Page 78 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

a. Summarization of the Author’s Message

In the book of Acts Luke recounted events for Theophilus concerning the impact
that the life and ministry of Jesus Christ had on His followers, hereafter known as
His apostles. In this text in particular Luke recounted for Theophilus a conversation
that Jesus had with His apostles after having resurrected yet just prior to His
ascension back to heaven. In this conversation a question was raised by His apostles
to whom Jesus gave an answer. While His apostles assumed that Jesus would
immediately restore the kingdom to Israel, Jesus shifted their focus to a different
concern, one to which they were to give their immediate attention.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His apostles that in the near future they would acquire an
ability which would result in them becoming witnesses that would testify of Jesus.
Jesus explained that this ability would be acquired by supernatural means. It would
happen when the Holy Ghost arrived and made contact with them. Jesus informed
them that once this contact was made, it was then that they would be in possession
of the aforementioned ability. Until that time, their only requirement was to wait.

Jesus continued by describing for His apostles what their testifying would look like.
They would testify of Jesus (what they had seen and heard) to various people in
various places, not just to Jews in Jerusalem, but to all people everywhere, even in
remote places of the earth.

b. Organization of the Author’s Main Thoughts

Just prior to His ascension, Jesus spoke with His apostles about what they were to do
after He left.

(1) Jesus said that His followers were to first wait.

(a) They needed to wait for God’s Spirit to come to them.
(b) They needed to wait for God’s Spirit to empower them

(2) Jesus said that His followers were to then work.

(a) They needed to work by testifying of Jesus to all people.
(b) They needed to work by testifying of Jesus in all places.

c. Single Statement of the Main Idea

(1) Subject =
What the followers of Jesus were to do…

(2) Complement =
They were to first wait and then work.

(3) Single Statement =
The followers of Jesus were to wait and then work.

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