Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go: Luke-Acts (2007) by the International Bible Society, Book Review (2nd Reading)

The Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is a two-volume work by the same author, Luke, and the same recipient, Theophilus. It is meant to be read together and continuously. And what makes this book Luke-Acts special is that it comes without those annoying chapter and verse divisions that disrupt the context, logic, and flow of the grand narrative (I used to have a whole Bible like this, but I lost it in the train station). Reading the Scripture in this format is like reading an action-packed novel, except that it is about historical events, non-fictional people, and an actual person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

While the divisions are, in my opinion, good for reference and quotation, they can cause some serious problems. There are instances where chapters are wrongly divided and verses are taken out of context. Men such as Zakir Naik looked like a genius to the Bible illiterates when he quoted Bible verses out of memory, but if you check them in their original text, you will find that they are always out of context. Another problem is that the divisions encourage people (even sincere Christians) to read only small parts at a time. How many of you can quote John 3:16? Well, how about John 3:15 and John 3:17? Exactly!

The Bible and each book of the Bible is meant to be read as a whole and straight through from the beginning. Try reading the Gospel of Luke (or the Gospel of Mark, the shorter one) in one sitting. Set aside 2 to 3 hours this week to go to a quiet place, bring a physical Bible with you, turn off your smartphone, and read through it. I bet you will discover many truths for yourself, and the words of the Psalmer will echo in your soul: "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103)

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheGospelOfLuke #TheActsofTheApostles #TheScripture #ReadTheBible #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

I read this book two years ago and wrote something (sort of) about this issue too, READ HERE

To read my other book reviews/summaries, CLICK HERE

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

I'm Sure Peter and John Preached the Prosperity Gospel! (Acts 3:1-10)

“One day Peter and John were going to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put everyday to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money”
(Acts 3:1-3, NIV)

Previously, the writer told us that “many wonders and signs performed by the apostles” (Acts 2:43) and here is one of the examples. As Peter and John went one day into the temple, some people (probably his relatives) were just bringing in a beggar. It is said that this man had been born lame and was now over 40 years old (see Acts 4:22). To beg in the temple area is equivalent today as begging in the church’s open doors (except hardly we see any beggars came to our churches, I wonder why not). Almsgiving and mercy assume greater in the religious settings rather than in the shopping mall areas. So this place was the most strategic area. Plus, the temple gate is called “Beautiful.”

Seeing Peter and John, he immediately asked them for “money” (3:3). He may not realize that Jesus’ disciples were mostly poor or not rich, particularly these two disciples. So no wonder “Peter looked straight at him, as did John” (3:4). “Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them” (3:4-5). This is funny! When I read “Look at us!” I imagined these two tone of voice: First, surely a strong command; and secondly, a disbelief response like, ‘What do you expect from us? Look at us! We’re poor too!’ They didn’t have much money – or none for this purpose – but they did know the power of God and so was able to give something far better that afternoon than all the rich people who entered the temple.

So Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). In the name of Jesus, Peter took hold of the lame man’s hand and raised him up. Immediately he received strength and began to walk and jump. For a man born lame, these descriptions in Acts 3:7-8 is simply amazing. What great power “the name of Jesus” is! At that moment, I’m sure that the man finally realized that to know the Lord Jesus Christ is far better than to have all the money in the world. He asked for “money” but he got far better, namely, healing in the name of Jesus. No wonder he “walking, jumping and praising God” (4:9). Begging-helpless voice now had turned into shout of praises. The people there “were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (v.10). No doubt!

Two things I learned from this text: #1 Jesus is the wisest prayer we can ever ask for. This man asked for what he thought the best he can possibly have – money, but instead he got better – Jesus. Jesus is more precious than silver and gold. When we asked for a certain thing [this man was simply asked, I think that’s the key: Ask], God may give us something else better than what we wanted at first. We must trust His wisdom, love and power whenever we pray. Ask; and #2 Jesus’ name bring complete spiritual healing to those who believe. I know that the man was physically healed and I’m not trying to ‘spiritualize’ this text. But this man’s healing was a good example of how God rescues us from our sin: 1) The man was totally hopeless since the beginning; 2) The healing took place by a direct word of command in the name of Jesus; 3) The healing was instantaneous, not gradual; 4) The healing was permanent, not partial or temporary; and 5) The healing was not in secret but was publicly acknowledge – this is the saving power of God!

Because of these two lessons I learned, I say this poor lame beggar is rich in the Kingdom of God. Surely, Peter and John preached the prosperity Gospel!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Effects of Pentecost to the Church: How About Today? (Acts 2:40-47)

“With many other words [Peter] warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day”
(Acts 2:40-41, NIV)

Some of those who heard Peter’s Christ-centred preaching wanted at once to do something about it. So he told them to repent. And to show their true repentance, they must be publicly baptized. About 3,000 did so that very day of Pentecost. What a joy that was to Peter, to all the disciples, to those who were just saved, and to the Lord Himself in heaven! If you read further in Acts 2:42-47, you’ll noticed evidences of Spirit-filled people. Because nowadays many churches are so obsess with modern day’s ‘Pentecost’, let’s check what happened to the first century church lead by the Holy Spirit as describes in the Book of Acts. They became…

A Learning Church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” (v.42). First evidence of Spirit-filled people is their hunger for the truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. And the Truth of God is the Word of God (“the apostles’ teaching”). I’m convince that Spirit-filled church is New Testament church that hold firm to the New Testament teachings and doctrines. They will not despise Christian mind and theology, but embrace it together with their passion for Christ. Don’t ever think that theology is dry as sand, true theology will produce rivers of living water. See here, there were “many wonders and signs performed by the apostle” (v.43).

A Loving Church. “…and to fellowship…” (v.42). Spirit-filled people love to be together. “All the believers were together and had everything in common” (v.44). Because the Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, and the Spirit is in us; this love of God become the ultimate source for our love with one another. Not only that, because the Father and the Son loves to give good things for us, the Spirit teaches us to give and share with others too. For example, first believers volunteeringly “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (v.45). Not that we have to do the same, but the attitude of giving should be the attitude of the Spirit-filled church. Their love is visible.

A Worshipping Church. “…to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (v.42). Worship is the expression of Spirit-filled people. Here I notices that their worship (or can I say their prayer meetings?) was both formal “in the temple court” and informal “in their homes” (v.46). Also, I realized that both the fear of the Lord “filled with awe” (v.43) and the joy of the Lord “praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people” (v.47) are mutually together. There is a place for formal worship. And there is a time for informal worship. But one thing for sure: We all must worship God with joy and reverence.

An Evangelistic Church. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (v.47). Harry Boer in his challenging book Pentecost and Missions writes, the Acts “is governed by one dominant, overriding and all-controlling motif. This motif is the expansion of the faith through missionary witness in the power of the Spirit… Restlessly the Spirit drives the church to witness, and continually churches rise out of the witness. The church is a missionary church.” No doubt, Spirit-filled people are missionaries. As we go and witness the Good News of Jesus to the world, remember the Lord is the One who saved people. Once saved, they belong to us. Oh, may our church today become Spirit-filled church: continuous learning, extravagance with love, ever praising God, and missionary-minded. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Peter preached Jesus of Nazareth: 3,000 Died, 3,000 Saved (Acts 2:12-41)

“Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. Those people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel…”
(Acts 2:12-16, NIV)

When some of the people insult the disciples by saying they must be drunk, Peter doesn’t become angry, but quietly replies this is not the case at all. In the Middle East, people drink at night not early in the morning (But in Iban culture, it’s a different story). What Peter tried to say is that the disciples are not full of wine but are full of the Holy Spirit. In fact, he told them of a promise God gave long ago to Israel through the prophet Joel that God would pour out His Spirit on all the people (read Joel 2:28-32). On the day of Pentecost, only some of the people received the Holy Spirit, but the time is coming when more from all nations will received Him prior to Jesus’ second coming.

As I read the Scripture, Church history and my own experiences (limited of course), this event in Pentecost was one time event not to be repeated again. Nowhere in the Scripture tells another event such as this. It was like a grand opening, the birth of the movement of the Holy Spirit with a sole message: Jesus is alive and the Holy Spirit is here! However, the last part of Joel’s promise was true for us today as in Peter’s day: “[Everyone] who calls on the names of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). From here Peter went on to preach about “Jesus of Nazareth” (v.22). Although God had approved the work and Sonship of Jesus Christ, wicked men took Him and nailed Him to the cross. God knew in advance – “God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge” (v.23) – that this would happen and soon raised His Son back to life again. Why? Because “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (v.24). Oh yeah!

Peter went on to prove that even God had told David His servant that Messiah would rise from the dead (read Acts 2:25-28). David could not have been speaking about himself, as his grave was right there in Jerusalem. But he was prophesying about Jesus. David went on to prophesied, “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’” (Acts 2:34-35; Psalm 110:1). “The Lord” here is God the Father, and “my Lord” cannot be David himself but the Messiah, the Promised One, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In short, Peter was showing to them about their terrible sin in opposing God’s Messiah. They had killed the very One whom God had approved before and now had glorified. If we reject Jesus, we are rejecting God too, and we will be in the same position as the Jews who crucified Him.

For those who want to believe and come to God, Peter said: “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39)

What was their response? What was the outcome of Peter’s boldness? Were there anyone believe? The Scripture tells us: “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (v.41). This number remind me of our Bible Study on the Book of Exodus. When some of the Israelites were not repented of their idolatrous sin of worshiping the Golden Calf in Mount Sinai, Moses told us about “three thousand of the people died” (Exodus 32:28). What is your respond to this article? Would you consider this Jesus of Nazareth? Who do you say Jesus is? Peter had reminded us, he even warned us: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (v.40). Do something…

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Come Holy Spirit: Be Filled, Speak in Tongues and the Meaning of It (Acts 2:1-13)

“Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the believers met together that day, suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speaking in languages they didn’t know, for the Holy Spirit gave them this ability”
(Acts 2:1-4, The Living Bible)

The Day of Pentecost was one of the feast days of the ancient Jews. It was held 50 days after the feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:16). Seven weeks, 7 x 7 = 49 days had gone by, so now is the 50^th day. What’s my point? The feast of First Fruits in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23) and then He ascended to heaven. And 50 days later, the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was the day the Holy Spirit poured out on the believers. Before the Pentecost come, the feast of First Fruits must be celebrated; before the Holy Spirit could come, the Son must go.

The 120 disciples (Acts 1:15) were all together in one place when they heard the sound of wind, visibly saw tongues of fire, and began to speak in other languages which they did not know before. Wind, fire, speech; they heard, they saw, they spoke. To me, this experience of “filled with the Holy Spirit” is rich in its nature. I want to ask, how could the Holy Spirit come and dwell with men whose hearts had been tainted with sin? It would only be possible, in my understanding of theology, if those hearts had first been cleansed. Or in other word, the Spirit only can dwell in holiness, not sinfulness. What is sufficient to wash away the guilt of sin? When people read this text automatically they would answer the Holy Spirit, but no, THE answer is the blood of the Lamb. The coming of the Spirit shows how completely the blood of Jesus Christ washes away all our sin. If the Spirit dwells in our hearts, He will be grieved if any sin is permitted to dwell there too. Therefore, it is appropriate if we first get rid of our conscious sin and asked God to cleanse us by the blood of Jesus. Do this and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit!

Come back to the text. Jewish people had been scattered all over the world, but some of them came back to Jerusalem “for the religious celebrations” (v.5). Imagine the surprise of these people when they heard the disciples, “all from Galilee” (v.7), speaking in fifteen different foreign languages! (Read lists of languages they speak in Acts 2:9-11). These were known human languages, not nonsense or unintelligible or meaningless gibberish (Test time: When people says they are speaking in tongue, what languages are they speak? Is there any people with the gift of interpretation among them?). What were they speaking about? The people said, “We all hear these men telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God” (v.11). This is interesting. In John 16:13-14, the Scriptures said that the Holy Spirit would not speak of Himself, but would glorify Jesus. So, when a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she will not talk so much about him/herself nor even about the Spirit, but about Jesus Christ and the mighty miracles of God.

Then some of them were amazed and perplexed, “What can this mean?” they asked each other (v.12). While they still thinking, others in the crowd were mocking, “They’re drunk, that’s all!” (v.13). Peter, the leader of the apostles, defended against the accusation and denied that they were drunk of wine but was filled with the Holy Spirit [I’ll continue with Peter’s sermon in another article]. So, what does it all mean? John Stott rightly answer: “Nothing could demonstrated more clearly than this the multi-racial, multi-national, multi-lingual nature of the kingdom of Christ. Ever since the early church fathers, commentators have seen the blessing of Pentecost as a deliberate and dramatic reversal of the curse of Babel. At Babel human languages were confused and the nations were scattered; in Jerusalem the language barrier was supernaturally overcome as a sign that the nations would now be gathered together in Christ, prefiguring the great day when the redeemed company will be drawn ‘from every nation, tribe, people and language.’ Besides, at Babel earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven, whereas in Jerusalem heaven humbly descended to earth.” Amazing!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus' New Apostle: Who Was? Who's Next? (Acts 1:16-22)

“[Prayer meeting] went on for several days. During this time, on a day when about 120 people were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows: ‘Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to come true concerning Judas, who betrayed Jesus by guiding the mob to him… So now we must choose someone else to take Judas’ place and to join us as witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Let us select someone who has been with us constantly from our first association with the Lord – from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven”

(Acts 1:16, 21-22, The Living Bible)

Judas’ life was very tragic. Judas was “chosen to be an apostle” (v.17) but he betrayed Jesus. After he “bought a field with the money he received for his treachery,” he then “falling headlong there, he burst open, spilling out his bowels” (v.18). But Matthew 27:5-7 explained that Judas “threw the money onto the floor of the Temple and went out and hanged himself… the chief priests talked it over and finally decided to buy a certain field…” Is this a contradiction account? No, I think when Judas hanged himself, his dead body fell headlong (head first). And when the Scripture said Judas bought a field it was actually the chief priests who bought it using Judas’ treacherous money because they cannot take back the ‘blood money.’ So, technically, the field bought by and belong to Judas. No contradiction. The point is: Judas betrayed Jesus, he then hanged himself, and his money was used to buy a field.

The apostle Peter realized that someone should be appointed to take the place of Judas, who had fallen into sin, and committed suicide. He remembered two verses in the book of Psalms and one particularly says “Let his work be given to someone else to do” (Acts 1:20, Psalms 109:8). Interpreted as someone should take Judas’ place as an apostle. For me, it is a terrible thing to do works for God in the beginning but because of sin – continuous sin without really repenting from it – God rejected him and have another take it over. May this will not happen to us!

So the apostles lead by Peter selected two men who had also been with the Lord Jesus from the beginning and were witnesses of His baptism, death and resurrection. Their names were Joseph Justus (also called Barsabbas) and Matthias (v.23). Then they “prayed for the right man to be chosen: ‘O Lord, you know every heart; show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor, who has gone on to his proper place’” (v.24-25). Then they cast lots and the lot fell on Matthias, who was therefore numbered with the apostles [although we never hear of him again]. Casting lots? No, we don’t need to do that anymore. Now that the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures has been given, we don’t need to cast lots to know God’s will. But we do need to know these, as a conclusion:

#1 Being an ‘apostle’ or as Christ’s follower in general, doesn’t guarantee good ending. Don’t be like Judas, who betrayed Jesus in the end. We need to keep believing in Him; #2 God already chose who would become our leader. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to pray but all the more this should encourage us to pray so that God’s will become our will’s [Note: Many people nowadays claim to be an ‘apostle’, these are the qualifications outline by Peter: 1) He must be someone who have accompanied the apostles all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them; 2) He must be someone who are there beginning from Jesus’ baptism to the day when He was taken up to heaven; and 3) He must be someone who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. Now, are the self-claimed ‘apostles’ today fulfilled these criteria? Fyi, I believe in apostolic ministry] and; #3 Though you might not be the chosen leader, like Joseph Justus, in Christ you are chosen of God! Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Unites Us: Why Prayer Meeting is Very Important? (Acts 1:12-14)

“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers”
(Acts 1:12-14, NIV)

Lord Jesus ascended to heaven (1:9) from the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. After the angels told the apostles that He would surely come again, they returned to Jerusalem, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometre (my NIV note) away. They stayed there as Jesus had commanded (1:4) and spent the days in “constant prayer” in an upper room. I noticed that Jesus’ disciples had a habit of praying together. This was part of Jesus’ legacy to them. Remember when they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1)? Jesus examples of constant prayer had influenced His disciples all over the world. Prayer is a wonderful privilege and every true Christian should seek the Lord’s face in prayer every day.

If you count how many of the apostles left after Jesus’ ascension, you’ll find out that there is one person missing – Judas Iscariot. He wants his own agenda and political version of messiah, thus rejected Jesus as the Suffering Messiah. He also loved money rather than Jesus, fall into temptation by listening to Satan’s lies and sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. When Judas realised what he had done, he didn’t repent but went out and killed himself. Both Peter and Judas denied Jesus. But as for Peter, he quickly repented of his sins and was restored with the apostles and become their leader again. Others who were praying in the upper room were “the women” who had loved and followed Jesus faithfully. One of them was “Mary the mother of Jesus,” and with her were “his brothers” [Jesus’ step-brothers, refer to Mark 6:3 for their names]. These brothers did not believe in Jesus at first (John 7:5) but after His death and resurrection, they realized that He was truly the Son of God, the Saviour of the World.

Now, imagine this with me: imagine the different kind of people gathered in the upper room (Close your eyes first, and imagine). Let me just select few of them here – Peter was very impulsive and acted cowardly, but after this he became bold and courageous; James was selfish, conceited, vengeful and fiery, but after that he became committed apostle for Christ and courageous even to the point of death; John was like his brother, James, very judgmental and power-craze but after that he became bold, loving and compassionate; Thomas was so doubtful and inquisitive but then he became courageous and faithful to the end; Simon was a Zealot, which means he was very patriotic and loyal to the nation but he became a changed man, passionate and sacrificial in his service for Christ; Judas (or Jude) and James, the brothers of Jesus, were very sceptical of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God soon became leaders of Jerusalem church and both authored the Epistle of James and Epistle of Jude; among “the women” was Mary Magdalene, who has been identified as a sinful women (perhaps a prostitute) and was possessed from seven demons, now became a faithful follower of Jesus and being listed as having a leadership role among the women.

All of them “joined together constantly in prayer” (1:14). This is very encouraging to me – and I hope to you too. Their Lord and Master is one, Jesus; their common faith and love is one, Jesus; their uniting power is one, Jesus. Even though we come from difference sets of background, gender, race, ideology and status like Jesus’ disciples – in Christ – we are one. Praying together (or prayer meeting we called it today), have the power to unite us together. As we pray, we wait for God to act among us. Oh yes!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus' Ascension: Between Heavenly and Earthly Visions (Acts 1:9-11)

“It was not long afterwards that [Lord Jesus] rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after him. As they were straining their eyes for another glimpse, suddenly two white-robed men were standing there among them, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just as he went, he will return!’”
(Acts 1:9-11, The Living Bible)

In John 1:14 we read that the Word became flesh and dwelt among men. In John 16:28 Jesus said that He had “came from the Father into the world and will leave the world and return to the Father.” Jesus came a long journey into this world to do His Father’s will. Here Jesus is going back to heaven, to His Father. Jesus loves His Father and we know that the Father loves His Son. This love exchange should make us very glad because indeed, God is love!

The apostles were so surprised that they stood there staring in amazement up into heaven. So two angels (two white-robed men, no doubt were angels) appeared to them and told them plainly that this very same Jesus would come back again in the same way as He had gone into heaven. “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (NIV). What can we understand from this passage? I want to quote John R. Stott commentary in The Message of Acts (1990) here:

First, Jesus will come again. “He has gone, and they must let him go; he will return in his own good time, in the same way… There will be important differences between his going and his coming. Although his coming will be personal, it will not be private like his ascension. Only the eleven apostles saw him go, but when he comes ‘every eyes will see him.’ Instead of returning alone (as when he went). Millions of holy ones – both human and angelic – will form his retinue. And in place of a localized coming (‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’), it will be ‘like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other’” (page 50).

Secondly, the angles implied, until Jesus comes again, the apostles must get on with their witness, for that was their mandate. “There was something fundamentally anomalous about their gazing up into the sky when they had been commissioned to go to the end of the earth. It was the earth not the sky which was to be their preoccupation. Their calling was to be witnesses not stargazers. The vision they were to cultivate was not upwards in nostalgia to the heaven which had received Jesus, but outwards in compassion to a lost world which needed him… First, Jesus returned to heaven (Ascension). Secondly, the Holy Spirit came (Pentecost). Thirdly, the church goes out to witness (Mission). Fourthly, Jesus will come back (Parousia)” (page 51).

Obviously for us today, we must remember these 2 important truths: #1 Heavenly vision: Our hope is sure! Jesus is alive and He will come back again to unite us to have fellowship with the loving Father.  And #2 Earthly vision: Between Jesus’ going and coming, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we must go into the world for Jesus! Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus is Alive > Kingdom is Here > Holy Spirit will Come (Acts 1:1-8)

“During the 40 days after [Jesus’] crucifixion he appeared to the apostles from time to time, actually alive, and proved to them in many ways that it was really he himself they were seeing. And on these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God”
(Acts 1:3, The Living Bible)

Since Jesus is the Son of God, it would be quite unbelievable that if anyone said that He remained in the grave. We can be sure that Jesus did rise from the dead because there are many witnesses who saw Him during forty days after He had risen and before He went back to heaven. Some of these men, for example, Matthew, John and Peter have written books which tells us about Jesus rising from the dead (In 1 Corinthians 15:6, “[Jesus] was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time”). The Bible is our external witness, the Holy Spirit is our internal witness that Jesus is alive!

Before Jesus went back to heaven, He commanded His disciples “not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them in fulfilment of the Father’s promise” (Acts 1:4, see also Luke 24:49). I’m thinking, maybe the disciples at this time wanted to go back home and get to work with their fishing nets again. Or maybe they wanted to start right out and tell everybody about the Lord Jesus, how He had died for our sins and rose again (I might to this). In fact, Jesus had already told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone, everywhere (Mark 16:15). But the time for this had not yet come, and so He tells them to WAIT for a while. Key word here is WAIT. The disciples surely know about the Father’s promise [theologically], but they don’t know how or in what way the Holy Spirit would come upon them [practically]. So they need to WAIT. Sometimes we want to do something for the Lord in a hurry before the right time comes, but we should do what and when He wants us to do it. So WAIT.

Then Jesus promised them the most wonderful of all gifts: “[You] shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit in just a few days” (1:5). He said that although they could not know when the Kingdom of God would fully come to earth (for the Kingdom of God is here already but not yet), yet they would receive in a few days’ time the Spirit of God to abide with them forever! Jesus said, “[When] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection” (1:8). The disciples obeyed the command of the Lord here. And so, if you read Book of Acts chapter 1-7, they witnessed in the city of Jerusalem; chapter 8-12, they witnessed in the land of Judea and Samaria; and after that, chapter 13-28, they preached everywhere!

I would like to recommend, after you read the Book of Acts by Luke (maybe read the Gospel of Luke first), read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe. This book shows that the word of Jesus in verse 8 was fulfilled and are being fulfilled day by day. I’m excited that the Book of Acts is not finish yet, for we all have great parts in fulfilling Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18 and Acts 1:8 in this world. Remember: Jesus is alive, we are His witnesses; the Kingdom of God is here, we preach the Good News; the Holy Spirit is with and in us, now go!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

This Is the Beginning of Missionary Movement and Our Faith-History (Acts 0)

The Book of Acts is a very important book because it tells how the church started and grew. It all began from the life and death of Jesus Christ, and that, when He arose again, He told His disciples to go everywhere and preach the gospel (see Matthew 28). Acts tells us how the disciples obeyed the Lord in spreading the gospel and how all other early churches were started. Many people have called it the Acts of the Apostles, but to me it’s not so much about the actions of the apostles but Christ, the Acts of Christ. And beyond that, since there are about 70 times reference of the Holy Spirit in this book, I suggests it should be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. After all, He is the One who acting in and through the apostles. Christ promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit (1:8) and this promise was fulfilled a few days later (2:4). What God promises He will empowers.

By the way, who wrote the book? #1 God. It was God who lead and inspired the writer what to put down when he wrote it (2 Timothy 4:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21). #2 Luke. He was a doctor by profession (Colossians 4:14) and a missionary by calling. He always travelled with the Apostle Paul on some of his long journeys. If you noticed, Luke like to use words such as “he”, “they” and “we.” He is a first-hand witness! So who wrote the book? #3 God through Luke.

Why this book were written? First of all, Acts is part two of the Gospel of Luke. It was clearly written to an important man called Theophilus (because the name means “loved by God” or “friend of God” some scholars suggest that it was written to a group of Christians). It told the story of “Jesus’ life and teachings and how he returned to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:1). It told the story of what Jesus continued to do and teach, after His resurrection and ascension. I heard many people speak of Jesus’ finished work on the cross – it’s true in term of appropriation of the blood of Christ – but we must never forget that Jesus is still working the “unfinished” work today in heaven, praying for us, leading and guiding, and working with and in us. Luke wanted to tell us about this part of Jesus’ “unfinished” work.

Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8 that “[When] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.” This is one of the keys verses in the Book of Acts. Jesus told the disciples to witness for Him first right where they are (Jerusalem), then in their home land (Judea). Then they must go to their near neighbours (such as Samaria) even though they did not like them. But then they were to spread out all over the whole world and tell people about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was how we – Malaysians and other part of the nations – get to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This is the beginning of a worldwide missionary movement. To understand the Acts is to understand the joy and risk of spreading the Good News and to understand our own faith-history. Even though the Book of Acts is finished written long time ago, but the impact and influence of it is continue until this very day!

Are You Ready to Explore the Book of Acts?

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.