Know: Recognize the continuity of the redemptive mission of Jesus.
Feel: Appreciate how the redemptive mission began in the church and how it obtained its power and impetus.
Do: Examine to what extent that he or she, as Christ’s follower, is committed to the proclamation of the gospel.
Learning Outline:
Know: The Continuity of God’s Redemptive Mission
How do we know that the good news of salvation is one continuous story of God’s redemption mission for sinners?
Feel: The Power of the Early Beginnings of the Church
What does it mean to say that the spread of the gospel was dependent not on human intelligence and planning but on the power of the Holy Spirit?
The historic expansion of the church was not solely the result of the work of humans but of the power of the Holy Spirit. One could even say that we are studying not so much the Acts of the Apostles this quarter as we are studying the Acts of the Holy Spirit. How does the book of Acts confirm this assessment?
Do: Be Involved in the Growth of the Church.
Because the Acts of the Apostles is an unfinished chronicle of the growth of the church that demands your participation, how complete is your commitment toward this goal?
Summary: The command of the risen Jesus to His followers is to bear witness to His saving message. He also provides the enabling to accomplish that command. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). How have you received that command? In what ways have you been gripped by that power?
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Luke 24:50-52, Acts 1:6-8
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The book of Acts constantly reminds us that spiritual growth does not take place in a vacuum. Whatever is accomplished in either our individual lives or in the collective life of the church is a result of the ministry of Jesus, and is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps no other book of the Bible so clearly, and in such a short span, narrates the birth, growth, mission, and the continuation of the Christian life as the book of Acts does. Luke’s five-point initial summary of Acts is remarkable: (1) be convicted about the mission of Jesus—Acts 1:1–3; (2) be alert and wait for the reception of the Holy Spirit—Acts 1:4–5; (3) be more concerned about the what rather than the when of the Kingdom—Acts 1:4–7; (4) be ready to receive the Spirit—Acts 1:8; (5) be witnesses in every place, from our homes to the world—Acts 1:8.
Just for Teachers: Without the Acts of the Apostles, our knowledge and understanding of the beginnings of the Christian church would be highly impoverished. Although the book carries the title of “Apostles,” plural, only two apostles play a major role. Peter (Acts 1–15) strides through church history from Pentecost to the Jerusalem Council, bearing witness to such major events as the Pentecost, the conversion of the Gentiles, the Council of Jerusalem, and so forth. Paul (Acts 13–28) is the main character of the book of Acts, drawing the missionary map of the church, from Jerusalem to Rome. With the mention of John and James a few times, along with other flagbearers of the church (Stephen, Philip, Cornelius, Barnabas, John Mark, Priscilla and Aquila, Dorcas, Luke, and so forth), Acts offers a two-fold assurance: (1) everyone who takes the name of Christ has a role in the mission that bears His name; and (2) the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached “with all confidence” (Acts 28:31) to the whole world.
Opening Discussion: Acts 28:24 makes a remarkable statement: “Some were persuaded . . . some disbelieved” (NKJV). Those few words shout out to the universe that Jesus is the ultimate judge of the human race. Accept Him, and eternal life is yours. Reject Him, and damnation is yours. With that as the conclusion of the book of Acts, Luke closes his narrative of the church with a challenge to those who accept Jesus: preach the kingdom of God; teach all about Jesus with confidence. Why can it be argued that, as Christians, we have no greater responsibility?
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Acts 1:1 tells us that before Acts was written, its author had written a “former account” (NKJV). Both accounts—the third Gospel and the book of Acts (Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1)—are addressed to Theophilus, a Greek nobleman of means and culture. Theophilus is a friend of Luke’s and possibly a recent convert to Christ. Given that both Acts and the third Gospel are addressed to Theophilus, the early church has commonly held that both accounts were written by one author, Luke. The two accounts of Luke, put together, may be named “Origin and History of the Christian Church.” The first account deals with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The second account deals with the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome.
Bible Commentary
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “ ‘Your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV), He sowed the seeds of urgent anticipation in the hearts of not just the Twelve but in generations of His followers. The kingdom is the motivating theme of His message. To be with God, to live in communion with the saints of all ages, to move away forever from the kingdom of evil to the kingdom of righteousness, is the longing of every follower of Jesus. So, surrounded by the glory of the resurrection power, charged anew by the immeasurable power of the risen Savior, the disciples asked the question that was troubling their hearts: “ ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ” (Acts 1:6, NKJV). God’s Word answers the query with an assurance and a mission.
I. The Disciples’ Query With Satan defeated at the Cross, with death conquered on the resurrection morning, the disciples had one question awaiting an answer: When will the kingdom be established? The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus’ teachings. The word “kingdom” and its associated words, such as, “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of Heaven,” occur again and again in the Gospels: 50 times in Matthew (NKJV), 13 in Mark (NKJV), 37 in Luke (NKJV), and 5 in John (NKJV). Wherever the kingdom reference occurs, there is a sense of newness, urgency, and expectation. Newness, because the entrance of Jesus in history has introduced a new and dynamic element: God has entered into human space and time and has brought about a unique change in the created order. Urgency, because, with Jesus, time takes on a new quality. Time is to be measured, from Bethlehem on, from the standpoint of a new event. Both the spectrum of human history and the speck of personal history will have to be dated in terms of a relationship—B.C. or A.D. Human hope is safe and certain only within the dynamic of God’s kingdom. Hence the expectation: When will the kingdom come?
Consider This: “This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness.”—Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 8. What must characterize a life lived in the spirit of God’s kingdom?
II. Christ’s Assurance and Mission (Review John 14:2, 3 and Acts 1:11 with the class.)
To the anxious query of the disciples as to when the kingdom would come, Jesus gave them an assurance and a mission:
Assurance. Jesus leaves no doubt about the certainty of the kingdom. He says: “ ‘I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also’ ” (John 14:2, 3, NKJV). To remind and reinforce that assurance, God sent His angels with a post-ascension assurance to the disciples: “ ‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:11, NKJV).
Mission. Christ’s assurance that He will come the second time to establish His kingdom involves a mission—that the message of His kingdom and the means to enter that kingdom should be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. While we may not know the time and the hour of the coming of the kingdom, the mission of proclaiming that kingdom is ours now (Acts 1:8).
Consider This: “The gospel commission is the great missionary charter of Christ’s kingdom. The disciples were to work earnestly for souls, giving to all the invitation of mercy. They were not to wait for the people to come to them; they were to go to the people with their message.”— Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 28. How much, and in what ways, are you involved in this task?
Step 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: In the study of Acts 1, thus far, we have observed three truths about the kingdom: (1) We noted the longing of Christ’s disciples for the establishment of His kingdom. (2) We noted the assurance of the risen Jesus that the kingdom admits neither delay nor uncertainty. (3) We noted that the proclamation of the kingdom and its saving message involves the entire world. There is one area, Acts 1 tells us, that still needed to be clear in the global mission of the kingdom: filling leadership vacancy.
Discussion: How do we fill the vacancy that may arise in church leadership? Acts 1:15-26 sets down two key qualifications. (1) Personal experience with Jesus (Acts 1:21): a potential leader should have lived with Jesus “from . . . baptism . . . day when He was taken up” (Acts 1:21, 22, NKJV). Education, theology, culture, management, and persuasion are all skills the church could use, but none is a substitute for knowing Jesus personally, heart to heart, mind to mind, one to One. (2) “A witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:22, NKJV): resurrection cannot be isolated from the Cross. The Cross vindicates God’s redemptive plan for sin, and the Resurrection offers the hope of newness. One cannot be a Christian, let alone a Christian leader, without experiencing the power of the Cross and the empty tomb. Experiencing the Resurrection power is imperative to proclaiming the gospel (1 Cor. 15:8).
Step 4—Create
Just for Teachers: “God takes men as they are, and educates them for His service, if they will yield themselves to Him. . . . The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness. Continual devotion establishes so close a relation between Jesus and His disciple that the Christian becomes like Him in mind and character.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 251.
Keeping the above quote in mind, invite volunteers in your class to narrate examples of church leaders, either in history or in current ministry, who stand as examples of how God makes leaders out of ordinary persons.
Which biblical characters reflect the principle of God at work in choosing His witnesses? Bear ever in mind, though, that apart from Christ’s transformative power in their lives, these chosen individuals may not be fit enough.
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Key Texts: Acts 1:1–8, Luke 24:50–53
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Know: The Continuity of God’s Redemptive Mission
Feel: The Power of the Early Beginnings of the Church
Do: Be Involved in the Growth of the Church.
Summary: The command of the risen Jesus to His followers is to bear witness to His saving message. He also provides the enabling to accomplish that command. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). How have you received that command? In what ways have you been gripped by that power?
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Luke 24:50-52, Acts 1:6-8
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The book of Acts constantly reminds us that spiritual growth does not take place in a vacuum. Whatever is accomplished in either our individual lives or in the collective life of the church is a result of the ministry of Jesus, and is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps no other book of the Bible so clearly, and in such a short span, narrates the birth, growth, mission, and the continuation of the Christian life as the book of Acts does. Luke’s five-point initial summary of Acts is remarkable: (1) be convicted about the mission of Jesus—Acts 1:1–3; (2) be alert and wait for the reception of the Holy Spirit—Acts 1:4–5; (3) be more concerned about the what rather than the when of the Kingdom—Acts 1:4–7; (4) be ready to receive the Spirit—Acts 1:8; (5) be witnesses in every place, from our homes to the world—Acts 1:8.
Just for Teachers: Without the Acts of the Apostles, our knowledge and understanding of the beginnings of the Christian church would be highly impoverished. Although the book carries the title of “Apostles,” plural, only two apostles play a major role. Peter (Acts 1–15) strides through church history from Pentecost to the Jerusalem Council, bearing witness to such major events as the Pentecost, the conversion of the Gentiles, the Council of Jerusalem, and so forth. Paul (Acts 13–28) is the main character of the book of Acts, drawing the missionary map of the church, from Jerusalem to Rome. With the mention of John and James a few times, along with other flagbearers of the church (Stephen, Philip, Cornelius, Barnabas, John Mark, Priscilla and Aquila, Dorcas, Luke, and so forth), Acts offers a two-fold assurance: (1) everyone who takes the name of Christ has a role in the mission that bears His name; and (2) the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached “with all confidence” (Acts 28:31) to the whole world.
Opening Discussion: Acts 28:24 makes a remarkable statement: “Some were persuaded . . . some disbelieved” (NKJV). Those few words shout out to the universe that Jesus is the ultimate judge of the human race. Accept Him, and eternal life is yours. Reject Him, and damnation is yours. With that as the conclusion of the book of Acts, Luke closes his narrative of the church with a challenge to those who accept Jesus: preach the kingdom of God; teach all about Jesus with confidence. Why can it be argued that, as Christians, we have no greater responsibility?
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Acts 1:1 tells us that before Acts was written, its author had written a “former account” (NKJV). Both accounts—the third Gospel and the book of Acts (Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1)—are addressed to Theophilus, a Greek nobleman of means and culture. Theophilus is a friend of Luke’s and possibly a recent convert to Christ. Given that both Acts and the third Gospel are addressed to Theophilus, the early church has commonly held that both accounts were written by one author, Luke. The two accounts of Luke, put together, may be named “Origin and History of the Christian Church.” The first account deals with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The second account deals with the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome.
Bible Commentary
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “ ‘Your kingdom come’ ” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV), He sowed the seeds of urgent anticipation in the hearts of not just the Twelve but in generations of His followers. The kingdom is the motivating theme of His message. To be with God, to live in communion with the saints of all ages, to move away forever from the kingdom of evil to the kingdom of righteousness, is the longing of every follower of Jesus. So, surrounded by the glory of the resurrection power, charged anew by the immeasurable power of the risen Savior, the disciples asked the question that was troubling their hearts: “ ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ” (Acts 1:6, NKJV). God’s Word answers the query with an assurance and a mission.
I. The Disciples’ Query With Satan defeated at the Cross, with death conquered on the resurrection morning, the disciples had one question awaiting an answer: When will the kingdom be established? The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus’ teachings. The word “kingdom” and its associated words, such as, “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of Heaven,” occur again and again in the Gospels: 50 times in Matthew (NKJV), 13 in Mark (NKJV), 37 in Luke (NKJV), and 5 in John (NKJV). Wherever the kingdom reference occurs, there is a sense of newness, urgency, and expectation. Newness, because the entrance of Jesus in history has introduced a new and dynamic element: God has entered into human space and time and has brought about a unique change in the created order. Urgency, because, with Jesus, time takes on a new quality. Time is to be measured, from Bethlehem on, from the standpoint of a new event. Both the spectrum of human history and the speck of personal history will have to be dated in terms of a relationship—B.C. or A.D. Human hope is safe and certain only within the dynamic of God’s kingdom. Hence the expectation: When will the kingdom come?
Consider This: “This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness.”—Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 8. What must characterize a life lived in the spirit of God’s kingdom?
II. Christ’s Assurance and Mission (Review John 14:2, 3 and Acts 1:11 with the class.)
To the anxious query of the disciples as to when the kingdom would come, Jesus gave them an assurance and a mission:
Assurance. Jesus leaves no doubt about the certainty of the kingdom. He says: “ ‘I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also’ ” (John 14:2, 3, NKJV). To remind and reinforce that assurance, God sent His angels with a post-ascension assurance to the disciples: “ ‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:11, NKJV).
Mission. Christ’s assurance that He will come the second time to establish His kingdom involves a mission—that the message of His kingdom and the means to enter that kingdom should be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. While we may not know the time and the hour of the coming of the kingdom, the mission of proclaiming that kingdom is ours now (Acts 1:8).
Consider This: “The gospel commission is the great missionary charter of Christ’s kingdom. The disciples were to work earnestly for souls, giving to all the invitation of mercy. They were not to wait for the people to come to them; they were to go to the people with their message.”— Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 28. How much, and in what ways, are you involved in this task?
Step 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: In the study of Acts 1, thus far, we have observed three truths about the kingdom: (1) We noted the longing of Christ’s disciples for the establishment of His kingdom. (2) We noted the assurance of the risen Jesus that the kingdom admits neither delay nor uncertainty. (3) We noted that the proclamation of the kingdom and its saving message involves the entire world. There is one area, Acts 1 tells us, that still needed to be clear in the global mission of the kingdom: filling leadership vacancy.
Discussion: How do we fill the vacancy that may arise in church leadership? Acts 1:15-26 sets down two key qualifications. (1) Personal experience with Jesus (Acts 1:21): a potential leader should have lived with Jesus “from . . . baptism . . . day when He was taken up” (Acts 1:21, 22, NKJV). Education, theology, culture, management, and persuasion are all skills the church could use, but none is a substitute for knowing Jesus personally, heart to heart, mind to mind, one to One. (2) “A witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:22, NKJV): resurrection cannot be isolated from the Cross. The Cross vindicates God’s redemptive plan for sin, and the Resurrection offers the hope of newness. One cannot be a Christian, let alone a Christian leader, without experiencing the power of the Cross and the empty tomb. Experiencing the Resurrection power is imperative to proclaiming the gospel (1 Cor. 15:8).
Step 4—Create
Just for Teachers: “God takes men as they are, and educates them for His service, if they will yield themselves to Him. . . . The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness. Continual devotion establishes so close a relation between Jesus and His disciple that the Christian becomes like Him in mind and character.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 251.