Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Acts 1:1-26
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1Dear Theophilus: In my first book F1 I told you about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he ascended to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5John baptized with F2 water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
The Ascension of Jesus
6When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?"
7"The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know. 8But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. 10As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. 11They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"
Matthias Replaces Judas
12The apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile F3 back to Jerusalem. 13Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here is the list of those who were present:
Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (son of James).
14They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15During this time, on a day when about 120 believers F4 were present, Peter stood up and addressed them as follows:
16"Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. 17Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us."
18(Judas bought a field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst open, spilling out his intestines. 19The news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means "Field of Blood.")
20Peter continued, "This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.' And again, 'Let his position be given to someone else.' F5
21"So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place. It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord Jesus—22from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus' resurrection."
23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. "O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 25as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." 26Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven.
FOOTNOTES:F1: The reference is to the book of Luke. F2: Or in; also in 1:5b. F3: Greek a Sabbath day's journey. F4: Greek brothers. F5: Pss 69:25; 109:8.
~ Lena’s Journalin’~
Luke wrote the book of Acts. If you’ve ever read through all 4 of the gospel accounts, you’ll see that Luke was a ladies man….:-) because he liked to give us all of the details, trying not to leave anything important out, and everything Jesus said and did was important to him. I hear told he was a physician. Even that vocation seems to match his personality of thoroughness. I also hear he was a scribe, an author. I feel privileged to read his accounts of his time with our Master and Lord.
Isn’t it so cool that after Jesus died and rose He spent 40 days teaching his disciples of all that happened and all they would be responsible to carry on? What Grace God gives us all as human beings. I just love the nature of the Lord. He is so awesome. His integrity is amazing. He makes sure to back up his words with living proof AND then he always explains it. I can just see then hanging on ecery word, as they experienced the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit f God, who raised Jesus up. There had to be such a presence of power. It had to so wet their appetite as they begun to see, that He was preparing them to release this God power in the earth in a magnitude that had never been known before, 400 years of man, and this would be the first time the earth experienced of His power on this level. The love of God inside of individuals for others around them, compassion that causes men to change who they are to become who He is, reproductions of Him, of His kingdom in the earth.
It says what he taught them was about the kingdom of God. That is what Jesus preached when He was here and when He left that is what He desired them to preach. Not Judaism, not law and letter, not more commands, not reproof of non-compliance with the priesthood of men, but Love, Joy, peace, patience….developed, manifested to the world!
This part is SO awesome, think about it. He was the first born again “man”, the first human being to be created in the spiritual realm, a man with God’s spirit alive and living and in action inside of Him in an earth suit. When resurrection life “hit” Him and yanked Him out of death, out of hell, out of the grave, the holy Spirit did just as God the father had done with Adam 4000 years prior, he breathed inside of man, the breath of lives- yes more than one life, a natural life AND a spiritual life. God infused Adam with His very nature. Sin took a hold of that nature and perverted everything about it, it began a process of death. Adam had to be redeemed, Adam had to die to this way of sin, Adam had to become resurrected to live both spiritually AND naturally again.
I believe Jesus was teaching this to them by revelation. He was saying to them, YOU MUST BE INFUSED with My Divine nature, My spirit life, My breath of lives again! You’ve got to receive the Holy Spirit to allow the life of God to be birthed in you and to activate kingdom li1ving. I’m going to breathe on you (plural), whoever will receive and reproduce me, these I’ll breathe on. You don’t want to miss this Divine opportunity……yet today, still given this opportunity, man refuse him, and as it was in Luke 1 they open the door to see who’s there, but give His born of God spirit no place. Think about it Luke 1 was about Jesus’ natural birth and the invitation for a person in the earth to allow Him to come through their body, then an offer to allow Him to be birthed inside of men, for men to house His spirit, now Acts 1 offers the same. Do you think Luke knew what he was correlating? Yes, he did. Today the same scenario is present.
Will you receive power from on High? The Holy breath of lives? Both of natural life, which can be used by God to bring God to earth, and spirit life which brings His power to change our world? Is there room in your life for Jesus to come do His will? Or should he be born rather outside with animals instead of humans, I mean God used a donkey to speak did he not? He did, but that was only because man refused to speak for Him.
There was a disciple named Judas, who refused Him, His will, his plans, His spirit. What is sad is Judas’ name means “praise” as in worshipful adoration, as ion reflection of God’s glory. Judas, as each one of us was called by God, for the praises of God to become evidenced through us. He was chosen, as each of us are, tio be a disciple, to be trained to change his world, our world, to be a natural man with God’s spirit inside of Him, breathed upon with lives again. But through disobedience and willful rebellion, the spirit of another came and entered him. The very spirit of past time, when there was a rebellion against god in heaven. BUT with the power of God now available man could have the strength to follow through and make the correct choices for righteousness. He tried for years on end, to do right, to be good, but there is none good but God. This is why man had o have God’s Spirit fresh inside of Him, the power that goes beyond human understanding, the power that comes from One who sees from on high. The power of one dependant on another. If and when we are not willing to receive of His spirit, we are saying we’re ok doing whatever without Him. Dear God help us to come to a place of dependency on You! Oh Lord Jesus, come. Stay, Live inside of us, Your (plural) body in the earth. Oh Lord, I DO NOT want Your place in me, the place reserved for You in me, to be given over to others as it was even inside of Judas’ heart. If not given over to God, what would we be given over to? Who would we be given over to/ man was created by God to be indwelled. If not God’s spirit, who’s? There NO ONE like You, Lord!


John 1:14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. F1 And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.