The Acts of the Holy Spirit by Prof. Derrick Mashau

The Book of Acts is one of the New Testament books that is popularly known as the Acts of the Apostles and was written by the same author of the gospel according to Luke. He was the companion of Paul on his second and third missionary journeys.
The Book provides a detailed description of the ministry by the Apostles but in essence the book deserves to be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit more than the Acts of the Apostles. The Apostles were used by the Holy Spirit to fulfill their calling and responsibility to preach the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles alike.

Acts 1:1-11 provides a clear description of the continuation of the finished and unfinished work of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit through human instruments, the Apostles. These are man who were called and empowered to continue to preach the saving gospel of and about Jesus Christ to the whole world. The work of attaining salvation for his people was completed by Christ when he died and resurrected on the third day; but the work of witnessing to the world about the finished work on the cross had to be continued by the Apostles as much as the church of every age is still called to do so until the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:1-11 speaks to the following issues:

(1) That the Apostles were chosen by Christ to be his disciples and witnesses in this world (Acts 1:1-2);
(2) The Apostles were trained by Christ himself whilst still on his earthly ministry (Acts 1:1-2). His commands to them were loud and clear. He did not only teach but also demonstrated through his actions as to how they should fulfill their calling. This reminds us that Christianity is not about lip service; but actions. We are called to live our faith as we become the eyes, ears, heart, hands and feet of Christ here on earth. Christ's ministry as defined in Luke 4:18-19 was about reaching out and walking with the marginalised through words and deeds;

(3) The message that the Apostles had to proclaim was clearly spelled out: Christ and him crucified from a Kingdom perspective. They had to proclaim Christ not only as a Saviour but also the LORD who reigns supreme and who should be obeyed at all material times;
(4) The scope of the Apostes' mission was also defined thereby making the entire world our mission field (Acts 1:8)
(5) The Apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit. His ministry on earth was not just about giving them assurance about the truth heard from their master; but also the strength and power to deal with all challenges associated with their calling; hence they would have been encouraged to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.