Acts 1:1-11

< Back to Acts Index


TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Lord's Final Commands to the Disciples and His Ascension

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The Lord ascended to heaven visibly and bodily.

  2. The Lord will return from heaven visibly and bodily.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Start in your own backyard.

QUESTIONS

  1. How does the book of Acts fit into the New Testament?

  2. Who wrote the book of Acts?

  3. Of the New Testament authors, who wrote the most?

  4. Why is it important that the Lord appeared to the disciples visibly and bodily?

  5. Did the Lord answer the disciples question about the timing of His return?

  6. Summarize the message of the angels to the apostles.

ANSWERS

  1. It is a bridge from the Gospels to the Epistles, from the Life of Christ to the Life of the Church.

  2. Luke was the author. Although his name is not mentioned, Acts 1:1 links the book to Luke 1:1-4.

  3. Luke wrote the most in the New Testament! His two books are longer than all of Paul’s epistles (unless Paul wrote the book of Hebrews).

  4. The disciples need to be assured that they were not seeing a vision of the Lord – He had been resurrected bodily! And He appeared to them on numerous occasions in His resurrected body.

  5. No, He told them to focus on preaching the gospel, and did not allow them to speculate on the timing of His return.

  6. The Lord will definitely return to the earth – visibly, bodily, and personally. Until then the disciples need to get to work on the great commission!

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. During the forty days that the Lord was on earth following His resurrection, His primary topic of conversation with the disciples was “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” The disciples certainly must have had questions about God’s plan now! What questions do you think they had? What explanations would the Lord have given them?

  2. The book of Acts contains many principles for missionary strategy. One principle from this chapter is “Start in your own backyard.” The disciples were to begin right where they were sharing the gospel, and spread from there. How can you live out this principle in your life?

CHALLENGE

  1. Some Christians spend great time and energy speculating about the timing of the Lord’s return. We can be confident and joyful that He will return! But let’s not get caught up trying to calculate “when”.

KEY VERSES

  • “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, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

  • “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

Acts, Talks, New TestamentRon ReidACTS 1:1-11