The Disciples’ Mission

Monday, July 2

Read Acts 1:8. Instead of indulging in prophetic speculations, what were the disciples expected to do?

There are four important elements in this passage concerning the disciples’ mission:

The gift of the Spirit. The Spirit had always been active among God’s people. According to the prophets, however, there would be a special endowment of the Spirit in the future (Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28, 29). As Jesus Himself was anointed with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit was already at work during the time of His ministry (Luke 4:18-21) but officially was not inaugurated until Christ’s exaltation in heaven (John 7:39, Acts 2:33).

The role of witness. A witness is a firsthand account. The disciples were fully qualified to give such a witness (Acts 1:21, 22; 4:20; compare with 1 John 1:1-3) and were now commissioned to share with the world their unique experience with Jesus.

The plan of the mission. The disciples were to witness first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. It was a progressive plan. Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life, the place where Jesus had been condemned and crucified. Judea and Samaria were neighboring areas where Jesus also had ministered. The disciples, however, were not to limit themselves to this locale alone. The scope of their mission was worldwide.

The orientation of the mission. In Old Testament times, it was the nations that should be attracted to God (see Isaiah 2:1-5), not Israel that should “take” God to the nations. The few exceptions (for example, Jonah) do not invalidate the general rule. Now the strategy was different. Jerusalem was still the center, but rather than staying and building roots there, the disciples were expected to move out to the uttermost ends of the earth.

Read Luke 24:44-48. What was the core message that the disciples should preach?

In the forty days He spent with the disciples after the resurrection (Acts 1:3), Jesus must have explained much truth to them about the kingdom of God, even if there was still much they didn’t understand, as their question in Acts 1:6 showed. They were familiar with the prophecies but could now see them in a new light, a light shed from the Cross and the empty tomb (see Acts 3:17-19).

Sereis Minhas Testemunhas - Comentário

A Restauração de Israel

Domingo, 01 de Julho

Existem dois tipos de profecias messiânicas no Antigo Testamento: o primeiro prevê um Messias soberano que governaria para sempre (Salmos 89:3, 4, 35-37; Isaías 9:6, 7; Ezequiel 37:25; Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14); o outro prediz que o Messias morreria pelos pecados do povo (Isaías 52:13–53:12; Daniel 9:26). Estas profecias não se contradizem. Elas apenas apontam para duas fases consecutivas do ministério do Messias: primeiro Ele sofreria, e depois tornar-Se-ia Rei (Lucas 17:24, 25; 24:25, 26).

A expectativa judaica no 1º século acerca do Messias, no entanto, era unilateral. A esperança dum Messias soberano, que traria libertação política, acabou obscurecendo a noção dum Messias que sofreria e morreria.

A princípio, os discípulos partilhavam desta esperança dum Messias soberano. Eles acreditavam que Jesus era o Messias (Mateus 16:16, 20) e, às vezes, eram surpreendidos disputando entre si sobre quem se assentaria à Sua esquerda e à Sua direita quando Ele subisse ao trono (Marcos 10:35-37; Lucas 9:46). Apesar das advertências de Jesus sobre o destino que O aguardava, eles simplesmente não conseguiam entender o que Ele queria dizer. Então, quando Ele morreu, ficaram confusos e desanimados, e declararam: “Esperávamos que fosse Ele quem havia de redimir a Israel” (Lucas 24:21).

1. De acordo com Atos 1:6 e 7, o que os discípulos ainda não compreendiam? Como lhes respondeu Jesus? Assinale a alternativa correta:

A.( ) Cristo viria primeiro para morrer. Não lhes competia saber os tempos e as épocas.

B.( ) Cristo estabeleceria o reino de Israel na Sua primeira vinda. Jesus deu-lhes a data em que isso ocorreria.

Se a morte de Jesus representou um golpe fatal à esperança dos discípulos, a Sua ressurreição reacendeu-a, aumentando as suas expectativas políticas, possivelmente a um nível sem precedentes. Parecia natural conceber a ressurreição como um forte indicador de que o reino messiânico seria finalmente estabelecido.

Contudo, Jesus não deu nenhuma resposta direta aos discípulos. Ele não rejeitou a premissa por detrás da pergunta deles a respeito dum reino iminente, mas também não a aceitou. Ele não solucionou a questão, lembrando-lhes de que o tempo das ações de Deus pertence ao próprio Deus e, portanto, é inacessível ao ser humano.

De acordo com Lucas 24:25, qual foi o verdadeiro problema dos discípulos? Porque é fácil acreditar no que desejamos, em vez de crer no que a Bíblia realmente ensina? Como podemos evitar esta armadilha?

“Sereis Minhas Testemunhas”

Lição 1, 30 de Junho a 07 de Julho

Sábado à tarde

VERSO PARA MEMORIZAR: “Recebereis poder, ao descer sobre vós o Espírito Santo, e sereis Minhas testemunhas tanto em Jerusalém como em toda a Judeia e Samaria e até aos confins da Terra.” Atos 1:8

LEITURAS DA SEMANA: Atos 1:6-26; Lucas 24:25, 44-48; Deuteronómio 19:15; Provérbios 16:33

A missão de Jesus na Terra estava concluída. Em breve Deus enviaria o Espírito Santo que, ao confirmar os esforços dos discípulos com muitos sinais e maravilhas, iria capacitá-los e guiá-los numa missão que alcançaria os confins da Terra. Jesus não poderia permanecer com eles para sempre em corpo humano. Não somente a Sua encarnação Lhe impunha uma limitação física no contexto de uma missão mundial, mas também a Sua ascensão e exaltação no Céu seriam necessárias para que o Espírito viesse.

Até a ressurreição de Jesus, no entanto, os discípulos não entendiam claramente nenhuma destas coisas. Quando deixaram tudo para segui-Lo, eles acreditavam que Ele era um libertador político que um dia expulsaria os romanos do país, restabeleceria a dinastia de Davi e restauraria Israel à sua glória passada. Para eles, era difícil pensar de maneira diferente.

Este é o assunto principal das instruções finais de Jesus aos discípulos em Atos 1. A promessa do Espírito ocorre neste contexto. O capítulo também descreve o retorno de Cristo ao Céu e como a igreja primitiva se preparou para o Pentecostes.

The Restoration of Israel

Sunday, July 1

There are two kinds of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, one that anticipates a kingly Messiah who would rule forever (Psalms 89:3, 4, 35-37; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Ezekiel 37:25; Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14), and one that predicts that the Messiah would die for the sins of the people (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Daniel 9:26). Such prophecies do not contradict each other. They just point to two consecutive phases of the Messiah’s ministry: first He would suffer, and then become King (Luke 17:24, 25; 24:25, 26).

The problem with first-century Jewish Messianic expectation, however, was that it was one-sided. The hope of a kingly Messiah who would bring political deliverance obscured the notion of a Messiah who would suffer and die.

At first, the disciples shared this hope of a kingly Messiah. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16:16, 20) and were sometimes caught bickering among themselves about who would sit on either side of Him when He was enthroned (Mark 10:35-37, Luke 9:46). Despite Jesus’ warnings about the fate that awaited Him, they simply could not understand what He meant. So, when He died, they became confused and discouraged. In their own words, “We had hoped that [H]e was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21, NIV).

Read Acts 1:6. What does this question say about what they still didn’t understand? In Acts 1:7, how did Jesus answer them?

If Jesus’ death represented a fatal blow to the disciples’ hope, the resurrection revived it, raising their political expectations perhaps to an unprecedented level. It seemed natural to conceive of the resurrection as a strong indicator that the Messianic kingdom would finally be established.

In His reply to their question, however, Jesus gave no direct answer. He did not reject the premise behind the disciples’ question of an imminent kingdom, but neither did He accept it. He left the issue unsettled, while He reminded them that the timing of God’s actions belongs to God Himself, and as such it is inaccessible to humans.

According to Luke 24:25, what was the real problem of the disciples? Why is it easy to believe what we want to believe, as opposed to what the Bible really teaches? How can we avoid this trap?

You Will Be My Witnesses

Lesson 1June 30-July 6

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 1:6-8, Luke 24:25, Luke 24:44-48, Deuteronomy 19:15, Acts 1:9-26, Proverbs 16:33.

Memory Text: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NRSV).

Jesus’ mission on earth was finished. God would soon send the Holy Spirit, who—ratifying their efforts with many signs and wonders—would empower and lead the disciples on a mission that would reach the ends of the earth. Jesus could not stay with them forever in human flesh. Not only did His incarnation impose upon Him a physical limitation in the context of a worldwide mission, but His ascension and exaltation in heaven were necessary in order for the Spirit to come.

Until Jesus’ resurrection, however, the disciples did not clearly know these things. When they left everything to follow Him, they believed that He was a political liberator who would one day drive the Romans out of the land, reinstate David’s dynasty, and restore Israel to its past glory. It was not easy for them to think otherwise.

This is the primary issue of Jesus’ final instructions to the disciples in Acts 1. The promise of the Spirit comes in this context. The chapter also describes Jesus’ return to heaven and how the early church prepared itself for Pentecost.

The Book of Acts

The Victory of the Gospel

Many historians believe that the three most crucial decades in world history occurred when a small group of men, mostly Jews under the power of the Holy Spirit, took the gospel to the world. The book of Acts is an account of those three crucial decades, which spanned from the resurrection of Jesus, in A.D. 31, to the end of Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, in A.D. 62 (Acts 28:30). The book must have been written shortly thereafter, for it stops the narrative at that point, though evidence exists that Paul was released from that imprisonment and that he resumed his missionary endeavours, preaching and traveling until he was arrested a few years later and then executed in Rome, in A.D. 67.

The book is silent about its author, but church tradition has always identified him as Luke, “the beloved physician” of Colossians 4:14 and traveling companion of Paul (2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). Luke is also traditionally believed to be the author of our third Gospel, no doubt “the first book” mentioned in Acts 1:1 (compare with Luke 1:3). Both Luke and Acts are twin volumes on the beginnings of Christianity, respectively its origin (Jesus’ life and ministry) and expansion (the apostles’ missionary endeavours).

Together they comprise about 27 percent of the New Testament, the largest contribution of a single author. Writing to the Colossians, Paul refers to Luke as a Gentile coworker, someone who was not “of the circumcision” (Colossians 4:7-14). Luke, then, is the only non-Jewish author of a New Testament book.

This seems to explain one of his main themes: the universality of salvation. God has no favorites. The church is called to witness to all people, irrespective of their race, social class, or gender (Acts 1:8; 2:21, 39, 40; 3:25; 10:28, 34, 35). A failure to do so, whether by prejudice or convenience, is a distortion of the gospel and contrary to the most basic truths of God’s Word. We are, before God, all the same: sinners in need of the redemption found in Christ Jesus.

It is not by chance, then, that Luke’s main hero is Paul, “the apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13, NIV), to whom almost two-thirds of the book of Acts is dedicated.

Other important themes found in Acts include: the sovereignty of God and His divine purpose (Acts 17:24, 25; 20:27; 23:11); the exaltation of Jesus as Lord and Saviour (Acts 2:32, 36; 3:13, 15; 4:10-12; 5:30, 31); and especially the role of the Spirit in empowering and guiding the church for its mission (Acts 2:1-4; 4:24-31; 8:14-17, 29, 39; 10:19, 20). In fact, the achievements of the early church were not the result of human wisdom or ability, though it pleased God to use someone like Paul to impact the world in a way that no other apostle did or perhaps was able to do (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Acts deals with the formative period of the early church, in which there was considerable administrative and even theological growth. We can see this, for example, in the way the church dealt with questions concerning the time of Jesus’ second coming, the status of the Gentiles, and the role of faith for salvation. What the early church was able to accomplish in such a short period of time, however, is a perpetual testimony of what God can do through those who humble their hearts in prayer, live beyond individual differences, and let themselves be used by the Spirit for God’s honor and glory.

Acts is the story of those called of God to start the work; what can we who are called of God to finish it learn from their story?

Wilson Paroschi is a professor of New Testament interpretation at Brazil Adventist University (UNASP), in Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo. He holds a PhD degree in New Testament from Andrews University (2004) and performed post-doctoral studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany (2011).