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 I. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through theapostles in Jerusalem, Chapters 1 — 7

Chapter 1 — Gives the post-resurrection ministry and ascension ofJesus, and the 10-day interval before the coming of the Holy Spirit atPentecost.

vv. 1, 2 — Theophilus, the one addressed, is one of the unknown disciplesin the early church whose name means “lover of God” or “loved ofGod.” Luke’s primary objective is to show that Jesus continued His workand ministry after His resurrection but from a different position (see Acts2:33).

v. 3 — There are 10 recorded appearances of Jesus after His resurrection.This ministry has a more important bearing on the lives of Christians todaythan the 3-year ministry recorded in the 4 Gospels (see author’s book, TheEmpty Tomb). “The kingdom of God” includes not only His purpose in thechurch but reaches beyond to the re-establishment of the house of David (seeActs 15:14-17).

v. 4 — “The promise of the Father” is the Holy Spirit (see John 16:7-15).

v. 5 — Water baptism is ritual baptism; the Holy Spirit is real baptism.

v. 6 — This is not a foolish question. The kingdom will be restored toIsrael.

v. 7 — Jesus does not rebuke them. He merely says that the times andseasons for the establishment of the kingdom are not available to man.

v. 8 — This is not a corporate commission given to the church as a body,but a private and personal command given to each believer.

v. 9 — The ascension is an important and significant miracle in the ministryof Jesus. This is especially true in the space age with eyes turned aloft.“Cloud” means the Shekinah Glory cloud that filled the tabernacle (seeExodus 40:38). He is surrounded with the glory He had before Bethlehem(John 17:5).

vv. 10, 11 — Note the witness of the two angels who appeared as men.“This same Jesus” (v. 11) means that in His glorified body He will return toearth to the same place (Zechariah 14:4).

vv. 12-14 — This is the 10-day interval between His ascension andPentecost. The attitude of the apostles and believers is that of oneness,prayer, and waiting. This period cannot be duplicated today, for the HolySpirit has already come.

vv. 15-26 — The election to choose a successor to Judas Iscariot is conductedby Peter without the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit — theHoly Spirit had not yet come. Matthias was evidently a good man who metthe requirements of an apostle and apparently was an apostle. The Holy Spirit,however, ignored him, for he never is mentioned again in the Scriptures. Thesuccessor, we believe, to Judas Iscariot was Saul of Tarsus, chosen personallyby the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1).

Chapter 2 — Records the fulfillment of Pentecost, Peter’s sermon, andthe primary church.

v. 1 — Pentecost took place 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (seeauthor’s book, Learning Through Leviticus, Vol. 2, on Leviticus 23:15-22).“Fully come” means that this was the fulfillment of the meaning and purposefor which it was given. As the Feast of Passover depicts the death of Christand the Feast of Firstfruits depicts the resurrection of Christ, the Feast ofPentecost depicts the beginning and origin of the church. (Five minutesbefore the Day of Pentecost there was no church; five minutes after the Dayof Pentecost there was the church.) What Bethlehem was to the birth ofChrist, Pentecost and Jerusalem were to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Hebegan to baptize believers, which means He placed them in the body ofChrist — identifying them with Christ as His body on earth (see 1Corinthians 12:12, 13).

v. 2 — It was not a wind but there was a sound “like a” wind. “Rushingmighty wind” means that it had the sound of a tornado so that all ofJerusalem evidently heard it. The sound of a tornado has been likened tothat of a thousand freight trains. It was an appeal to the ear gate.

v. 3 — “As of fire” means that it was not fire but looked like fire, appealingto the eye gate. This was not the baptism of fire, which is judgment yetto come, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

v. 4 — “All filled with the Holy Spirit” indicates that all the other ministriesof the Holy Spirit to believers in this age had already been performed,as they occur in this order:1. Regenerating (John 3:5);2. Indwelling (Romans 8:9);3. Sealing (Ephesians 4:30);4. Baptizing (Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13).The experience of Pentecost came from the filling of the Spirit — not thebaptizing of the Spirit. The baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit placedthem in the church, the new body that came into existence here for the firsttime. “Other tongues” were not unknown tongues, but the polyglot languagesof the Roman Empire spoken by the worshipers who had come fromthe different areas of the Roman Empire (vv. 5-11). (See author’s booklet,Talking in Tongues.)

v. 12 — Some of the multitude that come together are startled andimpressed, but not convinced because they do not understand.

v. 13 — Others are cynical and mock. They offer a natural explanationfor the phenomenon.

vv. 14, 15 — Peter addresses himself to the skeptics and ignorant.

vv. 16-21 — Peter does not use Joel’s prophecy to show that Pentecost isthe fulfillment of it, but “this is that” (v. 16) — it is similar to and like thatwhich is yet to come (see Joel 2:28-32; 3:1, 2). Peter is saying that Pentecostis not contrary to the Old Testament. It is obvious that Joel’s prophecy wasnot fulfilled at Pentecost. God said, “I will pour out of my Spirit upon allflesh” (v. 17), yet there were only 3,000 converted at Pentecost. The signsin the heavens did not appear at that time. The age of grace began, not the“great and notable day of the Lord” (v. 20). Neither did all nations assemblein “the valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2, 12).

vv. 22-24 — The emphasis is not upon tongues or even on the coming ofthe Holy Spirit, but rather on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection(see John 16:13, 14). Notice that the passport of Jesus was the miracles,wonders, and signs.

vv. 25-31 — David in Psalm 16 spoke of the Messiah (not of himself, forhis grave was in Jerusalem) who must be raised from the dead to sit onDavid’s throne.

v. 32 — Peter and the others there are witnesses that Jesus was raisedfrom the dead.

v. 33 — We know that Jesus arrived at the right hand of God because theHoly Spirit arrived here.

vv. 34, 35 — This is a fulfillment of Psalm 110.

v. 36 — The explanation of all that had occurred is the fact that Jesusdied, rose again, ascended, and had taken His place at the right hand of God.

vv. 37-41 — Peter puts down the conditions of salvation for these men ofJudæa and all other Israelites who are in Jerusalem.

v. 42 — These are the visible marks of the local church.

vv. 43-47 — The first church had very little organization, but great powerand much love and joy.

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