A Bible Study on the Book of Acts Session 2

The Church of the Holy Apostles;

Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)

Chapter 1 v. 1-2 – Opening statements lead toward credibility and limit focus

1. “This former account” – Acts limited to what the APOSTLES did and taught. (Gospel limited to Christ)

2. “Jesus began both to do and to teach” – Jesus is still doing and teaching

3. Credibility comes from “eye-witnesses” (Apostles were chosen by Jesus Christ to represent Him)

4. Credibility comes from Miracles (Apostles did many miracles, but so did Luke – see 2 Cor 8.18 “And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches.”)

5. Credibility comes from humility – “O Theophilus” Luke was willing to write for just one person. “Treatise” rather than Gospel as if to say, “I’m not worthy to write a Gospel, just a treatise.

6. Teaching of Christ continues THROUGH the Holy Spirit for 40 Days between Resurrection and Ascension.

Chapter 1 v. 3-5 – Christ appeared in person to bring COMFORT and instill DESIRE to the Church

1. Proves Resurrection (remember the need for belief in the Resurrection mentioned last week)

2. Jesus spent 40 days between Resurrection and Ascension – ease the pain of His departure

3. Jesus gives the promise of the Father – WAIT for the Holy Spirit

4. The Holy Spirit will provide power and guide you (see John 14.16)

5. NEW GREATER Baptism, Water Baptism from John but Holy Spirit will baptize “not many days from now”

So…Acts could also be considered the “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” In the Gospel the Holy Spirit entered the Virgin’s womb. In Acts the Holy Spirit entered the Apostles. The more essential baptism is the Holy Spirit, not just water.

Teaching of Fasting, Baptism and Sin

1. Baptism must affect our behavior – “As if then we were banqueting with Christ Himself, and partaking of His table, let us do nothing at random, but let s pass our time in fastings, and prayers, and much sobriety of mind. For is a man who is destined to enter upon some temporal government, prepares himself all his life long, and that he may obtain some dignity, lays out his money, spends his time, and submits to endless troubles; what shall we deserve, who draw near to the kingdom of heaven with such negligence, and both show no earnestness before we have received, and after having received are again negligent? Nay, this is the very reason why we are negligent after having received, that we did not watch before we had received. Therefore many, after they have received, immediately have returned to their former vomit, and have become more wicked, and drawn upon themselves a more severe punishment; when having been delivered from their former sins, herein they have more grievously provoked the Judge, that having been delivered from so great a disease, still they did not learn sobriety, but that has happened unto them, which Christ threatened to the paralytic man, saying ‘Behold you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto you (John 5.14) and which He also predicted of the Jews, that ‘the last state shall be worse than the first.’”

2. Grace heals all sin – For there in sin, no impiety, which does not yield and give place to this gift

3. Don’t fret…be baptized anyway – God is merciful. “Why not convert fear into earnestness?”

4. Repent through Holy Confession – for SJC to know about Holy Confession and not make use of it is as dangerous as sinning on purpose after Baptism.

5. DO NOT WAIT FOR THE END – if you wouldn’t wait until your deathbed to prepare your estate, why would you wait to prepare your soul?

6. Hope in Christ is proper reaction to God’s grace – “For the wife stands there mourning, when she ought to rejoice; the children weeping, when they ought to be glad together; the sick man himself lies there in darkness, and surrounded by noise and tumult, when he ought to be keeping high festival; full of exceeding despondency at the thought lf leaving his children orphans, his wife a widow, his douse desolate. Is this a state in which to draw near unto mysteries? Answer me; is this a state in which to approach the sacred table? Are such scenes to be tolerated? Should the Emperor send letters and release from prisoners in the jails, there is joy and gladness: God sends down the Holy Spirit from heaven to remit not rears of money, but a whole mass of sins, and do you all bewail and lament? Why, how grossly unsuitable is this!” 

Life Application – Grace does not come immediately but to those who wait. The Apostles had to wait. Saint Paul (as we will see later) had to wait. Jesus builds the desire for the Holy Spirit by having the Apostles wait. How do we build our desire? FASTING. SO….when the Apostles commanded fasting every Wednesday and Friday, they were trying to build up a desire for Christ?