like manner. And this points to the second coming, right? He ascended in the bodily visible form and he will also return again in the bodily visible and glorious form. So this passage here actually reveals three massive truths. Number one, Christ is enthroned. He is not absent or distanced, but he's fully reigning in the spiritual and heavenly authority. Number two, humanity is now elevated. Our nature is now in heaven because Christ ascends, right? And this is the beginning of our theosis, our reunion with God, becoming what he is through and in Christ Jesus. And the third is now the mission of the church begins. We cannot stay looking up, just as we had mentioned, right? The church now must move, grow, witness, and carry the gospel. Okay, let's move on to verses 12 to 14. And then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath-day journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the zealot, Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary and the mother of Jesus and with his brothers. Okay, why are all these mentioned here? Okay, notice it says, and they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Alabet. So they are being obedient. Remember, Jesus says, Don't leave Jerusalem. Like, don't leave it. I'm gonna descend, but don't leave yet, because I need you to stay in Jerusalem. So they are obeying Christ's commandments, what he gave them in verse 4. He told them, Do not depart from Jerusalem. So they didn't. They remained there and they stayed there, right? And this is where the spiritual life begins with us. We have to obey when God's saying, stay somewhere, wait for me. We need to listen to him, right? We don't have to question him, but we just have to be ready, prepare our hearts and be ready for him, for him. And um, secondly, we say here they left from the mount called Olivet. Do you remember this mountain? This is the Mount of Olives, right? This is very significant. This is where Christ often prayed, where he wept over Jerusalem. And now this is a place where he ascended, the place of surrender, glory, and transition. And we spoke about this, right? How God often revisits the same places and transforms them for us, right? Some places that might have been really hard and painful, or the sorrow now becomes a place of glory. Okay, and he's made mentioning here, uh, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day journey. Why does he mention this? He just wants to show that it was just, you know, about a third three-fourths of a mile about a day's journey that they had to do. Um so he's just being precise. Luke is just really being precise here and wants to make sure this is historical, grounded, accurate, full of detail, uh, telling them exactly how they moved. Okay, and when they had entered, they went up into the upper room. This is the same upper room where the last supper took place, where Christ washed the feet of his disciples and broke bread and gave them the body and blood of Jesus, right? And now look, this is becoming the first gathering of the place of the church. So before churches and cathedrals were ever even built or created, the room is where Jesus met us. The room was filled with his prayer, the room was filled with the Holy Spirit, the room was filled with the body and blood of Jesus. And where they were staying, so they all stayed here. They weren't visiting, they were abiding, they were dwelling, they were lingering in these in these moments together, right? They had a posture of anticipation and waiting. And then Luke lists all the disciples, right? He lists all 11 of them. Notice he does not mention Judas, Iscariot, okay? Um, and now he's showing that this is kind of incomplete. So the group was broken uh and now it needs to be restored. Before the Holy Spirit can come and before the church can be commissioned, the church needs to be restored. And this is significant to you and I because before Christ wants to use us, he wants to restore us. He wants to fix our brokenness and replace the things that weren't working for us in order to commission us and unify us, right? In one accord. Deep unity, this one mind and one purpose in prayer and supplication, they worshiped, they communed with God. And uh they were earnestly seeking God and depending on Him. They were engaged, right? Hungry and seeking. And when we think about that, prayer, you know, before preparation is really that's the work. That is the work, is when we're preparing for something, prayer is the work. When you face a difficult task, right, or an important decision, or you're baffling like or debating between something, or you have a dilemma, don't rush into actually doing things, but spend time in prayer because the beginning of something powerful always starts with prayer. And then finally he says they were with the women, okay? Why does he say this? He wants to show that this is a full participation of the body. The women were present, they were active, they were participating, right? They are part of the church. The church is not built on hierarchy, right? Or men alone, but it is shared participation in the grace. And of course, he wants to mention that the mother was there, the mother of Jesus. She is present at the birth of the church, right? She birthed Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and she's there at the beginning of the church. She's the continuation and the mother of all, right? And even in the Orthodox Church, we always say uh we consider them the church the mother. And so Mary represents this mother for us, right? She received Christ physically in her womb, and now she's among those receiving the Holy Spirit. And as the God bearer, she is the model of humility and receptivity, right? Faithful presence to what God wants to give her. She is the first person to receive the logos, the word that stands among those being um who are receiving the Holy Spirit. Okay, let's continue. Verses 15 to 20. And in those days, Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples. Altogether, the number of names was about a hundred and twenty, and said, Men and brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out, and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem. So that field is called in their own language Akildemah, that is field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it, and let another take his office. Okay, so now we are talking about Judas and who is going to replace Judas. So they had this dilemma. So Peter stood up in the middle of his disciples, right? He rises up among the leader. Now we actually see him, uh, not scared, not denying Jesus, right? This is a total shift in Peter. Before the ascension, he was fearful and he was denying Jesus. Now he's standing and he's speaking and he's guiding them. Uh, so this is restoration and in full action here. So he's speaking and saying, hey, remember, guys, we have to replace, we have a duty now uh to do something about this. So Peter is quoting uh David in the Psalms, right? And he's saying what he spoke about, this was already prophesized. He knew that concerning Judas, right? He knew that uh even to the prophecy uh that this foreknowledge was there, but the betrayal is within the scope of God's knowledge, right? He foreknew it, but he still gave Judas this free will uh to choose money over his savior. And again, this is a display of synergy that you and I need to understand. Still the same. We still have free will. So even though Jesus knows everything and God knows everything, this divine foreknowledge doesn't change anything. We still have our human responsibility to decide for ourselves and to participate with the work of the Holy Spirit or deny it. And he's saying now, dude, Judas was numbered with one of us, right? He was part of the ministry, he shared in the ministry. And this is actually really sobering because you can be close to Christ, right? You can be in his little bubble, in his in that circle of holy people, and the proximity to Jesus does not equal participation, it's different. You can still be an active member in the church, but yet not be saved, right? And that's scary for us to understand. So the relationship, it is the heart that matters more than even proximity with holiness. We know that Judas now, you know, he took the money, he bought a field, and this is and this is where he ended up hanging himself. And it seems that his body had come off, uh, fell off, um, and hit a rock in his entrails and his intestines and had gushed out blood everywhere. And this is called the field of blood that nobody visits and nobody participates in. So it's now a desolate place, right? So there's no remembrance of Judas, there's nothing there that anybody's participating in. But his office, his apostolic position and put needed to be filled. This is not erased, right, or abandoned. Uh, and we see this through the apostolic secession of our church, right? No matter what. So even if man has failed this position, the office really belongs to Christ in his church. He will fill it, he will find a replacement, he will rise up a different leader if leadership is corrupt and not filling the apostolic calling. Okay, let's move on. Verses 21 and 26. Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time, that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when he was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. And they proposed two, Joseph called Barcibus, who was surnamed Justice, and Mateus. And they prayed and said, You, O Lord, you know the hearts of all. Show which of these two you have chosen to take part in the ministry in the pastology which from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Mateus, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. And that concludes Acts 1. But let's go through what we just read. Verse 21. So therefore, he's saying, These men accompanied us. So here Peter is saying that we need somebody who's been with us, right? This whole time. We there's qualifications for who's going to take Judas' place. They need someone who has been with Jesus, who has been through the public ministry of him, walked with him, went in and among them, lived among them, ministered publicly, known by their apostolic circle, right? This wasn't anybody random. And this is the beauty and wisdom behind the church, right? It does not choose our leaders randomly. There is discernment, there is um order, there's Holy Spirit presence, right? And ask, and that's actually what happened. They cast a lot, they found two of the most qualified people, and then they left it up to God and said, Lord, this you decide who is the best because you know hearts. He says that Peter's not merely saying, I need somebody who was witnessing the teachings of Christ, right? Or witnessing the miracles, but he really wanted to make sure it was especially important that somebody had witnessed the resurrection. And the reason for this is because this was a great stumbling block. Therefore, the clearest testimony was that that person had to witness the resurrection of Jesus. And if we take a look at verse 25, it's actually pretty sad because Peter's saying to take part in the ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. This is sobering as well because Peter now is saying that Judas had a real ministry, right? He had a real position, but he fell because he transgressed, because of his sin that he did, that he did not repent for. And so, you know, this this is like something you and I can relate to because first, this shows that calling is real, that we have a real calling. Judas was truly entrusted. Second, falling is real. A person can betray anything that was given to him, right? We can betray grace and lose what was given to us. So this is a serious uh passage against spiritual presumption. Okay, we cannot assume that just because we're in, we're in the spot, we've been given the position or the title means that we are going to be perfect and holy in that. No, the heart must remain faithful. The heart must remain at the feet of Jesus, no matter what the position uh was is or given to us. The fathers often use Judas as a warning that proximity to Christ is not safe apart from repentance and faithfulness. So they cast their lots and it fell upon Mateus. So he joins the other eleven, they become the twelve, and now this is the unified group of um the disciples and the apostles, apostles now, and uh that will be receiving the Holy Spirit, we see in chapter two. Okay, so that concludes our uh study on chapter one of Acts. Just a quick overview so you can see what's going on. Acts chapter one is really a transition chapter, right? We see uh it's ending the visible ministry of Jesus Christ, and now we're gonna see the work through the church and through the uh Holy Spirit. So this concludes our study on chapter one of Acts, just to do a quick overview with you. Uh Acts chapter one is really a transition chapter, right? As we're ending the visible ministry of Jesus Christ and now working uh through the birth of the church and the Holy Spirit. So we see four clear movements here. Number one, Jesus prepares them, he confirms that the resurrection with the infallible proofs, right? He teaches about the kingdom that's to come and he commands them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. The second thing, Jesus ascends visibly in verse nine, he goes to heaven. The angels declare that he will return in the same way. Uh, and now we know that Christ is enthroned. Number three, the church gathers together. They return to Jerusalem in obedience, they go to the upper room, and they are constantly together in prayer and supplication. And number four, order is restored. We see that Judas is now replaced by Matthias, and the picture is complete. So the big picture of Acts chapter one is positioning before power, right? There isn't anything dramatic, dramatic happening yet because Pentecost has not yet happened. We'll see that in chapter two. But this chapter is all about preparation. So, how does this apply to you and I today? And what can we learn from Acts chapter one that can be applied to our life? The first thing, stop rushing ahead of God, right? You may feel called, ready, equipped, but God may be saying, wait, wait, wait, wait until you're filled. Don't build this on your own yet. Wait until I give you power, until you receive my Holy Spirit strength to do what I've called you to do. Wait for me, wait on the Lord, right? And you will be strengthened, says in the Psalms. Number two, build your life on prayer, not activity. We always want to do because it feels productive, but it's not really what God wants from us. Acts chapter one shows us that, right? There was no strategy meetings or planning sessions. What did they do? They prayed. They just gathered. There was unity, there was presence. So ask yourself, is my life being driven by activity or am I anchored first and foremost in prayer? Number three, stay in position even when nothing is happening. They stayed in the upper room before anything changed, right? They had to wait faithfully in this hidden season. Uh, and what's really going to be preparing them for visible fruit later in life. Number four, let God deal with the outcome of your life. You just focus on obedience, right? That we noticed the disciples and the apostles, they didn't control timing or force anything. They just obeyed and trusted. You do the same thing. Number five, guard unity deeply. The early church protected this one thing. They really protected this one heart and one mind because disunity is one of the fastest ways for us to lose our spiritual momentum and spiritual power. Number six, be a witness, not just a believer. Acts is not about private faith that's so hidden and internal. That's important, but also our lives should be a testimony. We are to live out the gospel, right? We have to be a church that continues to expand and grows and helps people to know about Jesus Christ. So this concludes our study on Acts chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. It was very thorough. We went deep. Thanks for sticking around and being with me this whole time. So join me next week as we'll journey through Acts chapter two together. We'll talk about the Pentecost and the pouring of the Holy Spirit on his apostles. You can download my free study guide to follow along with me. I'll link it to this episode and to my website. We can go deeper together through this book of Acts, and I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for joining me on the Bible Made Real podcast. If today's episode encouraged you, make sure to hit follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode. And leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. You can visit KathyAbraham.com to access free Bible study tools and sign up to receive my free weekly devotional videos right here. You can also follow me on Instagram and Kathy Lighting Light.