- Covered In His Dust
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- Acts Chapter One
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
Read Chapter One before reading my notes. They’ll make more sense.
Access previous notes on Acts and Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
Lots to cover in Chapter One, so let’s get going!
Like the Gospel of Luke, Acts is written to someone named Theophilus.
Some experts think he might have been a high-ranking Roman official or a person with significant social status.
The name "Theophilus" means "lover of God" in Greek. Some scholars suggest that it could be symbolic, referring to a wider audience of people who love God or are searching for truth.
until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
When it says Jesus gave commands through the Holy Spirit, it means He was guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit in everything He did and taught. The Holy Spirit gave Him the wisdom, authority, and power to deliver His teachings to His disciples, making sure His commands were divinely inspired and aligned with God's will.
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
How did Jesus prove He was alive?
He appeared to them: Jesus showed up in person multiple times after He rose from the dead, like when He appeared to Mary Magdalene and the disciples.
He let them touch Him: Jesus let His disciples touch His wounds to prove He was real and not a ghost, especially when He invited Thomas to feel His hands and side.
He ate with them: Jesus ate food with His disciples to show He was physically alive, like when He ate fish with them and cooked breakfast by the Sea of Galilee.
He explained the scriptures: Jesus taught the disciples how the Scriptures predicted His suffering, death, and resurrection, helping them see how He fulfilled the prophecies.
They saw him go to heaven: The disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, which confirmed that He was truly alive and divine.
What’s up with the number 40?
The number 40 shows up a lot in the Bible and usually means times of testing, judgement, or completion. Here are a few examples and what the number 40 symbolizes.
Testing
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years as a period of testing and preparation before entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33-34). This time tested their faithfulness and reliance on God.
Jesus' Temptation: Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry, where He was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-2).
Judgment
During the flood that cleansed the earth, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12). This period was a time of divine judgment on humanity for its wickedness.
Jonah warned the city of Nineveh that it would be overthrown in 40 days if they did not repent (Jonah 3:4). This period was a time of impending judgment, which was averted when the people of Nineveh repented.
Completion
Saul, David, and Solomon's Reigns: Each of these kings of Israel reigned for 40 years, representing a complete period of leadership and governance for a generation (Acts 13:21, 2 Samuel 5:4, 1 Kings 11:42).
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and spoke about the kingdom of God for 40 days before ascending to heaven (Acts 1:3). This time completed His earthly ministry and prepared the disciples for their mission.
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,
Jesus told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem because they needed to wait there to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give them the power to share His message and start their mission. This way, they would be ready and together when it happened.
The turn in the road.
The disciples still seemed to hold onto the hope that Jesus would restore the earthly kingdom to Israel and overthrow Roman rule. They were expecting a political and national restoration.
Jesus told them that it wasn't for them to know when that would happen, as only God the Father knows the timing. Instead, He said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to them, and they would be His witnesses, starting in Jerusalem and spreading out to all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
This marked a shift from a political kingdom to a spiritual mission.
But here’s the thing…
At that point, the disciples probably didn’t fully understand what Jesus meant by receiving the Holy Spirit.
They were familiar with the concept from their Jewish background, where the Spirit of God was mentioned in the Scriptures, but the idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the way Jesus described was new to them.
They probably weren’t sure what Jesus meant. They knew it was something big, but they couldn't have had a clear picture of it.
When Jesus promised they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon they were probably filled with a sense of anticipation and hope.
Sneak preview
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
How about you? Could the statements above also describe you?
Do you fully understand what it means to receive the Holy Spirit?
Do you understand the concept, but is the idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit in the way Jesus described it new to you?
Maybe you know it’s something big, but you don’t have a clear picture of it.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Ok.
Let’s slow down.
This is my favorite part of Chapter One.
Jesus is definitely coming back. This gives us hope and encouragement.
Jesus will come back the same way He left—visibly and dramatically, in the sky.
We should live expecting Jesus to return, staying faithful and focused on our mission.
Yes. But HOW can I live that way? Practically.
Spend time with God. Talk with Him. Read His Word.
Look for people in need and then help them.
Tell others about Jesus and live in a way that shows His love. Share your testimony.
Be part of a church and meet regularly with other Christians.
Ask the Holy Spirit for help, wisdom, and strength.
The Parable of the Red Car.
What if I asked, “How many red cars did you see today?”
You would probably say something like, “I don’t know. A few, probably.”
What if I told you, “I’ll give you $100 for every red car you see tomorrow.”
Do you think you’d see a few red cars?
100% you would. Even cars that were ‘almost red.’ Burgundy maybe.
You’d spend the entire day driving around looking for red cars.
Why did you see more red cars?
Because you were looking for them. They were there the whole time.
There are opportunities to live, expecting Jesus to return, everywhere.
There are people in need, people you could help, everywhere.
There are opportunities to share your faith, every day.
You just have to look for them.
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.
My wife and I were privileged to visit Israel near the end of the Pandemic in 2021.
We visited both the Mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem, and I’m telling you, it’s about a 15-minute walk.
A Sabbath day's walk is the distance Jewish people were allowed to walk on the Sabbath, a day of rest. It's about 0.6 miles or 1 kilometer, which is the same as walking for 12 to 15 minutes.
This comes from when the Israelites were in the wilderness and had to stay close to their place of worship. The idea is to keep travel short and focus on resting on this holy day.
"See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day."
Man, I loved Chapter One! I CAN’T WAIT for Chapter Two.
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I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 25 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family will be expanding to Cuba in 2024.