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ACTS 1
Subject:
The Propagation of the Resurrected Christ
in His Ascension, by the Spirit, through the Disciples,
for the Producing of the Churches The Kingdom of God
I. Introduction

The former account I have made, O Theophilus, concerning all the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
Until the day on which He was taken up, after He had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He chose;

II. The Preparation
A. Christ’s Preparation
1. Speaking to the Disciples the Things
concerning the Kingdom of God

To whom also He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

2. Charging Them
to Wait for the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit

And as He met together with them, He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, You heard from Me;
For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
So the ones who came together asked Him, saying, Lord, are You at this time 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 shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

B. Christ’s Ascension

And when He had said these things, while they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him away from their sight.
And while they were looking intently into heaven as He went, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them,
Who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you beheld Him going into heaven.

C. The Disciples’ Preparation
1. Persevering in Prayer

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away.
And when they entered, they went up to the upper room where they were residing, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the brother of James.
These all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

2. Choosing Matthias

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and said (there was a group of persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty),
Men, brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who seized Jesus;
For he was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry.
(Now this man acquired a piece of land with the wages of unrighteousness; and falling headlong, he burst in the middle, and all his inward parts gushed out.
And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, so that that piece of land was called in their own dialect, Akeldamach, that is, Field of Blood.)
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation become desolate, and let no one dwell in it; and, His overseership let another take.
It is necessary therefore that of the men who accompanied us all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
Beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which He was taken up from us, one of these should become a witness of His resurrection with us.
And they proposed two, Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed and said, You Lord, Knower of the hearts of all, show us clearly the one whom You have chosen of these two
To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.
And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was counted with the eleven apostles.