Acts 1-5 Jesus Christ directs His Church through the Holy Ghost.
READ Why Study Acts?...in Additional Resources
A principal theme of the book of Acts is the growth of the Church through the preaching of God’s word. As recorded in Acts 1:8, the resurrected Savior foretold the progress of apostolic missionary work. The work began in Jerusalem.
READ Acts 1:8
READ How did the Apostles’ mission change…in Add’l Res
For 40 days following His Resurrection, Jesus Christ ministered to His disciples. He ascended into heaven, promising to return in the latter days in like manner. By inspiration, the Apostles called Matthias to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost. Six weeks following the Crucifixion, Peter boldly testified in Jerusalem of the resurrected Savior. About three thousand souls were converted.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that the book of Acts teaches how the resurrected Lord directs authorized ministers of the Church on the earth through the ministration of the Holy Ghost: “A more complete title for the book of Acts could appropriately be something like ‘The Acts of the Resurrected Christ Working through the Holy Spirit in the Lives and Ministries of His Ordained Apostles.’ … Listen to Luke’s opening lines. That is exactly what he said.
READ Acts 1:1-2
Elder Holland (continues) “The direction of the Church is the same.
The location of the Savior has been altered, but the direction and leadership
of the Church is exactly the same….The first teaching in the book of Acts from the resurrected Christ to the Twelve is found in Acts 1:5
READ Acts 1:5
Acts 1:8 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 Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:1 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 command- ments 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.
Acts 1:5 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.
28-NT SS Lesson July 3-9, 2023 Acts 1-5 “Ye Shall Be Witnesses unto Me”
The Holy Ghost helped the Apostles lead the Church by: SEARCH Acts 1:1-8 (prior page); 2:37–39; and 4:1–13, 31–33 (below), looking for ways to finish the sentence.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that bought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
-Why did the Apostles need the Holy Ghost—and why do we need Him?
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Acts 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
5 ¶And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
The Apostles of Jesus Christ are called by revelation.
REVIEW Acts 1:15–26
-What steps might a business go through to replace an executive?
-What qualifications might they be looking for?
-How does this contrast with the calling of a new apostle?
READ Peter gets the Church together…in Add’l Res
-What important action did they need to take?
-What is an important difference between us and our Apostles?
READ Why was it important to call…in Add’l Res
-How does God’s method for choosing leaders affect our faith in the leaders He has called?
-How can you gain a witness that today’s apostles and prophets are called by Him.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “When Peter and his associates in the Twelve pondered who might be called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum because of the death of Judas, one essential qualification was “to be a witness with us of His resurrection.” Some might wonder why this was so essential. Great truths are amplified because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ….Given the reality of the Resurrection, doubts about the omnipotence, the omniscience and benevolence of God the Father, --who gave His Only Begotten Son for the redemption of the world-- are groundless. Doubts about the meaning and purpose of life are unfounded. Jesus Christ is in fact the only name or way by which salvation can come to mankind. The grace of Christ is real, affording both forgiveness and cleansing to the repentant sinner.
Faith is truly more than imagination or psychological invention. There is ultimate and universal truth, and there are objective and unchanging moral standards, as taught by Him.” (“Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” 113-14)
Acts 1:15 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 bishopric 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 bfell, 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.
The Holy Ghost inspires us to act on what we learn.
REVIEW Acts 2:37–47
-What is the reaction of the people after they listened to Peter?
READ What does it mean to be pricked…in Add’l Res
-What was Peter’s response?
-What is an “untoward” generation? (v 40)
READ What does the phrase “untoward…in Add’l Res
-How many accepted Peter’s invitation to be baptized?
-Why are the disciples continuously in the temple and partaking of the Sacrament? (v 46)
-How have you made temple attendance a part of your discipleship?
-Why is partaking of the Sacrament important in your life?
“In his sermon to the people, who were obviously touched by his words, and who asked what “shall we do?” Peter responded: Repent and be baptized… ‘In that short interchange were given the the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, namely, faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is these principles and ordinances that are necessary for salvation --by which all men in the flesh will be judged.” (Callister, “Inevitable Apostasy,” 236)
-How do we answer the question in verse 37: “what shall we do?”
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 ¶ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
As we are filled with the Holy Ghost, we can share the gospel with boldness.
REVIEW: Acts 3; 4:1–21; 5:12–42 For examples of Peter preaching boldly.
READ Acts 3:6 Peter’s response to the lame man who asked for money.
READ “Such as I Have Give I Thee”...in Add’l Res
“Peter Preaches and Is Arrested,”
VIEW Acts 3 | Peter Preaches and Is Arrested | The Bible
Peter preaches repentance. He also speaks of the age of restoration preceding the Second Coming. He identifies Christ as the prophet of whom Moses spoke. Peter and John are arrested and brought before the council.
“Peter and John Are Judged,”
VIEW Acts 4 Peter and John are Judged
“Peter and John Continue Preaching the Gospel”
VIEW Acts 5 | Peter and John Continue Preaching the Gospel | The Bible
READ Acts 4:31
-What does it mean to speak “the word of God with boldness”? (Acts 4:31).
-How does the Holy Ghost help us share the gospel boldly? -How is this kind of boldness different from being contentious?
READ Elder Richard G. Scott: Do What is Right…in Add’l Res
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Peter lifted a man who could not walk, by Robert T. Barrett
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
LAST WORDS: As the Apostles ministered with the power of God and multitudes of people joined the Church, the Jewish leaders once again tried to stop the Church’s progress by putting Peter and John in prison. They had been arrested and cast in jail for teaching in the temple. That night an angel freed them and told them to go back to the temple and preach. Hearing that Peter and John were again in the temple the leaders sent men to see if they were still in jail. The men came back and said that while the prison doors were shut with the jailers standing by, but when they opened the door, no one was there.
When asked why they did not obey the command not to preach, Peter and John replied: “We ought to obey God rather than
men.The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.” (Acts 5:29-33)
Their lives were likely saved by Gamaliel:
Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space (Acts 5:34)
Gamaliel was a member of the Sanhedrin and a distinguished scholar of Jewish law. Paul was tutored by this famous master of the law (see Acts 22:3). Gamaliel had a reputation for being tolerant and kind, relaxing the standards of the Sabbath observance so they were not so rigorous and encouraging more humane treatment of women in divorce laws. His wise counsel likely saved the lives of the Apostles [Peter and John], who had been brought again before the Jewish council after being released from prison by an angel.
In his speech before the Jewish leaders, Gamaliel referred to two historical situations that showed how a movement would fail if the Lord was not with it. In effect, Gamaliel’s counsel was, “Let nature take its course. If this movement of Jesus’s followers is of men, it will fail, as did the uprisings of Theudas and Judas. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it” (see Acts 5:35–39). (Institute Manual, Acts 5)
But that day the Lord was with Peter and John. Their lives were spared. And He is with us today, and will assist us as we fulfill our calling to “be witnesses unto Him.” Like the Apostles here, we also will have our challenges and face opposition. That is simply a result of being a disciple of Christ. May we do those things He asks of us is my hope and prayer.
Tuesday is INDEPENDENCE DAY. For my nieces and nephews, and other family members I have prepared a short presentation named “My Thoughts On Our Country,” which I am including with this emailed lesson, it is not on the Gayton ward website. It points out the Lord’s role in its establishment. I am willing to send it to anyone that would like a copy. I am proud of my country and my church membership
Greg
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Why Study Acts:The Acts of the Apostles forms an important bridge between the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the writings and labors of His Apostles. The book of Acts provides us with our principal view of the Church of Jesus Christ during its formative years. In it we see the members and leaders of the infant Church working to overcome the problems encountered when the teachings of Jesus Christ came in conflict with Jewish traditions and Gentile influences. Unlike the four Gospels, which share a large amount of similar content, the book of Acts stands relatively alone; without it, the only information we would have about the early history of the Church would be the small amount provided by the New Testament epistles. In addition, Acts provides valuable historical context for the epistles of Paul.
Internal and external evidence indicate that Luke is the author of the Acts of the Apostles and that he wrote Acts as a companion work, or sequel, to accompany his Gospel. (Institute Manual, Chapter 29, Acts 1-2)
How did the Apostles’ mission change after the Savior’s Resurrection? “During Christ’s lifetime, the spreading of the gospel was focused on the House of Israel, and consequently most of the events occurred in Judea and Galilee. In Acts, however, the commission was to minister to scattered Israel and to spread the gospel throughout the Romans Empire and beyond. This expansion was not without its difficulties. Long, dangerous travels, persecutions, issues of Church policy, incorporation of foreigners, and maintaining distant congregations challenged the Apostles as they sought to fulfill their commission to carry the gospel message to the nations.” (Ludlow, “Book of Acts,” 2)
Peter gets the Church together “After [Jesus] ascends to heaven before their very eyes, Peter gets the Church together—all one hundred and twenty of them. Can you see what an impact the troubles and the Crucifixion and the opposition had had on them? One hundred and twenty people gather and Peter says, ‘Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas’ (v. 16; italics added). In filling Judas’s vacancy in the Twelve, they prayed exactly the way the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency pray today: ‘Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these … thou hast chosen’ (v. 24; italics added). … And Matthias was called.
“But that first chapter of turning heavenward, so clearly marking the divine guidance that would continue to direct the Church, is only a warm-up to chapter 2” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Therefore, What?” [Church Educational System conference on the New Testament, Aug. 8, 2000], 6).
Why was it important to call as a new apostle someone who had witnessed the Savior’s mortal ministry? Though neither “Joseph called Barsabas, who is surnamed Justus” nor Matthias is mentioned again in the story of the Apostles in Acts, both men clearly measured up to Peter’s qualifications of one who was eligible to replace Judas. From the time of the baptism of John all the way to Jesus’s ascension, these two faithful men had accompanied the Apostles through Jesus’s ministry. Now one would be privileged to be ordained to be a witness with the other Apostles of Jesus’ resurrection. According to tradition, Matthias preached the gospel and was martyred in Ethiopia. (LDS Bible Dictionary, “Mathias.”)
“The implications of these requirements imply a special witness, which can be gleaned from the phrase ‘with us,’ in the sense of ‘like us.’ That the individual must be a follower of Jesus from the days of John the Baptist [and that the individual would need to be ‘ordained to be witness with us of His resurrection’] would severely limit the number of potential candidates, and by the end of the first century all potential candidates would have passed on”….[However] since “Jesus had called and trained special witnesses would suggest that he intended to have such in every dispensation.” (Holzapfel and Wayment, “Making Sense of the New Testament, 274)
President Howard W. Hunter: “Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles--but saying and miracles with no ultimate triumph….
“The witnesses of this wonderful occurrence cannot be impeached.
“Among the chosen witnesses are the Lord’s Apostles. Indeed, the call to the holy apostleship is one of bearing witness to the world of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (“An Apostle’s Witness of the Resurrection,” 16)
What does it mean to be pricked in their hearts?
The crowd of people who heard Peter were “pricked in their heart” (Acts 2:37), meaning that Peter’s words had “pierced” them, bringing grief and remorse. As the people came to the terrible realization that they had crucified their Messiah, they may have feared that they had lost hope of salvation. Thus, they cried out to the Apostles in anguish, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Calling the Apostles their “brethren” implies that they were already persuaded in their hearts of their need to repent and have faith in the Savior. (Institute Manual, Acts 2:37)
What does the phrase “untoward generation” mean? “Peter admonished the Jews to be saved from this “untoward generation,’ meaning the ‘crooked’ people around them who were rebelling against God (v 40). This is an admonition that could apply in our day as well. About 3000 people who heard Peter’s message were converted and received the ordinance of baptism.” (NT Student Manual, 281)
“Such as I Have Give I Thee” Though the lame man at the gate of the temple was begging for money, Peter gave him something much more valuable. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, while he was serving as dean of religious instruction at Brigham Young University, explained: “Peter had no money but he had riches: ‘such as he had’ included every key to the kingdom of God on earth, priesthood power to raise the dead, faith to strengthen bones and sinews, a strong right hand of Christian fellowship. He could not give silver or gold but he could give that which is always purchased ‘without money and without price’ (Isa. 55:1)—and he gave it” (“The Lengthening Shadow of Peter,” Ensign, Sept. 1975, 30).
Elder Richard G. Scott gave the following reassurance to those who do what is right despite pressures to choose otherwise: “Do what is right even though it seems you will be alone in so doing, that you are going to lose friends, that you will be criticized. What you will find is that by doing what is right, after a period of testing, the finest friends will be discovered and you can mutually support each other in your resolve to be obedient to all of the commandments of the Lord. I have never been sorry on any occasion that I stood for what was right even against severe criticism. You will learn that truth. You will also discover that when you have taken a determined stand for right, when you have established personal standards and made covenants to keep them, when temptations come and you act according to your standards, you will be reinforced and given strength beyond your own capacity, if that is needed” (“Do What Is Right” [address given at Brigham Young University, Mar. 3, 1996], 5; speeches.byu.edu).