acts 1 part tow

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. ¹³And 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 and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴These all continued with one accord in prayer ^£and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

They all prayed. Note the followers of Jesus prayed together in the first part of the time of the church. In the body we need to learn to pray together and pray outloud as the body of Jesus. They prayed asking for things on behalf of others. God wants us to ask him to give us all we need and also go before him on behalf of others. Also look at who was there man and woman, it is a good thing to pray in the church as a family of the Lord as sisters and brothers.

This is the last time Mary the mom of Jesus is ever in the bible. I do not see anywhere when we go to Mary for anything. Some Catholic got this wrong in thinking that we need anyone but Jesus for reaching the Lord God. Mary is not the queen of heaven or a co redeemer. We follow Jesus to salvation and his work on the cross and not another.

¹⁵And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the ^£disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, ¹⁶“Men and brethren, this 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; ¹⁷for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

Judas was not a follower of Jesus he was a fraud. He did not see the truth in Jesus and Judas was in it for one thing the cash payout. Judas never put his faith in Jesus.

¹⁸(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. ¹⁹And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)

²⁰“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.’^£

²¹“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

To be a apostle you had to been with Jesus for the time he was working to share his message and seen Jesus alive after he died. So now there is no long the office because there is no longer the need. With out apostles there are no longer the need for the gifts they had because now the bible is the proof of God. We do not need gifts like healing or touges to show the Lord is true we have the bible. I think only in the time of the writing of the bible did God use them to prove the bible is the words of God.

²³And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen ²⁵to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” ²⁶And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

I am going off here maybe. Here is a way they and we ought to choose who leads the church? We let the ones in charge choose by the Spirit leading. I am not thinking a vote to confirm is not a bad thing but the Lord ought to appoint the leadership of His church. We do not have to cast lots cause now we have the Lord in the form of the Spirit.