The Kingdom's Engine Room Text: Acts 1:1-8
Introduction: The Great Hand-Off
The book of Acts is not the second chapter of a new story. It is the second volume of the same story that began in the Gospel of Luke. Dr. Luke, a meticulous historian, is writing to his patron Theophilus, and he makes it clear that his first volume was about everything Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is potent and unavoidable: this second volume, the book of Acts, is about what Jesus continues to do and teach, now from His throne in heaven, through His body on earth, by the power of His Spirit.
We live in an age that is deeply confused about the church's mission. On the one hand, we have a dry, formalistic brand of Christianity that has the right doctrines on paper but operates entirely on the steam of its own programs, committees, and budgets. It is institutionalism without ignition. On the other hand, we have a wild-eyed charismaticism that seeks the power of the Spirit for personal thrills, emotional highs, and experiences that are untethered from the mission Christ actually gave us. It is ignition without a chassis.
The book of Acts corrects both errors. It is the divine record of the great hand-off, the moment when the ascended King commissions and empowers His church to carry on His work. This is not the story of how the apostles started their own thing. It is the story of how King Jesus unleashed His kingdom on the world. These first eight verses are the final briefing in the heavenly war room before the invasion begins. The strategy is laid out, the power source is identified, and the scope of the victory is declared. If we want to understand our own marching orders today, we must begin here.
The Text
The first account, O Theophilus, I composed, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over forty days and speaking about the things concerning the kingdom of God. And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” But He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to THE END OF THE EARTH.”
(Acts 1:1-8 LSB)
The Unfinished Work (v. 1-3)
Luke begins by anchoring his second volume firmly in his first.
"The first account, O Theophilus, I composed, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over forty days and speaking about the things concerning the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:1-3)
The key word here is "began." The earthly ministry of Jesus was the beginning, not the end. The ascension was not a retirement; it was a coronation and a deployment. Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father to govern the universe and to direct the campaign of His church from the throne. The church is not Plan B. The church is the designated instrument through which the exalted Christ continues His work of teaching the nations and discipling them.
Notice that even Jesus' orders were given "by the Holy Spirit." The Son, in His earthly ministry, modeled a perfect dependence on the Spirit. He shows us the pattern. The work of the kingdom is a Trinitarian work. The Father plans it, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit empowers it. We are not called to do anything in our own strength, and Jesus never did.
And what is the foundation of this entire enterprise? It is the bedrock historical fact of the resurrection. Luke, the physician and historian, emphasizes that Jesus presented Himself alive by "many convincing proofs." The Greek word is tekmeriois, which means demonstrable, irrefutable evidence. This is not a matter of private feelings or subjective faith. The Christian faith stands or falls on a historical event: a dead man got up and walked out of his tomb, and then spent forty days eating, drinking, and teaching His disciples. If that did not happen, then we are, as Paul says, of all men most to be pitied. But it did happen. And because it happened, everything has changed. For those forty days, Jesus gave His disciples an intensive graduate-level seminar on one subject: "the things concerning the kingdom of God." This is the central theme. The gospel is not a ticket to heaven to escape the world; it is the announcement that the rightful King has taken His throne and is now in the business of reclaiming every inch of His world.
The Divine Command to Wait (v. 4-5)
Given the world-conquering mission, we would expect the first command to be "Go!" But it is not. It is "Wait."
"And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, 'Which,' He said, 'you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" (Acts 1:4-5 LSB)
This is profoundly offensive to our modern, activist sensibilities. We think that if something needs doing, we should form a committee, draft a strategic plan, and get busy. But Jesus commands His top leadership to sit still. He locks them down in Jerusalem and tells them to do nothing until the power arrives. Why? Because the mission He has given them is utterly impossible in human strength. Attempting the Great Commission without the power of the Holy Spirit is like trying to launch a rocket with a book of matches. You will get a lot of smoke and fizzle, but you will never achieve orbit.
This power is "the promise of the Father," foretold by the prophets for centuries. This is the New Covenant coming into its full operational reality. Jesus draws a sharp contrast. John's baptism was with water, a preparatory rite of repentance. But this baptism will be with the Holy Spirit Himself. This is not a second blessing for a spiritual elite. This is the standard-issue equipment for every New Covenant soldier. To be "baptized" means to be immersed, saturated, and overwhelmed. Jesus is promising to plunge His church into the very power and presence of the living God.
The Divine Correction and Commission (v. 6-8)
The disciples, hearing about the restoration of the kingdom, immediately revert to their old, cramped, political categories.
"So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' But He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by His own authority;'" (Acts 1:6-7 LSB)
They are still thinking about a geopolitical kingdom, a restored nation-state of Israel free from Roman rule. Their question is all about the timetable: "Is it at this time?" Jesus' answer is a gentle but firm course correction. He does not deny that the kingdom will be restored to Israel, in its proper fulfillment. But He rebukes their obsession with the "times or seasons." Eschatological date-setting is a distraction. The Father is in charge of the calendar. The church's job is not to be prophecy-chart hobbyists, but rather to be obedient witnesses. Trying to decode God's secret timetable is not our business. Our business is the public proclamation of the King.
And so, Jesus pivots from their distracting question to His glorious commission.
"'but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to THE END OF THE EARTH.'" (Acts 1:8 LSB)
This is the thesis statement for the entire book of Acts. Stop worrying about the "when" and focus on the "what." And the "what" is power. The Greek is dunamis, from which we get our word dynamite. This is not political influence or military might. This is explosive, world-altering, spiritual power. And what is this power for? It is not for personal edification or private mystical experiences. The power is for a task: "you shall be My witnesses." A witness is someone who testifies to what he has seen and heard. They had seen the resurrected Christ. Their job was to tell the world about that objective, historical fact.
Then He gives them the map. The mission will advance in concentric circles, rippling out from their starting point. It begins at home, in "Jerusalem." It expands to the surrounding region of their own people, "in all Judea." It then crosses ethnic and historical barriers to their despised half-breed neighbors, "in Samaria." And it does not stop until it has reached its ultimate goal: "the end of the earth." This is not a blueprint for a cowering, defeated church, hiding in a holy huddle and waiting for the rapture. This is a battle plan for global conquest. The gospel is an invasive force. It is designed to go out, to advance, to conquer, and to win. The kingdom of God will grow from a mustard seed into a great tree that fills the whole earth. This verse is the guarantee of that victory.
Conclusion: Our Marching Orders
The commission given to the apostles is the same commission given to us. The power promised to them is the same power promised to us. The Spirit who fell at Pentecost is the same Spirit who indwells every believer today.
We must therefore ask ourselves if we are operating according to Christ's strategy. Are we waiting on His power, or are we running ahead in the flesh, armed with our own cleverness and marketing schemes? Are we distracted by questions of "times and seasons," endlessly debating the eschatological furniture while the house is on fire? Or are we focused on the central task of being witnesses?
A witness testifies to the truth. The truth is that Jesus Christ suffered, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. He ascended to heaven and is now seated as the Lord of all creation. He commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in Him. This is the message. The power is the Holy Spirit. The mission field is the entire world, starting with our own Jerusalem.
Christ did not leave us as orphans, and He did not leave us as impotent activists. He left us with a mission, a map, and a motor. The engine of the Great Commission is the Holy Spirit. Our task is to turn the key, press the accelerator, and bear witness to our victorious King until He has put every one of His enemies under His feet.