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August 13 - Acts 1 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Wednesday, it's the 13th of
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  August and you have tapped on play and you and I, we are going
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  to open up a new book of the Word today.
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  We are going to open up the book of Acts, this incredible
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  narrative which covers this amazing story which begins with
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  this group of scared disciples farewelling their Saviour, not
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  understanding what to do next, going into hiding.
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  Following that story all the way through the birth of the church,
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  led by these incredible apostles, grown by Jesus and his
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  Spirit, all the way to the heart of the world in Rome.
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  And from there it can go out to all places.
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  Wow, what a story wrapped up in this incredible book.
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  This book written by our mate Luke, this physician who writes
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  this as the second half of his writing.
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  The first half being the Gospel of Luke, which then follows on
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  very nicely with this story of the growth of the church.
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  And it begins by him writing to his friends to explain to his
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  friend all the things that have happened so that he can know and
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  understand that actually there's faith in Jesus.
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  He's not just something for that handpicked group of Jews, but
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  it's for everyone, including you, friends and me.
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  Exactly. So literally, this is a book
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  written for us so that we can know that this movement of Jesus
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  taking over the world is where we ought to be as disciples and
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  followers of Him. So let us begin this journey
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  together as we open up and read together.
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  Acts chapter 1. In my first book, I told you
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  Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach
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  until the day he was taken up into heaven after giving his
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  chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy
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  Spirit. During the 40 days after he
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  suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to
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  time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually
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  alive, and he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
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  Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, do not
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  leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised.
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  As I told you before, John baptised with water, but in just
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  a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.
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  So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him,
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  Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our
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  Kingdom? He replied.
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  The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and
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  times, and they are not for you to know.
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  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
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  and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me
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  everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria,
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  and to the ends of the earth. After this He was taken up into
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  a cloud while they were watching, and they could no
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  longer see him. As they strained to see him
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  rising into heaven, 2 white robe men suddenly stood among them,
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  men of Galilee. They said, Why are you standing
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  here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you
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  into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same
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  way you saw him go. Then the apostles returned to
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  Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a
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  mile. When they arrived, they went to
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  the upstairs room of the house they were staying.
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  Here are the names of those who were present, Peter, John,
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  James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son
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  of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
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  They all met together and were constantly united in prayer
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  along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, several other women, and
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  the brothers of Jesus. During this time, when about 120
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  believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and
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  addressed them. Brothers, he said the Scriptures
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  had to be fulfilled. Concerning Judas who guided
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  those who arrested Jesus, this was predicted long ago by the
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  Holy Spirit speaking through King David.
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  Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.
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  Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his
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  treachery, falling head first. There his body split open,
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  spilling out all his intestines. The news of his death spread to
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  all the people of Jerusalem and they gave the place the Aramaic
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  name Akeldamar, which means field of blood.
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  Peter continued. This was written in the book of
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  Psalms where it says let his home become desolate with no one
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  living in it. It also says let someone else
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  take his position. So now we must choose a
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  replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the
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  entire time we were travelling with the Lord Jesus, from the
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  time he was baptised by John until the day he was taken from
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  us. Whoever is chosen will join us
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  as a witness of Jesus resurrection.
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  So they nominated 2 men Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as
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  Justice and Matthias. Then they all prayed.
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  O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you
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  have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry,
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  for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.
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  Then they cast lots and Matthias was selected to become an
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  apostle with the other 11. Oh Jesus, this is your story.
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  This is your story. Not the story of a group of men
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  and women who went about sharing your word, but the story of you
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  and your Spirit inspiring people to come to faith in you and
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  believe in you as their own Lord and Saviour Jesus, you were
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  active then, as you continue to be active now, moving us in our
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  lives and in the lives of our churches and our communities.
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  Our Lord, I pray that we always remember that you are at the
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  heart of all we do and that you empower us and that you equip us
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  and that you protect us. You lead us and you go before
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  us. Jesus, all glory to you, all
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  praise to you and all honour to you, our wonderful Saviour.
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  King, we do worship you and once again we commit ourselves and
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  our journeys that they would be in service of you.
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  Just as Matthias was voted as a witness to your resurrection,
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  that we too might be witnesses to your resurrection in our
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  lives, with the light of you and your life shining out of us, so
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  the people look at us with wonder, wanting to know what it
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  is about us and that we can point to you, our wonderful,
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  wonderful Saviour. We pray all of this in your
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  name, Jesus, Amen.