Aug 22, 2025 Gratitude for An Often-Overlooked Chapter of Acts – Words of Grace Blog – August 22, 2025
It’s common for people to think that the book of Acts begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which is recorded in Acts 2. The first chapter of Acts is often overlooked. But by slowing down and taking a closer look at Acts 1, we grow in our gratitude for the way Christ loved his church and prepared his apostles for their ministry.
What Jesus did with the apostles in the days leading up to Pentecost was for the establishment of “the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)” and is the foundation of our faith today.
Acts 1 shows the patience of Jesus with the apostles. He spent forty days with them proving he was alive. We would think that one sighting of the resurrected Jesus would be enough. But Jesus knows we are quick to question and slow to believe things that we have never seen before. “By many proofs he presented himself alive to them.” He patiently appeared over these days to many others so there would be enough witnesses to confirm his resurrection. This is our assurance that Jesus is alive.
Then there was the patience and intentionality of Jesus’ teaching. The apostles would receive, guard, and pass on all that Jesus did and taught while on earth. Jesus did not write books. He spoke, over and over, to his apostles so they could ask questions and get clarification. He verbally commanded them and gave them promises. He said he would give them the Holy Spirit to help them remember his word. We have the New Testament because Jesus revealed himself to them.
In Acts 1, Jesus cast the vision of the kingdom of God and gave the mission of world evangelization and discipleship to the apostles. This is still our vision and mission today.
He guided the apostles to replace Judas with Matthias, thus restoring the leadership for his new people and completing the witness to the resurrection. The church today is built on the foundation of the apostles, with Jesus as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
Why did Jesus do all of this with the apostles before Pentecost? Because he loves his church. The love of Christ Jesus for his church is behind the patient and persistent preparation of the apostles. He wants his church to have the assurances of his resurrection and return, to feed on his truth, to face tribulation and persecution with faith and not fear, and to carry on the mission until he brings it to completion.
See in Acts 1 the love of Jesus Christ for his church, for our congregation, and for you and me. He died for our sins and was raised for our life. And he prepared for our faith just before he sent his Spirit. By his Spirit, Jesus continues his work in and through us today. Jesus loves us this we know.
This Sunday at Grace Community Church we’ll take another look at this often-overlooked chapter in Acts.
-Scott