Acts 1: Waiting and the Promise of the Spirit
Jesus ascends to heaven and tells his followers to wait for the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1 (WEB)
1 The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
2 until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3 To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom.
4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.
5 For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,
11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
13 When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
14 All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
15 In these days, Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said,
16 “Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus.
17 For he was counted with us, and received his portion in this ministry.
18 Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out.
19 It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called ‘Akeldama,’ that is, ‘The field of blood.’
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell therein;’ and, ‘Let another take his office.’
21 “Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
24 They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen
25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
26 They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1 (KJV)
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1 (ASV)
1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
2 until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God:
4 and, being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, [said he], ye heard from me:
5 For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.
6 They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority.
8 But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey off.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both 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 son] of James.
14 These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and said (and there was a multitude of persons [gathered] together, about a hundred and twenty),
16 Brethren, it was needful that the Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry.
18 (Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.)
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be made desolate, And let no man dwell therein: and, His office let another take.
21 Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show of these two the one whom thou hast chosen,
25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave lots for them; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Summary
Acts opens by picking up where Luke's Gospel ends, recalling Jesus' final days with his followers after the resurrection. Over forty days he teaches about the kingdom of God and promises that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. After commissioning them to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth,” Jesus is taken up into heaven, and two messengers promise that he will one day return. The believers gather in Jerusalem to pray and, led by Peter, choose Matthias to take Judas's place among the twelve apostles.
Main Characters
- Jesus — The risen Lord who teaches and commissions his followers before ascending to heaven.
- The apostles — Jesus' core followers, gathered in Jerusalem to wait and pray together.
- Peter — The leader who guides the believers in choosing a replacement for Judas.
- Matthias — The disciple chosen to join the eleven and complete the twelve apostles.
- Judas Iscariot — The betrayer whose place among the twelve now needs to be filled.
Key Verse
Acts 1:8 (WEB)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
Lessons Learned
- Meaningful spiritual work often begins with waiting on God rather than rushing ahead in our own strength.
- Jesus' mission is global — his followers are called to be witnesses far beyond their own community.
- Prayer and unity prepared the early believers for what God was about to do.
- God can restore and reorder a community even after betrayal and loss.
- Obedience precedes empowerment. Jesus commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem before he sent the Holy Spirit — faithful obedience to a specific instruction created the conditions for God's power to arrive (Acts 1:4–5, WEB).
- God's timeline is his own authority to set. When the disciples pressed Jesus about when the kingdom would be restored, he redirected them away from speculation and toward present faithfulness, reminding us that trusting God's sovereign schedule is itself an act of discipleship (Acts 1:7, WEB).
- Witness flows outward in expanding circles. The commission in Acts 1:8 moves from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria to the uttermost parts of the earth, teaching that genuine witness begins locally and keeps reaching wider rather than staying contained.
- Community and prayer are the soil of mission. Before any outward action, the 120 believers gathered with one accord in sustained prayer — corporate, expectant waiting is not passive but formative preparation for what God intends to do next (Acts 1:14, WEB).
- Scripture guides the community's decisions. Peter grounded the choice of a new apostle in fulfilled prophecy from the Psalms, showing that the community measured its actions against God's word rather than circumstance alone (Acts 1:16, 20, WEB).
- Broken places in a community can be restored through discernment and prayer. The gap left by Judas was met not with panic but with prayerful, criteria-based selection — grief and loss do not have to be the final word when a community turns to God together (Acts 1:24–26, WEB).
- Why do you think Jesus told the disciples to wait rather than act right away?
- What does it mean to be a “witness” to Jesus in your own setting today?
- How does the promise of the Holy Spirit shape the way the disciples face an uncertain future?
- The believers devoted themselves to prayer while they waited — how do you stay grounded in seasons of uncertainty?
- What stands out to you about how the community handled the gap left by Judas?
- Jesus told them to wait because the empowering gift — the Holy Spirit — had not yet come. Acting in their own strength before that moment would have meant going without the very resource they needed. He was specific: stay in Jerusalem, and the promise of the Father would arrive (Acts 1:4–5, WEB). The wait was not delay for its own sake but a deliberate ordering of obedience before action.
- This is a personal/application question. Look for responses that move from the abstract to the concrete — participants describing a specific relationship, workplace, neighborhood, or platform where they can bear witness. A useful follow-up: "What would it cost you, practically, to be a witness in that setting?" Relevant text: Acts 1:8 (WEB), where "Jerusalem" implies starting where you already are.
- The Holy Spirit's coming was promised as power for mission, not merely comfort in hardship — it reframed the disciples' uncertain future as a future with divine resources attached to it (Acts 1:8, WEB). Rather than facing the unknown alone, they could face it as those who had been equipped. This is partly observational and partly reflective; encourage participants to name what "power for an uncertain future" looks like in their own experience.
- This is a personal/application question. The passage grounds the answer in Acts 1:14 (WEB): the believers stayed together, prayed together, and remained united in purpose. Listen for whether participants' answers include a communal or relational element — staying grounded in uncertainty is rarely a solo discipline. A gentle prompt: "Is there someone you pray with when things are uncertain?"
- This is a reflective/application question. Textually, the community's response was ordered and prayerful: they named clear criteria for the replacement (someone who had been with Jesus from John's baptism through the resurrection), put forward two qualified candidates, prayed for discernment, and trusted the outcome to God (Acts 1:21–26, WEB). Encourage participants to notice what the community did not do — they did not ignore the vacancy, nor did they rush to fill it without prayer and discernment.