Check out all the previous Acts readings here.
Acts Reading Plan | Week 1 | Day 1
Prayer
Take a moment to calm your heart and mind. Give to Jesus the things that are worrying you and the things that you have to do today. Ask Him to speak to you through His word.
Bible Reading: Acts 1:1-5
Read these verses three times slowly.
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Reflection & Questions
Two thousand years later, it’s hard to imagine what the days after Jesus’ resurrection would have been like for the disciples. We know that the gospel they passed on has spread around the world – impacting billions of people. Our society runs on a calendar system that is literally defined by Jesus’ life. But the disciples had been on a whirlwind in these last days and months. Their lives were turned upside down by Jesus’ ministry. Their hopes were crushed in His death. And now they are over the moon in His resurrection. So what happens next?
In Acts, Luke is writing about what happens for his friend (Theophilus). It is the story of what happens when the Holy Spirit comes in a whole new way – the book might even have been called the Acts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And that is why Jesus tells them right away, ‘wait for the Holy Spirit.’ The Christian life is one that is guided by the Holy Spirit. We are meant to learn to walk by the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit, and to rely on the Spirit. We will be learning what that means as we go through Acts 1-7 together.
- Imagine you’re one of the followers of Jesus, seeing Him resurrected. What are you thinking? Feeling?
- Do you rely on the Holy Spirit? How do you know? Do you know how to be guided by the Holy Spirit?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to the reading today. Pray for yourself, and those around you, that you would learn even more how to be guided by and rely on the Holy Spirit.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
