We saw in our last visit, Jesus enlisted those He had encountered and enlightened after His resurrection. He explained that the message of His death and resurrection in fulfilment of all that had been predicted was to be shared by them to all the nations of the world. It was the basis of their proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins, beginning in Jerusalem.
He promised to send them what His Father promised, so they were to stay in Jerusalem until that happened. Luke, who wrote these closing words in his Gospel amplified these instructions in the book of Acts, chapter 1, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days…on one occasion…he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, wait for the gift my Father promised.’”
They did what Jesus told them to do as described in the last half of Acts 1. Verse 14 says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” This was interspersed with Peter sharing from the Scriptures so they got God’s perspective and guidance to understand what they were experiencing and what they could anticipate.
They didn’t have to wait long before the Holy Spirit came down and swept through the room transforming them into the powerful band of believers that turned the city of Jerusalem upside down. The rest of Acts describes the dynamic growth of the first century church.
