Title: Jesus' earthly ministry/Acts 1:1-5
Contents Jesus' earthly ministry/Acts 1:1-5
The phrase "the first writing", Luke refers back to the Gospel of Luke. He is now writing to Theophilus, the same person who wrote his Gospel. Luke reminds Theophilus of what he dealt with in the Gospels about the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Although He is in heaven, He continues to act and work in the hearts and lives of believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
1. The gospel that Luke wrote before. He wrote to Theophilus as a reminder of the gospel he had dealt with in the life and ministry of Jesus (v. 1). Who is Theophilo? We have never heard of him, but 1) Theophilus was called "Sir Theophilus" in Luke 1:3.
"Sir Theophilus" is a title of status and respect. 2) Theophilus and Luke were close enough to personally send and receive letters about the Lord Jesus Christ.
3) Theophilus lived in an area located on the outskirts of Palestine, far from where Luke was.
4) Theophilus was a well-educated, cultured man. His title and the fact that the Gospels of Luke and Acts were written for him indicate that he was a well-educated and cultured man. 5) The name Theophilus means “beloved of God” or “friend of God.”
2. Jesus' earthly ministry began with His actions and teachings (verses 1-2). Christ's actions and teachings began with things about that day. Jesus Christ came to this earth with the greatest anticipation that human beings can even imagine.
In fact, he brought man's only hope for survival. - It was the desire to conquer the sins and shame of this land. - It was a wish to conquer death and hell, the fate of mankind. He taught man how to live in peace and how to live before God.
1) He did and taught until Christ "ascensed" and ascended to heaven again. He was a faithful man who spent all of his life for God until the end of his life on earth. 2) Christ acted and taught 'by the Holy Spirit'.
After he left, they were the first to bring his message to the world. If they fail in this work, His work will also fail. But if they succeed, his ministry will also be successful.
3. Jesus' earthly ministry culminated in his death and resurrection (v. 3), "graceful" (fa dain), which means suffering. It speaks of the suffering and death of Christ. His death and resurrection confirmed man's salvation.
- Through death He paid the price for man's sin. -By rising from the dead, He has conquered the death we face and now makes possible the work of new life in power for the believers.
4. Jesus' earthly ministry was to proclaim the promise of the kingdom of God, the great hope of mankind (verse 3). The kingdom of God is still the central content of His message even after His resurrection. The only hope for human survival is the kingdom of God.
5. Jesus' earthly ministry was to proclaim the promise of the Holy Spirit, a great promise to believers (vv. 4-5). No human being "in the flesh" can live for God and bear witness. God knew that there was none, and Christ proclaimed it.
No person or group has the power to live for God or convince others that the following gospel is foolish. -Love is stronger than any power. - Actually, the Son of God came to earth as a human being.
- The Son of God died, but He conquered death by rising from the dead. - The cross is the way man is saved from sin, death, and hell. - Man can be born again, literally, by being born again and believing in Jesus, he becomes a new creation.
- Man can be born again through faith in Jesus and live forever. Christ knew that man needed supernatural power, divine power. He knew that the presence of the Holy Spirit had reached the very heart of man, that he must:
- imparts the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4), - completely recreates the person's being (2 Corinthians 5:17), - abides in the believer's body, giving him his own for God's sake. It gives people control and boldly proclaims the gospel in a world that is considered foolish and often violently rejected.
In these two verses, Christ is sharing how the apostles received the Holy Spirit in fullness and power. 1) They had to "wait for what the Father promised". 2) Believers must hear about the promises of the Holy Spirit before they receive the Holy Spirit.
A believer cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit with a confused or prejudiced heart. For he cannot expect to be filled with the presence of God without putting the things of God at the center of his heart.
Therefore, the believer must listen and give his attention to the longing and thirsting for the things of God. He must align his life with the Holy Spirit in order to receive the Holy Spirit's promises.
3) Those who believe will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. This baptism does not refer to the kind of water baptism that John used. It is the baptism of Christ Himself. It is to baptize believers into the Holy Spirit, that is, to those who believe in the Holy Spirit. It gives assurance to those who believe.