Devoted: Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”—Acts 1:8 (NASB95)
Today’s Bible verse contains the last words Jesus spoke before His ascension into heaven. They are His commission to the disciples, instructing them about what to do now that His mission has been completed. Beyond telling them what to do, however, He told them who they were: Witnesses. Their Great Commission was to speak their first-hand experience into their known world and beyond. In short, Jesus told them to tell their story everywhere.
Icebreaker – If you were going to write a personal mission statement for yourself, what key things would it include?
The locations mentioned in our verse today represent an expansion of the disciple’s mission from Israel’s capital to the surrounding land and the entire world. This also reflects the structure of the book of Acts: The message spreads in Jerusalem (chs. 1–7), in Judaea and Samaria (ch. 8), and to the surrounding nations (chs. 9–28).
Today’s Bible verse contains the last words Jesus spoke before His ascension into heaven. They are His commission to the disciples, instructing them about what to do now that His mission has been completed. Beyond telling them what to do, however, He told them who they were: Witnesses. Their Great Commission was to speak their first-hand experience into their known world and beyond. In short, Jesus told them to tell their story everywhere.
Icebreaker – If you were going to write a personal mission statement for yourself, what key things would it include?
The locations mentioned in our verse today represent an expansion of the disciple’s mission from Israel’s capital to the surrounding land and the entire world. This also reflects the structure of the book of Acts: The message spreads in Jerusalem (chs. 1–7), in Judaea and Samaria (ch. 8), and to the surrounding nations (chs. 9–28).
Discussion Questions: Acts 1:8
1. Read Isaiah 49:6. What can we understand about God’s mission from that verse?
4. God’s mission is to save the world, and He chose to do that through His people, who also make that goal their mission. We do that by being a witness – a person who gives first-hand testimony about God. A witness testifies about their life before Jesus, how Jesus saved them, and their life since then.
5. Watch this video of one person’s testimony: https://faithbiblechurch.subspla.sh/2ss86h2. Would someone in the group be willing to share their story?
11. Why is it so hard for some believers to tell their story to others? What are the biggest hindrances?
14. The Greek word for power used here is dynamis. It can refer to power displayed in miracles (e.g., Acts 2:22; 4:7; 19:11) or (like in our verse) the ability of God or people to carry out His Great Commission. God enables us to accomplish His work, wherever and whatever it is. How does Acts 1:8 say we will receive that power?
17. How has the Holy Spirit empowered your life?
19. Have you ever resisted God by refusing to do something you knew was right? What was the outcome of that?
22. Read Luke 24:46-49. What is the nature of our testimony according to that passage?
26. Jesus told the disciples to depend on God, not themselves.How can you use the things you are passionate about to help expand the Gospel?
Bible scholar Tom Constable said this:
“They were now to be witnesses, and their definite work was to bear testimony to their Master; they were not to be theologians, or philosophers, or leaders, but witnesses. Whatever else they might become, everything was to be subordinate to the idea of personal testimony. It was to call attention to what they knew of Him and to deliver His message to mankind. This special class of people, namely, disciples who are also witnesses, is therefore very prominent in this book. Page after page is occupied by their testimony, and the key to this feature is found in the words of Peter: ‘We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:20).”—Tom Constable
27.Is there someone on your heart you need to talk to about Jesus? If so, share that with your group, and pray specifically for those people, asking God to give you the power to speak your testimony into their lives.
4. God’s mission is to save the world, and He chose to do that through His people, who also make that goal their mission. We do that by being a witness – a person who gives first-hand testimony about God. A witness testifies about their life before Jesus, how Jesus saved them, and their life since then.
5. Watch this video of one person’s testimony: https://faithbiblechurch.subspla.sh/2ss86h2. Would someone in the group be willing to share their story?
11. Why is it so hard for some believers to tell their story to others? What are the biggest hindrances?
14. The Greek word for power used here is dynamis. It can refer to power displayed in miracles (e.g., Acts 2:22; 4:7; 19:11) or (like in our verse) the ability of God or people to carry out His Great Commission. God enables us to accomplish His work, wherever and whatever it is. How does Acts 1:8 say we will receive that power?
17. How has the Holy Spirit empowered your life?
19. Have you ever resisted God by refusing to do something you knew was right? What was the outcome of that?
22. Read Luke 24:46-49. What is the nature of our testimony according to that passage?
26. Jesus told the disciples to depend on God, not themselves.How can you use the things you are passionate about to help expand the Gospel?
Bible scholar Tom Constable said this:
“They were now to be witnesses, and their definite work was to bear testimony to their Master; they were not to be theologians, or philosophers, or leaders, but witnesses. Whatever else they might become, everything was to be subordinate to the idea of personal testimony. It was to call attention to what they knew of Him and to deliver His message to mankind. This special class of people, namely, disciples who are also witnesses, is therefore very prominent in this book. Page after page is occupied by their testimony, and the key to this feature is found in the words of Peter: ‘We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:20).”—Tom Constable
27.Is there someone on your heart you need to talk to about Jesus? If so, share that with your group, and pray specifically for those people, asking God to give you the power to speak your testimony into their lives.
Posted in Sermon Notes