Before we begin today, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who's listened or watched, shared an episode, left a comment, sent a message, or just quietly tuned in over the past year. I'm also grateful for the trusted voices behind the scenes who helped keep this podcast grounded and faithful. This podcast exists because you're here, curious, learning, and growing. I'm truly grateful to walk through the Bible with you. Greetings, listeners. Have you ever finished a story and thought, wait, that can't be the end? That's how the gospel story can feel at first. Jesus rises from the dead. He appears to his followers. Hope he is alive again. And then he leaves. Did the movement stall? Did fear take over? Did the message fade? The book of Acts exists because the story of Jesus didn't stop. It continued to ordinary people who were unsure, hesitant, and still learning, which is good news for us. Because Acts shows us what happens when God's power meets human weakness. When the Holy Spirit steps in, the story doesn't end, it moves forward. And here's the question I want you to carry with you today. If God could work through them, what might he do through you? Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where every two weeks we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. Last time, we finished our journey through the Gospel of John and saw Jesus as the word-made flesh, the one who brings life to all who believe. Now, in the book of Acts, that life doesn't stay contained, it spreads. Acts is where the church begins. The Holy Spirit empowers, and the mission of Jesus moves from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. This episode is part one of a three-part series on the book of Acts. In this first part, we're looking at how everything starts, what Jesus promises, how the Holy Spirit comes, and how the church is born. In the next two episodes, we'll follow how that story keeps moving outward. Let's start with what the book of Acts actually is. It's the earliest written record we have of the church's beginnings. It tells us what happened during the first 30 years after Jesus returned to heaven. Years we would know almost nothing about without this book. Acts shows us what it looked like when Jesus' followers actually obeyed what he told them to do. Right before he ascended, Jesus gave his disciples a mission. He didn't say, build an institution. He didn't say, have all the answers. He said, You will be my witnesses. That's in Acts chapter 1, verse 8. Acts shows us how that mission began. And one thing becomes clear right away. After the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus is still the main character. His story didn't end with his resurrection or his ascension into heaven. He is still leading, still guiding, still working in the book of Acts. The difference is this: Jesus works through his people. Now, a little bit more about the book. Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel, written by the same author. Recall that he was a doctor and a careful historian. Luke opens Acts by addressing the same person, Theophilus, and explains that this is the second account of what Jesus began to do and teach. The book begins in the early 30s AD in Jerusalem and traces how the message of Jesus moved from a small group of Jewish believers to a global movement. Luke wants us to understand that Jesus' work didn't stop at the cross or even the resurrection. It continues through his followers by the Holy Spirit. Acts follows a very clear pattern based on Jesus' words in chapter 1, verse 8. Quote, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and at all of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. End quote. There the Spirit comes and the church is born. In chapters 3 through 12, we're in Judea and Samaria. And then in chapters 13 to 28, we see the ends of the earth. And that's when the message spreads across the Roman world. So everything in the book of Acts follows from this one promise in chapter 1, verse 8. Now let's look at Acts chapters 1 and 2. It opens with Jesus spending time with his followers after his resurrection. That's chapter 1, verse 3. These aren't bold leaders yet. They're still a bit unsure, still asking questions, wondering if now is the moment everything finally changes. That's in verse 6. Jesus tells them not to rush ahead. In chapter 1, verses 4 through 5, we see that Jesus actually asked them to stop, to remain in Jerusalem, and to wait for the promise of the Father. That's hard for them. And it's hard for us too. Waiting feels unproductive. It can feel like nothing is happening. Yet Jesus knows something they don't. Preparation matters more than speed. Sometimes God asks us to pause, not because we're doing something wrong, but because he's getting us ready for what comes next. Now moving on to verses 6 and 7, then the disciples ask a question that sounds very human. Lord, is this the time when you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? They're anxious. They want clarity. They want to know what the future looks like. And Jesus doesn't shame them for asking. He doesn't give them a timeline either. Instead of answers, Jesus gives them a promise. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say they'll feel confident. He says that they will receive power, not from within themselves, but from God. Then Jesus ascends into heaven. That's verse 9. The disciples stand there looking up until they're reminded that waiting forever is not the plan. We see that in verses 10 and 11. Their mission feels enormous and they feel small. And this is where Acts asks us to pause. Where in your life do you feel small right now? Where does what God is asking feel bigger than what you feel able to give? Jesus didn't answer their smallness with pressure. Not a plan, not a strategy, a person. The Holy Spirit, who is mentioned more than 50 times in Acts. The Holy Spirit. Not an it and not just a feeling. He is a person, the third person of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God shared fully, equal in power, equal in glory. The New Testament speaks of the Holy Spirit as He. Each name reminds us that the Spirit is deeply connected to both the Father and the Son. Wherever God is at work, the Spirit is present. In Acts, the Holy Spirit takes what Jesus has already done and brings it into real lives. Jesus' work is finished, but the Spirit makes it personal. God's presence moves from something believed in to someone who lives within his people. And that brings us to Acts chapter two. The followers of Jesus are still waiting, still praying. They're gathered for Pentecost. That's a Jewish feast whose name means 50th, celebrated 50 days after Passover. Then Acts tells us in chapter two, verses one through four, quote, when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And from this moment on, everything changes, not because the people become extraordinary, but because God came near. And Peter, the same man who once denied knowing Jesus, stands up and speaks boldly. We see his bold proclamations in chapter 2, verses 14 through 40. He explains that Jesus is the Messiah Israel has been waiting for. He uses the Old Testament to show that this moment was always part of God's plan. And on that day, about 3,000 people believe and are baptized. We see that in verse 41. And so the church begins, not through planning, but through God's Spirit. Planning has its place, but the confidence of the church was never in a strategy, it was in God. Now moving to chapter 2, verses 42 to 47, after Pentecost, something changes in everyday life. The believers meet together, they share meals, they pray, they care for anyone in need. Luke says, quote, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. That's chapter 2, verse 42. The Spirit doesn't just empower individuals, he forms a new kind of community, marked by generosity, joy, and unity. And the result, we see that in chapter 2, verse 47, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. So why does all this matter? Because Acts reminds us that God uses ordinary people, people with doubts, people with questions, people who are still growing. Some people call this the Acts of the Apostles, as if Peter and Paul and a few spiritual giants carried the whole story. But actually, a better name might be the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and others. This book shows that the Holy Spirit and a whole lot of ordinary people took the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. If God can use hesitant disciples and ordinary people, he can work through us too. The same spirit who empowered the early church is still at work today. God's story didn't stop in Acts. It continues. As you read Acts, I pray you will see that Christianity is so much more than going to church. It's also allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in all the affairs of our lives. We should turn to the Holy Spirit to give us the strength, courage, and insight to accomplish all we do. At the beginning of this episode, we asked the question if God could work through them, what might he do through you? Acts answers that question clearly. God didn't wait for confident people. He didn't wait for perfect understanding. He sent his spirit, and the story continued. The same spirit who empowered the early church is still at work today. God's story didn't stop in Acts, it's still unfolding. So as you go about your week, reflect on this. Where might God be inviting you to trust his spirit and take part in his continuing story? Next time in part two, we'll see the church step outside of its comfort zone, facing opposition, crossing boundaries, and discovering that the gospel is for more people than they ever imagined. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your faith.