Acts 1:1-2
Jesus Began a Work
The first account records what Jesus began to do and teach. Notice that Luke did not say what Jesus did but what be began to do and teach. I think that this is significant for the book of Acts and especially for us today. Jesus began a work recorded in the Gospel of Luke, which continues on into the book of Acts and continues today. As one pastor has noted, the final chapter of Acts does not end with a period, but with a comma.
It is true that Christ accomplished and finished a work on the cross – he has secured the blessings of God, established redemption, and acquired forgiveness (Eph 1:3, 7). Yet the implications of this accomplished work remains unfinished.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Mat 24:14)
We can see that Christ's intention was for the disciples to continue the work that he began to do and teach. They were to be his witnesses in their city and to the end of the earth (v8).
The work remains unfinished, therefore Acts applies to us today. Jesus began his ministry 2,000 years ago and has continued to spread his word through his witnesses.
Jesus Healed and Taught
I think both of these words are important and indicate different aspects of Jesus' ministry. In the gospel of Luke, he expounds upon these two aspects:
And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:20-23
Where do you see teaching in this passage?
Where do you see doing in this passage?
Jesus' healing and teaching ministry is not disputed. The real question is this, “Is that same healing and teaching ministry available to us today?” If it is available to us, why then are our ministries often heavy on the teaching and light on the healing?
How does this affect our evangelism?
These are all questions that I do not intend on answering tonight, but will address as they come up in the continuing study of the book. We're going to take it slow because I want Luke to inform us on how to answer these and other questions. Not all of us may agree on this issue; therefore, I encourage you to take some time to study this book. Whether you believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent filling or as the regeneration of a person, you are welcomed here. Nonetheless, I am persuaded of the former and hope to convince you through scripture as to why I think this.
For now, I will simply state that I believe that the healing and teaching ministry of Jesus is available and that we need a subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to operate in this power. However, this baptism cannot be conjured up, but is freely given by God to whom he pleases. Thus we need to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit that we may evangelize in his power.
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