Acts 1 - Expect the unexpected

Life may not turn our the way you expect, but it will turn out the way God's promised.

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Acts 1 Summary

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel, and Luke picks up right where he left off.

The disciples, eager to resume the mission that seemed shattered when Jesus was killed, are surprised to instead see Jesus floating up into heaven.

Immediately angels inform the disciples that Jesus will return, and it becomes clear to them that their mission isn't "restoring the kingdom to Israel (v6)," but is building up Christ's church "in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The first thing they do as they begin this mission is have a meeting (of course) and choose a replacement for the traitor Judas.

Dig Deeper

Matthias is the one chosen to become an official apostle. Two things stand out about his selection.

First, notice that the prayer prior to selecting the lot is a AAA prayer:

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all"
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: "show which one of these two you have chosen"
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: "show which one [will] take the place in this ministry and apostleship."

Remember, your prayers don't need to be long and complicated. The most powerful prayers in the Bible are often the shortest.

Second, this is both the first time and the last time you'll read Matthias name in the Bible.

It seems clear that Matthias demonstrated great faithfulness as one who followed Jesus from the earliest days of His ministry, even though he wasn't a member of the inner core. He likely did a great job fulfilling his duties as an apostle, but nothing more is recorded about him. The specific things he did as an apostle has been long forgotten.

The work you do for the Kingdom may often go unnoticed, but know that even so, the effects of the work you do will last for an eternity.