The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, (2) until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, (3) to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (4) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which”, He said, “you have heard from Me, (5) for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (6) Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (7) And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (9) Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, (11) who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
The book of the Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke, physician, historian and the only Gentile author of the Bible. The first verses link Acts with the introduction of Luke’s gospel – he wanted to show the accounts were based on eyewitness testimony given by credible men in the face of strong opposition and even death. Luke also intended to explain how the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Rome; to both Jews and Gentiles with God’s purpose. Acts shows us the transition that lasted from the death of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Acts records many miraculous signs with the main message centered on the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead. It authenticates Jesus as the Messiah and the offering of forgiveness of sin in His name. The apostles were given unusual miraculous powers authenticating them as witnesses of the Christ and His resurrection from the dead.
Luke speaks of instruction by Jesus between His resurrection and ascension by the resurrected man. For 40 days He instructed them for the months and years to follow, and then was taken up in His physical body. This is the teaching of the Word of God. This is the Christ, a real man, the mediator between God and man who gave Himself as ransom for all. And His intercession before His Heavenly Father makes our salvation a certainty. Before the Lord was taken up He gave commandments to the apostles He had chosen. He announces the great commission that they were to evangelize ALL nations – but first they must receive the power from the coming Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. These men, in the Spirit, laid the foundation of the church. They lived and died for the gospel. Christ’s work was to continue through His obedient church; the Great Commission men were merely the instruments of the Lord who was at work through them. Salvation is God at work – God who saves men when they cannot save themselves.
Christianity is a faith rooted in history. Christianity is God’s revelation of Himself in the person of Jesus Chrisr. God is at work in history through every Christian who has received the Holy Spirit at the moment of faith and walks in the Spirit.