Acts 1:1 _(with Luke 24:15)_ Ascension Day I. It is quite necessary to seize firmly and hold fast by this thought, that the acts of Apostles and all subsequent acts of their true successors, are, as Bengel says, a continuation of Christ's own history, if we would understand St. Luke's opening sec... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 1:5 I. What is the baptism of the Holy Ghost? We are told that with an invisible power the Spirit should come down and rest upon the heart, cleansing and purifying the whole man, so that it can be said, "If any man is in Christ he is a new creature." This change is mysterious and in some respe... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 1:6 The extent and the nature of the intercourse of the risen Lord with His disciples must ever be of the deepest interest to the Church. He was not in those forty days quite as He had been before. His theme was the same, but the tense was different. He could not now talk of His decease as a fu... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 1:9 Consider the obvious lessons which result at once from Christ's Ascension I. The first is heavenly-mindedness. He went but as the great forerunner of His people, and we must follow Him in His course; where the Head is, there should the members be; and our treasure, our life, our affection... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 1:16 The Subserviency of Crime to the Purposes of God We are so accustomed to view the traitor Judas with indignation and denounce him for his crime and treachery, that we are apt to overlook the important ends which, as overruled by God, are eventually subserved. I. As an attestation of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 1:21 The Christian Ministry I. Consider what may be gathered, in regard to the office and qualifications of an Apostle, from that portion of Scripture brought before you by the services of the day. You will observe that St. Peter defines the office as that of being a witness to the resurrecti... [ Continue Reading ]