Not My Usual Clean and Somewhat Classy Blog…
Book of Acts, Chapter 1
Acts 1 brings the four gospels to a focal point:
1. Matthew ends with the resurrection
2. Mark ends with Jesus’ ascension
3. Luke concludes with the promise of the Holy Ghost
4. John finishes with the promise of Jesus’ second coming
The four gospels funnel into Acts. Acts is then a too oft ignored bridge from the life of Christ into practiced and practical Christianity.
In each age, the church must be redefined by the Bible and Holy Ghost. If this redefining does not happen, the church gets lost in the wrappings of the contemporary culture. The church always remains a “body of called out believers.” The contextual redefining is more about how the church should respond and take action as it operates within that culture.
There are 50 Acts of the Holy Ghost in the Acts of the Apostles.
“…we find here the practical illustrations of the doctrine found elsewhere in the New Testament.”[1]
Outline of Chapter 1
Because the chapter and verse breaks are not part of the inspired word of God but were added centuries later, every outline does not fit neatly. I do two things in systematic study.
- An outline. The more difficult the text, the more detailed the outline. Chapter 1 flows in a way that is not difficult; so, the outline is not difficult.
- introduction – v. 1-2
- Command and Ascension – v. 3-11
- Prayer Meeting and Business Meeting – v. 12–chapter end
- Each paragraph gets a title that most aptly reflects what it contains. In some ways this is personal to whomever is looking at the passage. In chapter 1,
- v.1-2 Introduction of the new and an overlap of the past
- v. 3-5 Jesus' last command
- v. 6-7 And God said, "It is none of your business."
- v. 8-9 And God said, "This is your business."
- v. 10-11 He's coming back!
- v. 12-14 Continuing in prayer
- v. 15-26 The first church business meeting
[1] P 8. Gebelein, A.C. The Acts of the Apostles, An Exposition
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