Transcription
To grow in your spiritual life, to go into the depths of God's Word, and to remain in His presence daily, we welcome you to 40 days of fasting and prayer with Pastor Sajwan Ji and Pastor Monica Sajwan Ji. For these 40 days, we are setting ourselves apart for fasting, prayer, and deep study of God's Word. We will not only fast daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM but also spend this time in prayer and the Word.
Every morning at 7:00 AM, we will collectively study the book of Acts, chapter by chapter. The book of Acts is not just history; it is a testament to how the Holy Spirit worked in the early church and how He desires to work among us today. We will also meet every night at 9:00 PM, where we will pray as one body and finally partake in the Lord's Supper together as a family, remembering Christ and drawing strength from His body and blood.
This is an invitation for you to experience God in a new and fresh way, to revive the fire of prayer, to be firm in the Word, and to see the power of the Holy Spirit more than ever before. Partner with us by sending this video to your friends and family, and invite as many people as possible to walk with us on this journey of revival. And don't forget to subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications so that as we set ourselves apart for the Lord during these days, we can all be a part of every anointed meeting. This is your time. This is your season. Let us dedicate these 40 days to the Lord and see how powerfully He works in our lives and our families.
Praise the Lord, family! We welcome you to these 40 days of fasting and prayer. And I believe that these 40 days are going to be marvelous for each one of you. The main reason behind why we are doing these 40 days of fasting and prayer is because during the last all-night prayer, the Lord gave us a prophetic word and said, "Sanctify yourself. Separate yourself for the mighty works that I am going to do in your midst."
So, we will study the book of Acts. We will go verse by verse through the entire book. And I want you to join us with all honor in this journey as we do it together for the entire 40 days. And I believe you will not be the same when you come out after these 40 days of fasting.
Let us pray. Lord God, we come before You in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we completely trust the Holy Spirit that He will teach us the Word and take us into the depths of Your Word. Father, we thank You for Your written Word. Open our eyes, Father, that we may understand the deep revelations of Your Word. Give us a heart that understands and ears that hear, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Let us first open the book of Acts. Before we start studying, I want to tell you this: the book of Acts was written by Luke. And the Bible tells us that Luke was a physician or a doctor, and he was a companion of Apostle Paul. Apostle Paul even mentions him as "my beloved physician." Okay, so let's begin. Let's go to the first verse of the book of Acts, the first verse.
"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach."
First, when we look at this book, we see that it begins by addressing a person named Theophilus. Now, the question arises, who is this Theophilus? Because the Bible does not clearly tell us who Theophilus was. But if we read Luke 1:3, we also see that Luke wrote that book to this same person, Theophilus. And when we read this verse, it says, "The former account I made, O Theophilus." This means this is the second book from the same author, the same writer. And that first book was the book of Luke. And even in that, Luke 1:3, Luke addresses Theophilus.
Now, if we look from the Bible, we also know that this Theophilus was a person of high authority. Because in the book of Luke, Luke addresses him as "Most Excellent Theophilus." If we look at Acts chapter 26, which we will see later, Paul also addresses Felix similarly, "Most Noble" or "Most Excellent Felix." Because at that time, this title was given to the high Roman officials, governors. They were addressed in such a manner, "Most Noble" or "Most Excellent."
But we know that because the entire Bible is written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is a very beautiful secret hidden in this name. And that is the meaning of this name. Theophilus is made up of two words: Theos and Philos. From these, Theophilus is formed. Theos means God. And the word Philos gives us the word friend. So, Theophilus means a friend of God.
So, even though he was a living person at that time for whom Luke wrote the book, to whom the book was addressed, if we look spiritually, this book is for every friend of God. An early church writer from the fourth century, Eusebius, also writes that Theophilus was a high-ranking government official.
Okay, so let's move forward. We have learned what Theophilus means, and this book is also for us today because we are friends of God. And then we saw that the first book was the book of Luke, and now this second part of the book is Acts. And its author, Luke, is writing, "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach." And in English, it is written even better: "with Jesus began to both to do and teach." That is, the things Jesus started to do or began to do.
This verse is very beautiful because it tells us one thing: in Luke, we learn what Jesus began to do. But in the book of Acts, we learn that Jesus is still doing the same work today, but now He is doing it through His people. That's why, when we notice, there is no end to this book of Acts.
Another thing I want you to pay attention to is this: the English Bible says, "Jesus began both to do and teach." He kept on doing and He kept on teaching. Today, there are many Bible teachers who only teach, but there is no evidence of that in their lives. And if we follow the example of Jesus Christ, it means we should not only be teachers but also do the works for which God has called us. But Jesus has not called us just to teach but to also do the works that He did.
Okay, now let's go to the second verse. "Until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen."
This talks about the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, how after Lord Jesus Christ completed His ministry on earth, He was then taken up to heaven. And here it says, "after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen." It is very important to understand here that these five-fold offices are not chosen by any man for himself, but Jesus Christ Himself chooses people and calls them into it.
And one more thing we need to focus on is that "the apostles whom He had chosen." He also gave them commandments through the Holy Spirit. Today, there are many people who do not like God's commandments. They want to follow a God to whom they will give commands, saying, "God, do this for me." But the Lord Jesus gives commandments to His chosen people even today. And as we read, how does He do it? Through the Holy Spirit. Even today, He gives commandments to His chosen people through the Holy Spirit, and His chosen people also obey His commandments.
Let's go to the third verse now. "After His suffering, by many infallible proofs He presented Himself alive."
This is talking about His suffering, about what happened to Him on the cross, how He was killed, buried, and all that He endured. The Greek word for this is "tekmerion," which means undeniable evidence. Because many people who want to disprove the Bible say that His disciples were crying so much, they were in sorrow, so they hallucinated and saw Jesus Christ in visions or hallucinated. And they assumed that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
But when we look in the Bible, we find that the Lord Jesus Christ gave such infallible proofs to His disciples that cannot be denied. He did not appear to them in dreams or visions, but He Himself manifested in their midst and ate food with them. If we look at Luke 24:39, when the Lord Jesus came to them, the Lord said, "Look at My hands and My feet. Touch Me and see. A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." This also refutes another thing, because some Christian groups believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected not in the body but only in spirit. So, He is saying that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see in Me. That means the Lord Jesus Christ appeared in the body before all of them.
And we see how Thomas, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, did not believe when everyone told him. He said, "Unless I see for myself, unless I put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And in John 20:27, we read how the Lord Jesus appeared before him, and the Lord said, "Thomas, put your finger into My hand, and look at My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
Further, we see that He showed Himself alive and appeared to them for 40 days. He showed Himself to them for 40 days. That means after the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and was with them in a new, glorious, and glorified body, He appeared to them for 40 days. Now, the question is, who are "them"? Who were the people He appeared to? After He was resurrected from the dead, for 40 days He showed Himself. He was seen by His people. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that He appeared to 500 people, who were 500 disciples. The Bible says He appeared to more than 500 brothers. So, it cannot be mass hallucination. And when Paul writes this, Paul says that some of those people are still alive. The one writing the letter says that many of the 500 people to whom Jesus appeared are still alive.
He says some of those 500 are still alive. Those who saw him. Okay, now the second, the second thing we need to focus on is why did Lord Jesus Christ appear to them for these 40 days?
Now the second thing we need to focus on: why does He show Himself to them? If you see from the beginning in the Bible, 40 is a very important number. If you see from the beginning, 40 is an important number. And even in fasting, we are fasting for 40 days. So 40 in the Bible represents a time of preparation and trial. If we see, the flood that came in Noah's time lasted for 40 days, and it rained for 40 nights. Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The spies who went to spy the land of Canaan spied for 40 days. Goliath kept on challenging the army of Israel for 40 days. The warning that was given to Nineveh was a warning for 40 days. He was given to them. And Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days. And after His death, He continued to appear to these people for 40 days. Because we always see that after 40, on the 41st day, we see a victory, a new season, something new happening. So after those 40 days, we see that Lord Jesus Christ was taken up into heaven. He was taken up. And until then, He kept on speaking to them about the kingdom of God. If you see, the entire message of Lord Jesus Christ was about the kingdom of God.
Let's now look at the fourth and fifth verses. And meeting them, He commanded them. Again, it is speaking about Lord Jesus Christ, that when He was alive and when He rose from the dead, what did He do to the disciples? He commanded them. So what the Bible is saying here is, when He was resurrected, He gave commands to the disciples. Meeting them, I am reminding you again. How many people did He appear to? 500 people. Again, I am reminding you, He was seen by 500 people. And what command did He give? What command did He give them? Further, we read the command. He did not give them an option. He did not give them an option. He did not request. He did not request. He did not say, "If you feel like it, do it; if you don't feel like it, don't do it." He commanded. He commanded. And this is one thing we have to learn here. How many Christians are there for whom Lord Jesus Christ is Savior, is Redeemer, but not Lord? Not Lord. Because Lord means owner. And if He is our owner, then He can also command us. And see, I want to show you something here. He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. But to wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me. Because John truly baptized with water, but after a few days, you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now.
There is a lot in this verse, and as I told you before, I will not be able to do a very deep study because we have to finish every chapter in a day. Otherwise, it will take two to three hours for one verse if we unfold it completely. But okay, we will look at it. So, first, we are seeing what Lord Jesus Christ did. He gave them a command. And that command was, do not leave Jerusalem. Do not leave until then, and keep waiting, waiting to receive the promise of the Father. So the Lord Jesus commanded them, "Do not depart from Jerusalem, wait there to receive the promise of the Father." Now the question arises: what is this promise of the Father? Jesus is giving the answer to that. "Wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Father, which you have heard from Me." That means Lord Jesus had already told them. And He is telling them again here. Because John baptized with water. But after a few days, you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. "Not many days from now." Why did the Lord not say, "After five days," or "After eight days," or "After ten days"? He did not specify. He said, "Not many days from now." And if you see, God often does this: He gives us a command, but He does not tell us exactly when that thing will happen. Because by doing so, our heart is revealed. Are we truly people who obey His command? When God called Abraham from his house, He did not tell Abraham, "Leave your father's house, and I will bless you greatly. I will bless you greatly." No. God said, "Come out of your father's house to the place where I will show you." When God called Abraham out of his father's house, He did not say, "Come out, and I will bless you, and I will do this and that." He said, "No, come out of your father's house, and I will show you the place where I will take you." Okay.
So, what was the first command? "Do not leave Jerusalem." Why? Because in Isaiah 2:3, when you read it, it says that from Jerusalem, the word of God will go out to all places. And after that, we see that John baptized with water. How many such Christians are there today who have only received water baptism? But they are missing that promise of the Father. And see here, it does not say "promise of God." It says "promise of the Father." Because Lord Jesus Christ is a gift to all sinners. For the entire world. But once you receive Jesus, then according to John 1:12, you become the very own children of God. And when you become a child of God, then the Father has a promise for His children. And that promise is that He wants to baptize you with His Spirit. And I am telling you, this is one of the best gifts you can receive from God. Many people today hope only for a car, a promotion, a big job. But if you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then I am telling you, be hungry for it, and desire it.
Then, let's go to the sixth verse. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him. So now the disciples are asking Lord Jesus Christ a question. "O Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority." I really like the Lord's answer. First of all, we understand from here that the disciples' understanding was not yet of the kingdom of God. Firstly, we understand from here that the disciples did not have the understanding of the kingdom. They were thinking of Jesus Christ as a military leader or a Messiah who would become the king of Israel with military power. They were thinking like that. Because they were looking at the Lord Jesus as a military leader who would use His military power to become the king of Israel. But Lord Jesus Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world." The Lord said, "The kingdom of God does not come by observation." The Lord Jesus said, "This the kingdom of heaven does not come by observation through your natural eyes." So what should they focus on? "Now that You have risen from the dead, will You now restore the kingdom of Israel?" Meaning, the Romans who rule over us, because Israel was under the Romans at that time, under the Romans. So, Lord, what will You do? You will defeat the Romans and free Israel. So what they were focusing on and said was, "Now, Lord, that You have resurrected from the dead, will You now put an end to the Roman Empire that is ruling over Israel? Because Israel was under the Roman Empire. And will You set us free? Will You set Israel free as a nation? Will You deliver us from the bondage of the kingdom we are under right now?" A time is coming when all kingdoms will come under the kingdom of God. But I really like the way Lord Jesus Christ answered them. He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority." Okay.
First of all, this that Jesus said, "times and seasons." What the Lord said, "times and seasons." "Times" is the Greek word "chronos." Which is your clock time or measurable time, which you can measure with a clock. Like, I have to go there in an hour, two hours. The time you can measure with a clock is called chronos. And "kairos," which the Lord called "seasons," are God-appointed times, which God has appointed as certain seasons. And that which we call the right time in God's eyes. As the word of God says, "When the fullness of time had come, then God sent His own Son, who came through a virgin." And Lord Jesus Christ is saying that both times are under the Father. The clock time, the time, and the seasons that God has appointed. Today, many people, when you see them, their entire focus is on this. Even now, you will hear that the rapture will happen in September. They spend all their time calculating when Jesus Christ is coming, when He will deliver us. Whatever is happening here. Today, many people, when you see them, their whole attention is on figuring out the time or the seasons when the Lord Jesus is coming, when the rapture is. You hear things like, "In September, the rapture is going to take place." That's where their attention is. And this is the answer of the Lord. And He is saying, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has kept under His own authority." And He is saying, "It is not your job to know them." The Lord is saying, "It is not your job." Listen carefully to this. Please hear carefully, the Lord is saying, "It is not your job to know them." In Matthew 24:36, the Lord said, "No one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man is coming back." Matthew 24:36. Jesus said, "No one knows the hour, the time when the Son of Man is coming back." Not even the angels. No one knows. Right? And when we read Deuteronomy 29:29, it says that the hidden things are some hidden things that God has kept under His own authority. Now, the things that the Father has kept hidden, do not waste your time trying to figure them out. You fast, you pray. You will not find out the date. When Lord Jesus Christ is coming back. So, what is the Lord saying? That this is not your job. He is saying, "This is not your job." But now He is telling you what your job is. Don't pay attention to what is not your job. But pay attention to what is your job. Now let's see what the job is. "But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, then you shall receive power, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Okay. In the English Bible, I like it this way: "It is not for you," as it says in the English Bible, "It is not for you." Yes, "It is not for you." This is not for you. But you shall. But you will do this. And what will you do? You will receive power. That means the job of every believer is to receive power from God. How will you receive power? When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And this word "power" here is the Greek word "dunamis." And this is not muscular power. Hmm. It's not that you are very heavy and have a lot of muscles, so that is power. This is miraculous power. This is the ability to work miracles. This is the ability, the capacity to perform miracles. This is supernatural power. This is the power when demonic spirits obey your word. This is the power when diseases will be destroyed by God through you. And He is saying, "When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, then you shall receive power." And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. "Knowing the times and seasons is not your responsibility. But your responsibility is to be My witnesses." A witness gives testimony. He does not keep looking towards the sky. A witness gives witness. He doesn't keep looking towards the sky. Yes, if you keep looking at the sky, you will not do the job God has called you to do. And I am not saying that we should not wait or we should not anticipate the return of Lord Jesus Christ. I am not saying that we should not anticipate the return of Lord Jesus. Meaning, we hope, we hope. We know He is coming back. And because we know He is coming back, let us serve Him even more, so that when He comes back, we can present many souls before Him.
So that we will present many more spirits, many more souls to Him, and He comes back. And so, what will you do? You will be my witnesses. And this word "witness" comes from the Greek word "martus," from which the word "martyr" is also derived. You shall be my witnesses, and the word "witness" comes from the word "martus," which is the word "martyr." Like when Stephen was killed, the same word "martyr" was written for him, whose root word is "martus." Like when Stephen was martyred, the root word there is "martus." When we look at Revelation chapter six, verse nine, when we see Revelation six, then the Bible tells us that when the fifth seal was opened, the Bible says the fifth seal opened, then under the altar were the souls of those who were martyred for the word of God and for His testimony. Then under the altar of the Lord, they were souls of the spirits of those who are martyred for the witness and the word of God. From this, we also learn one more thing: that these witnesses are not casual witnesses. We know one more thing: that these witnesses are not casual. They are witnesses who remain faithful until the end, until death. They were those witnesses who are faithful till death, till the end. And when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, when the power of the Holy Spirit, He will make you a faithful witness to the end. Okay, let's move on. In the ninth verse, saying this, He was taken up before their eyes. Now, when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up. And a cloud hid Him from their sight. And a cloud received Him out there. As He was leaving, while they were looking towards heaven, behold, two men in white garments stood beside them. And while they looked steadfastly towards heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel. Okay. And we see that He did not disappear from before them, but He was taken up into the sky, into the cloud. And a cloud hid Him from their sight. And a cloud hid them from their side. Okay. And when you read the book of Daniel, chapter seven, verses thirteen to fourteen, when you read Daniel chapter seven, I think verse fourteen, you see how the Ancient of Days, or the Most Ancient, is shown on a throne, God the Father, and the Son of Man is coming to Him in the clouds, and all authority, all power, everything is given to that Son of Man by the Ancient. And see how there, the Ancient of Days on the throne, and one like the likeness of the Son of Man comes in the clouds, and all authority, all power, all might, all dominion is given to him by this Ancient. And we know that these two men in white garments are angels. And we know that the two men in white apparel are angels. Okay. And they came and stood by them. And they came and stood by them. Now we see, and they are saying to them, now the angels are saying to those standing in Galilee, "O men of Galilee, why are you standing gazing up into heaven?" Now the angels are saying, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing gazing up into heaven?" Because Jesus Christ has now gone. Because Jesus was taken up. And perhaps the whole crowd was standing and looking at the sky. And maybe the whole crowd was looking at the sky now. And now the angels are telling them, now, now the time to look at the sky is over. Now the angels are saying, it's not time to look at the sky anymore. Okay. They are saying, "Why are you standing looking at the sky?" This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. So they are saying, "Why looking at the heavens? The same Jesus was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Okay. From this, we also see one more thing. See one more thing. There are many wrong teachings today where they say that Lord Jesus Christ will come back in the spirit. There are some wrong teachings that say Jesus will come back in the spirit. Some say He has already come back. Some say He has already come back. But when we see here, but when we see here, in the manner He was taken up, in the same manner He will come back. He was taken up in His body, and everyone saw Him go. Likewise, everyone will see Him come. In the manner He was taken up, in the same manner He will come back. As He was taken up in His body, so everyone will see Him come back in His body. And this is what we see in Revelation seven. And this is what we see in Revelation seven. It says, "Behold, He is coming back in the clouds, and every eye will see Him." It says, "See, He is coming back in the clouds, and every eye will see Him." And so, Lord Jesus Christ is coming back soon. The Lord Jesus is coming back soon. But there is an instruction for us: we do not have to look at the sky with our eyes fixed, staring. We should do the work that He has given us to do. But the instruction we have been given is we don't have to look at the sky constantly, but we should do the job that He has given to us to do. Let's go to the twelfth verse. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, and a Sabbath day's journey. Yes. When I went to Israel, I went to this place, Mount of Olives. When I was in Israel, I went to this Mount Olive. And this Mount of Olives is the same place from where Lord Jesus Christ was taken up into heaven. Mount Olive, the same place from where the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven. So, they have made a place of worship there; you can go there. They made a place of worship, you can go there. Now, one thing, when I was reading the word, I found something interesting. When I was reading the word, I found something interesting. "When they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away." A Sabbath day's journey. When I read this, I understood what a Sabbath day's journey is. According to Jewish tradition, a Sabbath day's journey means how much walking is allowed for a person on the Sabbath. That much is allowed. You cannot walk more than that. Then you will break the Sabbath according to the Old Testament. So, traditionally, this much was allowed for a Jew to walk on the Sabbath day. It is called a Sabbath day's journey. When I read about the Sabbath day's journey, it is, it is that journey which is allowed to be taken on a Sabbath day. If you take a long journey, you will break the Sabbath. And this is the distance from Mount Olive to the outer wall of Jerusalem, which is 0.9 kilometers. And this is the distance from Mount Olive to the outer wall of Jerusalem, which is 0.9 kilometers. 3000 feet. 3000 feet. And this matches exactly. I can take you to many verses in the Old Testament, but then we will not be able to move forward in the teaching. But I am just teaching you this so that you understand the context of what a Sabbath day's journey means: that on the Sabbath day, a person could not walk more than 1 kilometer, and from this Mount of Olives to where they went was a Sabbath day's journey. And this is the distance from Mount Olive to the wall of Jerusalem. Let's go to the thirteenth verse now. Let's go. And it is written here, "When they had entered, they went up into the upper room where Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James were staying." And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying, Peter, James, John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. This upper room, this upper chamber, could possibly be that same room where the Lord had the last supper with them, the Lord's Supper, the Lord had. This upper room could possibly be that same room where the Lord had the last supper with His disciples. And when we see here, all the disciples' names are there, all the apostles' names, except for Judas Iscariot. And when we see all the names, we find the names of all the disciples, all the apostles, except for Judas Iscariot. Okay. Now let's move on. "All these continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." All these continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers. Now, here we see that there were many women. We see there was Mary, the mother of Jesus. And His brothers were also there, who were praying together with one accord. And even His brothers, who were now continuing to pray in one accord. Now, we will learn a very good thing here. We will learn a very good thing: that the brothers of Lord Jesus Christ, the brothers of Lord Jesus, if we read in the word, they did not believe in Him. John 7:5, John 7:5. If we look at John 7:5, it is written, "For even His brothers did not believe in Him." So, His brothers who were unbelievers before have now become believers. The Bible does not tell us when this happened. So, His brothers who were not believers had now become believers. The Bible doesn't tell us when this happened. Perhaps when they saw that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then they realized that this is not an ordinary man, but this is truly God. Maybe when they saw, when Jesus was resurrected from the dead, they got to know this is not an ordinary man, but this is God Himself. Now, His brothers, now their primary identity is not that they are Jesus' brothers, but now they have become His disciples because they are also obeying the command that Jesus gave to the disciples, and they are gathered together in that upper room. Now, His brothers are not there as His physical brothers, but they are following His command, and they are staying in that upper room where He said, "Tarry." And it is written here, "one accord," they were praying with one accord, with one heart. And it says, "one accord," they were praying with one accord, one heart. Now, let's see. "In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, about one hundred and twenty people, and said." Now, let's see. "In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, all together the number of the names was about 120, and said." How many people are here? 120. How many people? 120. 120. And remember, I told you at the beginning in Acts, to how many people did the Lord give the command? 500 people. And you remember, I told you how many people did Jesus give the commandment to? 500 people. And this is what you see even today. And this is what you see even today. The people who obey the commandments are very few. People who obey the commandments are very few. The crowd following Jesus for miracles was large. There was a huge crowd following Jesus for the sake of miracles. When He commanded those disciples, He commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem," only 120 out of 500 obeyed that command. But when He commanded the disciples, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but tarry there," only 120 out of 500 obeyed Him. That means 380 people did not obey the command. That means 380 disciples did not. But those who obeyed the command, you will see, they also received the reward for it. But all those who obeyed His command, you will see, they also received the reward for it. Let's go to the sixteenth verse. In verse sixteen, we see. It is written here, "Brothers, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the guide to those who arrested Jesus." And brother, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and obtained a part in this ministry. For he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry. And if we can see that the Holy Spirit spoke through David's mouth thousands of years ago about Judas. We see the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David thousands of years ago about Judas. How sad this is. And this is such a sad thing. To whom was given such a mighty grace, he despised grace. To whom was given such a mighty grace, he despised grace. Let's move on to the eighteenth verse. Let's go. "He purchased a field with the wages of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out." Now, this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem. So that field is called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood. So that field is called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood. Now, many people say, why does the Bible tell two things? One place the Bible says that he hanged himself and died, and now here the Bible is saying that he fell headlong, and his stomach burst open, and his intestines came out. Now, many people say, why does the Bible say two things? Because in one place it says Judas hanged himself, and now here the Bible is saying that he fell headlong, his middle split open, and his intestines came out. So, these are not two different things. This is not two different things. Luke, because he interviewed well and wrote a very orderly account. When you look in the Bible, what Luke wrote, the Greek Luke wrote was the finest Greek among all the New Testament writers. It's because Luke has interviewed people and he has given the finest account. Even the language, the Greek language he has used, is the finest used by any other disciple. From the Gospels, we learn how he died. He hanged himself. But now he tells us what happened after that. He died by hanging himself. But perhaps after some time, his body might have fallen from there, and his head burst open, and his intestines came out. So, from the Gospels, we know he hanged himself, but it is possible that after he had hanged himself, he fell from that, and his head split open, and his intestines came out. And it is written here that he purchased the field. We see in the Bible that Judas Iscariot himself did not purchase the field. And we see that he purchased the field, but in the Bible, we see that Judas himself did not buy the land. When he, when he did what the devil made him do, when he did what the devil made him do, and when repentance, that guilt did not come within him, that guilt, that inferiority complex started to come within him. And when he started to have the guilt for what he had done, he went back and threw the 30 pieces of silver in front of the priests. He went and he threw that the 30 coins of silver he had taken, and he threw it back. And the Bible tells us that all the priests said that we cannot put this money back into the treasury because it is blood money, because after he went and threw those coins, he then committed suicide. And the Bible tells us that all the priests said that we cannot put this money back into the treasury because it is blood money, because after he went and threw those coins, he then committed suicide. So, the priests of the temple went and bought a field with that money. So, the priests from the temple, they went and bought a field from that money. And imagine. And you imagine. For these 30 pieces of silver, he sold Lord Jesus Christ. For the 30 pieces of silver, he sold the Lord Jesus. And when those 30 pieces of silver came to him, and then he had those pieces, he found no pleasure, no joy in those 30 pieces of silver. He had no pleasure, no joy in those 30. And this is what sin also does in our lives. And this is what sin does in our lives. Many people think that if I commit that sin, I will enjoy it a lot. If I go abroad and do whatever I want, I will do it. But when they do something like that, being away from God, there is no joy in it. Some people think if I commit that sin, if I do that, if I go to a different country and live the life I want to live, I will have pleasure, but they find no joy, no pleasure in it when they are away from God. And if you see, all the apostles died. And if you see, all the apostles died. The others, the others were killed for the sake of the Gospel. Some were killed for the Gospel's sake. Judas Iscariot hanged himself. Judas Iscariot hung himself. But Jesus said that when the, when heaven comes down to earth, and when we see, then the names of the foundations of that city will be written, and they are called the Apostles of the Lamb. So, think about where Judas Iscariot fell, and what God had kept for him, and how his end came because he committed this sin, sold the Lord. But you see, Jesus said when the, when the heaven comes on the earth, in the foundation of that are the names of the apostles of the Lamb. And if we see from where Judas fell, what God had kept from him, but where he fell in sin. From this, we know that the end of sin is only destruction and disgrace. From this, we know the outcome of sin is only destruction, and it's just bad for anyone who is. So, even if we are doing this fasting and prayer, if there is any such hidden sin in your life, then you should not be okay with that. You should go into God's presence.
Speak to God, Lord, I do not want this sin to rule over my life, because now you have given me grace. I want to live a holy life for you.
So when we are fasting the 40 days, you know, if there is anything hidden in your life, then go to the Lord and say, Lord, I need your grace because you have given me your grace. I don't want to live in this hidden sin. I want to live a holy life for you. Because if we go into His presence and speak to God, He will give us grace. Because when we go into His presence and ask Him, He gives us grace. But those who live in hidden sin for a long time, their end is only destruction and humiliation. But those who live in hidden sin for a long time, it just brings destruction and humiliation in their life.
Let us look at the 20th verse. Let's go. Now, as it is written in the Psalms, "May his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it, and let another take his office." For it is written in the book of Psalms, "Let his dwelling place be desolate and let no one live in it, and let another take his office." We find this in Psalm 69 and 25. We find this in Sam 69 and 109 and in the eighth verse. And his "let another take his office." Someone else take his office, his position. So we also understand that apostleship is an office. The fivefold ministry is an office.
Now, many people believe that God appointed Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. Now many people believe that God had appointed Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. This is not so. There is a difference between God's foreknowledge and ordaining something. That is, God, because He is the beginning and the end, knows everything. Because He knows, the Holy Spirit has foretold that matter, and God has appointed this beforehand. These are two separate things. Because God is the beginning and the end, He knows everything through His foreknowledge, but God has ordained something to be in such a manner, that is a separate thing altogether. Because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said in Matthew 26:24 concerning Judas Iscariot, "It would have been better for that person if he had never been born." Because Jesus said for Judas Iscariot in Matthew 26:24, "It was good that Judas Iscariot was never born." If God had ordained it, the Lord Jesus Christ would never have said this. This is why it is very important that we live a righteous life with God. This is why it's so important that we live a right life with God. And may our testimony be a good testimony until the end. And may our testimony be a good testimony till the end.
Now let us move on to verses 21 and 22. Let's read verses 21 and 22. "Therefore, of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of them must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Therefore, of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of them must become a witness with us of His resurrection.
One thing we need to understand. Many people misunderstand here and say that there were only 12 apostles, and after that, this office has been closed. We have to understand that some people say that there were only 12 apostles, and after that, this office has been shut. And they misunderstand it this way because it is written here that the person who is to be chosen as an apostle should be one person, and he should be one who has been a witness from when John the Baptist baptized the Lord, and from then until the Lord Jesus Christ is taken up into heaven. And they say this because they misunderstand what is being said here, that a person who is to be chosen here should be one who has been with them from the beginning of the baptism of John to the day when Jesus was taken up into heaven.
One thing they are saying correctly is that these 12 disciples were only 12. That is why the office is of 12. That is why it is written that when Judas Iscariot fell, there was a vacancy for one more person. Let one person come into it. What they are saying is partially right because they are saying there were 12 disciples and 12 apostles. When Judas fell, then there was space for one and one to be chosen there. It is written in Revelation 21:14, these 12 apostles were called the 12 apostles of the Lamb. They were called the 12 apostles of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. And no one else can come there. And no one else can come there. But if some people say that there were only 12 apostles, then Paul was also not an apostle. But if people say that there were only 12 apostles, then even Paul was not an apostle. Because many people say that an apostle should be someone who has seen Jesus in person. Only then can he be an apostle. Because some people say only those people can be apostles who had seen Jesus face to face. Then even Paul was not an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry. Then even Paul was not an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry. And Paul saw Jesus in a vision. And Paul has seen Jesus in a vision. And as Jesus Christ called Paul, even today He calls many apostles through visions because the fivefold office of the church still exists. And as Jesus called Paul, even today He calls many apostles into ministry because the fivefold office exists even today for the church.
I will do a detailed study on this another time. But I will quickly tell you the people who were called apostles in the Bible, who were not among the 12, and were not eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry. I will do a detailed study in this another time, but I will quickly tell you the people that were called apostles or counted among the apostles who are not one of the 12 or were eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry. First, Paul. First Paul. Second, Barnabas. Then Barnabas. You can read this in Acts 14. Read in Acts 14. Then James, the brother of Jesus, who was earlier a non-believer. I told you. Then James the brother of Jesus, who was earlier a non-believer. You can read this in Galatians 1:19. You can read this in Galatians 1:19. Andronicus and Junia. Andronicus and Junia. And you can read this in Romans 16:7. You can read this in Romans 16:7. Silas and Timothy. Silas and Timothy. You can read this in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6. First Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6. So you will see that many more people were called apostles who were not among the 12. You will see there were many more apostles who were called apostles, they were not among the 12. But these apostles are not the apostles of the Lamb. But all these apostles are not the apostles of the Lamb. They are not the apostles of the Lamb. The special 12, no one can take their place. That is true. No one can take the place of those 12, that is true. But that does not mean that someone would say that there are no more apostles anymore. But that does not mean that someone would say that there is no more apostles anymore. Even today, there are apostles in the New Testament. Even today in the New Testament. The Lord even today calls them into ministry through visions. The Lord even today calls them into ministry through vision. Paul says, "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen the Lord Jesus?" Paul says, "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen the Lord Jesus?" If there is a true apostle, I am not saying this as a law, but all the true apostles I have met, the Lord has truly given them a vision. I am not saying this as a law, but all the true apostles I have met, the Lord has given them a vision.
Secondly, when we also look at church history. Secondly, when we see in the church history, many people were called apostles, and the fathers of the church in church history were known as apostles. Many people who were fathers in the church history were known as apostles. Okay. Mark, who wrote the book of Mark in the New Testament. Mark the evangelist. He was called the Apostle of Egypt in church history. Mark, who wrote the book of Mark, was called the Apostle of Egypt. He established a church in Alexandria. He established a church in Alexandria. Luke was called an Apostle to the Gentiles. Luke was called an Apostle to the Gentiles. Although this is not written in the New Testament, but when you read it in church history. Although it's not written in the Bible, but you would see this in church history. Mary Magdalene, who first preached about the resurrection of the Lord. She is also called an apostle in church history. Mary Magdalene, who preached about the resurrection of Christ first, is also called an apostle in the church. So this tells us that women can also be called apostles. This tells us even women can be apostles. Even, as I told you, Andronicus and Junia. In Hindi, Junia was a lady. So Andronicus and Junia, Junia was a lady. She was a woman, Junia. And Gregory the Illuminator. He was called an Apostle to Armenia. Gregory the Illuminator was called an Apostle to Armenia. Patrick of Ireland. He was called the Apostle of Ireland. Patrick of Ireland, he was called the Apostle of Ireland. And there are many such people. When you look at church history, there are many people whose names are documented in church history as apostles. And there were many, many people who are documented in church history as apostles.
So I just wanted to clear this doubt of yours that even today the office of apostleship is valid and it is from God. So I wanted to clear this doubt if anybody has it, that even today the office of apostleship is from God and still established.
Okay, now let's go to verses 23 and 24. Let's go to verses 23 and 24. "And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, 'You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen.'" And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen."
Okay, so here we see that we get a pattern of the church. We see a pattern of the church. They know one thing: that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. They know that Jesus is the head of the church. There is no favoritism here. There is no favoritism. They did not see who is close to us, let's choose him. They did not say, "Who is close to us? Let's choose him." They said, "Lord, You know everyone's heart." They said, "Lord, You know everyone." And show which of these two You have chosen. That is, as I told you earlier, no one can choose apostleship on their own, or even this entire fivefold ministry, pastor, evangelist, no title makes one come into that office unless God Himself has chosen that person. And they said, "Lord, You show whom You have chosen." So no one can take any of the fivefold office, apostle, pastor, preacher, any of the office on their own, unless the Lord chooses one.
Now let's look at verses 25 and 26: "to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the 11 apostles." To take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the 11 apostles.
So, the very first thing we see, let me tell you some things from this verse. The first thing is that the name of Matthias, who was chosen as an apostle, you do not find anywhere in the Bible after this. So, some of the things I want to tell you: the name of Matthias, that you read here, who was chosen as the 12th apostle. We don't see his name anywhere after this. We don't know why. We don't know why. But we do know that he was chosen as the 12th apostle here. We see he was chosen as the 12th apostle. And some things that are interesting here. And interestingly, they cast lots. They cast lots. Casting lots was an Old Testament practice. Which was an Old Testament practice. If we look at Proverbs 16:33, if we see Proverbs 16:33, it says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." That is, the answer comes from the Lord. Which says the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. You will see that it happened in old times too. In Jonah's time too, they cast lots. In the old time, even in Jonah's time, they cast lots. And even today, many believers do this. And even today, some believers do this. But you see, after this, in the entire New Testament church, lots were not cast. But you see this after this in the entire New Testament church. Because after this, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church. And the Holy Spirit is our teacher, our helper, our guide. The Holy Spirit is our helper, our teacher, our guide. Now you don't need to cast lots. Now you don't need to cast lots. Now the guidance of the church is not done by casting lots, but the Holy Spirit Himself guides the church. Now the guidance of the church is not done by casting lots, but the Holy Spirit Himself guides His church.
So this was the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. So this was the first chapter of the book of Acts. And I believe that you have learned something today. And I believe that you have learned something today. And as you go deeper into the Word, you will see that you will bear much fruit. As you grow in the depth of the Word, you will see you will bring forth much fruit. So I request you to remain faithful throughout the 40 days with us. So I request you to remain faithful throughout the 40 days with us. If for any reason, if someone has sugar, diabetes, they cannot fast for long, then at least you can skip one meal. If anyone has sugar, diabetes, and they cannot fast for long, at least skip one meal. If those who go to work, fast from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Those who have to work, fast from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. And if you want to fast longer, you have complete freedom. If you want to fast longer, you have freedom. But fast with wisdom and God's wisdom. But with wisdom and God's understanding.
Let us pray. Let us pray. Father God, we thank You for teaching us through Your Word today. Father God, we thank You for teaching us through Your Word today. Lord, may this book of Acts not just be history, but our lifestyle. Lord, this book of Acts would not just be history, but our lifestyle. And Lord, as we keep growing in this Word, reveal Your deep secrets to us. And as we keep growing in this Word, Lord, reveal Your deep secrets, mysteries to us. Lord, grant us this grace that Your great glory may come from our lives. Give us this grace, Lord, that You may be greatly glorified from us. In the name of Jesus Christ. In Jesus. Amen. God bless you. May God bless you. Dear Christian family, we will also meet every night at 9:00 PM, where we will pray as one body, and finally, we will partake in the Lord's Supper together as a family, remembering Christ and receiving strength from His body and blood. This is an invitation for you to experience God in a new and fresh way. To revive the fire of prayer, to be firm in the Word, and to see the power of the Holy Spirit more than ever before. And do not forget to subscribe to this channel and turn on notifications. So that when we set ourselves apart for the Lord during these days, we can be a part of every anointed meeting. This is your time. This is your season. Let us dedicate these 40 days to the Lord and see how powerfully He works in our lives and in our families. If this ministry has been a source of blessing in your life, take a step of faith and sow your best seed of faith. [Music] We invite you to partner with us. If this ministry has been a source of blessing in your life, take a step of faith and sow your best seed of faith today to help make an eternal impact. If this ministry has been a source of blessing in your life, take a step of faith and sow your best seed of faith. [Music] We invite you to partner with us. If this ministry has been a source of blessing in your life, take a step of faith and sow your best seed of faith today to help make an eternal impact. You your vision.