While Luke’s Gospel is about “all that Jesus began to do and to teach,” so Acts recounts what Jesus continues to do through his church in the power of the Spirit

The book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Luke “rewinds” a little, and the key event that he reviews is the resurrection. The resurrection is a key topic in the evangelistic speeches in Acts. The word “resurrection” (Greek anastasis) occurs more times in the book of Acts than in any other New Testament book (eleven times in Acts; the next highest is Luke with six). The first item on Jesus’ mind, post-resurrection, is that the apostles wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. This power leads to their being a “witness” in four concentric circles, leading out from Jerusalem. The fact that Jesus notes Samaria shows that the gospel will transcend not just geography (Jerusalem and Judea), but ethnicity as well.

Thus Luke 24:36–53 is recapitulated in Acts 1:1–14, repeating many points in greater detail. Historians had freedom to arrange materials in their own words and to paraphrase, and readers would have regarded different wording in two volumes of the same work as variation for the sake of readability, not as an accidental oversight.

What Jesus began in Luke, he continues in Acts, even after his ascension (v. 9).

Acts depicts the continuing actions and teachings of Jesus in a way that no other book of the Bible does. Luke claims that as the budding Christian movement spreads, Jesus himself is at work (cf. Acts 1:8; 4:10, 30; 5:32; 7:55, 59–60; 9:5, 15–17). The church is Jesus’ vehicle to continue his work in the world. This is true for us today as well: as Paul says, we who are in Christ are his body (1 Cor. 12:27).

1:8. Although the time of Israel’s restoration might be unknown, the end-time mission given to Israel, to be Spirit-anointed witnesses (Is 42:1, 4, 6; 43:10–12; 44:3, 8), is being given now. The disciples are thus to serve as the prophetic remnant within Israel. (When Israel had disobeyed God, he had always kept a remnant; see comment on Rom 11:1–5.)

1:8 This is both the general outline and central theme of Acts. The gospel will proceed from Jerusalem (chs. 1–7), to Judea and Samaria (chs. 8–12), and to the ends of the earth (chs. 13–28). Thematically, the disciples’ role is to be Jesus’ “witnesses.” Their power is the Holy Spirit. Their task is to take this message from “Jerusalem … to the ends of the earth.” This movement is both geographic (from Jerusalem to Rome) and ethnic (from Jews to Gentiles). The movement also continues what started in Luke’s Gospel. While the great central section of Luke’s Gospel describes Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem to accomplish God’s salvation (Luke 9–19), Acts describes the outward movement from Jerusalem to proclaim God’s salvation everywhere.

The apostles had to wait until the Day of Pentecost, but since then all believers are baptized with the Holy Spirit at salvation (see note on 1 Cor. 12:13; cf. Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Titus 3:5, 6). not many days from now. God’s promise was fulfilled just 10 days later.

Soon they would receive His indwelling presence and a new dimension of power for witness (see notes on 2:4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 3:16, 20). witnesses. People who tell the truth about Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:26; 1 Pet. 3:15). The Gr. word means “one who dies for his faith” because that was commonly the price of witnessing.

The verb began indicates that Acts continues the account of the ministry and teaching Christ began on earth. He is still working and teaching through His people today.

The reference to the Lord’s Ascension in Acts 1:2 looks back to Luke 24:51.

Two commandments were given by the Lord before He returned to heaven: (1) the apostolic band was to remain in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4; cf. Luke 24:49); (2) they were to go into the world as witnesses (Acts 1:8; cf. Luke 10:4; 24:47). These instructions may have seemed contradictory but they were to be obeyed sequentially.

1:8. This verse contrasts (alla, but) with verse 7. Instead of knowing the times or dates, the apostles were to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. This they were to do after they had been supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The meaning of the clause you will be My witnesses is subject to question. Is this a command, or is it a simple statement of fact? Grammatically the words may be taken either way, but because of 10:42 (cf. 4:20) it is clearly an imperative in the future tense.

The fact that Jesus notes Samaria shows that the gospel will transcend not just geography (Jerusalem and Judea), but ethnicity as well.

1:4. The promised gift from the Father, also anticipated in Luke 24:49, was quite obviously the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:5; John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7).

Christ Jesus would join His followers to Himself by the Holy Spirit. The word baptized, which normally means “dipped or immersed,” here has the idea of “uniting with” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1–2). The Lord made the same prediction of Spirit baptism that John made (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; cf. Acts 11:16).