Luke wrote both the book of Luke and the book of Acts to Theophilus, believed to be a Roman official.  One scholar says that he is Paul’s lawyer.  Theophilus means lover of God.  He may have been a new Christian.  Some scholars date the writing of Acts around AD 70, and others in the early 60s.  History tells us that Jerusalem fell in AD 70, and Luke doesn’t mention it.  So another school of thought is during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment.  It’s possible that Acts was written in Rome. We know Luke was with Paul at one point.  If it’s written in the 60s, that would give reason for Acts sudden ending in Chapter 28.   Acts picks up right where the book of Luke left off.  Its purpose was to give an account of the spreading of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit!  So the gospel message goes from Jerusalem to Roman!  

 

The Mystery of the Mission vv.4-5

God’s motive was to bless the church (God’s people) with the power to bring glory to Jesus Christ, but there was a great mystery to how this would happen!  At this moment Jesus is preparing the disciples for the mystery that would lead a lost world to His Majesty, the Holy Spirit!   

I believe we’re in the mystery stage of Acts 29!  Acts only has 28 Chapters, we’re writing 29 now.  God is doing something with the church.  Jerusalem fell in AD 70, the church who once griped about dietary laws between Jews and Gentiles, do so no more after the fall.  The American church will no longer gripe about comfort, but one day seek full speed the mission of making disciples.  Why, because of persecution!

 

The Means for the Mission v.8

The Holy Spirit gives the ordinary person the power to do the extraordinary! 

John 14:12-18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[a] anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

 

The Motivation for the Mission v.11

Two reasons why people are not on mission

1) They lack the means (no Holy Spirit)
2) They lack the motivation (no glory of God) No one will be on mission until they are gripped by the majesty of God!  You want to go for God, be enthralled by the glory of God!  Like Isaiah 6:8, in which he was so in awe of the glory of God, that he says “send me”! 

 

The Model for the Mission:  Matthew 28:18-20

The Mandate for Disciples (v.18)
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The Making of Disciples (v.19a)
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The Marking of Disciples (v.19b)
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The Maturing of Disciples (v.20)