Acts 1:1 - 1:8

The book of Acts is a historical account that continues Jesus' teachings on Earth through the Church. The Holy Spirit, who was present in Jesus' earthly ministry, guides and empowers the Church according to Acts. The passage emphasizes the importance of perseverance in prayer and waiting on God's timing for answering prayers, while also discussing the concept of the kingdom of God and the distinction between water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism. Steve Gregg describes this transitional period in which the disciples of Jesus had to get used to not always physically seeing him, and the faithful remnant of Jews and Gentiles who responded to the call to believe were given the Great Commission to be witnesses of Christ's kingship and lordship to the ends of the earth.