The Acts of the Apostles - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

… 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, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:2–3

The Acts of the Apostles
The evangelist Luke reports in his Gospel the details of the life and death of Jesus up to His ascension into heaven. Whoever reads this Gospel will be impressed by the way Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit in all life situations. Even the Great Commission was given to the apostles “through the Holy Spirit”: they were to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations in Jesus’ name (Luke 24:47). The second biblical account written by Luke is the Acts of the Apostles. This book begins with the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. Here Luke thinks of Jesus’ encounters with His disciples – of the many eyewitnesses who saw the risen Lord. Among the “many infallible proofs” is that He had not appeared to them as a spirit, but in a resurrection body with the visible nail marks of the crucifixion. He had even eaten with them (1 Corinthians 15:4–8; Luke 24:38–43).

In addition, Jesus had talked to His disciples about “the kingdom of God” during the forty days between the resurrection and ascension. He had explained to them that the kingdom of God on earth is wherever God’s government is recognised and Jesus Christ is called “Lord”. They heard that this kingdom will one day be set up in outward power and glory when Christ appears again on earth. Until then, the kingdom of God is manifested in “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 6:1-13 · Ephesians 6:10-18