Acts 1-3
Digging for Spiritual Gems: (8 min.)

Ac 3:15—Why is Jesus called “the Chief Agent of life”? (it-2 61 ¶1)
“Chief Agent of life.” As an expression of his Father’s undeserved kindness, Christ Jesus laid down his perfect human life in sacrifice. This made possible the union of Christ’s chosen followers with him in his heavenly reign and also made possible the arrangement for earthly subjects of his Kingdom rule. (Mt 6:10; Joh 3:16; Eph 1:7; Heb 2:5; see RANSOM.) He thereby became “the Chief Agent [“Prince,” KJ; JB] of life” for all mankind. (Ac 3:15) The Greek term here used means, basically, “chief leader,” a related word being applied to Moses (Ac 7:27, 35) as “ruler” in Israel.

Ac 3:19—How does this verse describe the way Jehovah forgives repentant wrongdoers? (cl 265 ¶14)
14 Jehovah’s forgiveness is further described at Acts 3:19: “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out.” That last phrase translates a Greek verb that can mean “to wipe out, . . . cancel or destroy.” According to some scholars, the image expressed is that of erasing handwriting. How was this possible? The ink commonly used in ancient times was made of a mixture that included carbon, gum, and water. Soon after working with such ink, a person could take a wet sponge and wipe the writing away. Therein is a beautiful picture of Jehovah’s mercy. When he forgives our sins, it is as though he takes a sponge and wipes them away.

What has this week’s Bible reading taught you about Jehovah?

*** w18 November p. 16 par. 14 Trust in Jehovah and Live! ***
14 Patiently waiting on Jehovah and paying close attention to what he tells us will give us confidence and will help us to acquire a calm heart despite adversities and hardships. Jesus confirmed that we can trust in Jehovah as the Great Timekeeper, not focusing on “times or seasons” that God has not yet revealed. (Acts 1:7) Therefore, may we not give up but wait in humility, faith, and patience, making good use of the time we have to serve Jehovah to the best of our abilities.—Mark 13:35-37; Gal. 6:9.

*** wp17 No. 1 p. 15 Is It Just a Small Misunderstanding? ***
Has timing ever caused Jehovah’s Witnesses to misunderstand the Bible? Yes. But when God’s time came to make matters clearer, the Witnesses readily adjusted their understanding. They believe that they thereby imitate Christ’s apostles, who humbly adjusted their thinking whenever Jesus corrected them.—Acts 1:6, 7.

*** w17 January p. 10 par. 12 “Trust in Jehovah and Do What Is Good” ***
12 Being imperfect, all of us sin. Some mistakes are more serious than others. In some cases, we may not be able to undo our mistakes. We may simply have to live with the consequences. (Gal. 6:7) But we take God at his word, trusting that if we are repentant, Jehovah will support us through difficult times—even when those difficulties are of our own making.—Read Isaiah 1:18, 19; Acts 3:19.

*** w15 8/15 p. 17 par. 14 Keep in Expectation! ***
14 In the new world, we will have reason to reflect on the fact that all the foretold events associated with the conclusion of the system of things did indeed take place. Meditating on how matters actually turned out will further strengthen our confidence in Jehovah and his promises yet to be fulfilled. (Read Joshua 23:14.) We will surely be thankful that God, who ‘has placed times and seasons in his own jurisdiction,’ exhorted us to live with an awareness that ‘the end of all things had drawn close.’—Acts 1:7; 1 Pet. 4:7.

*** w15 9/15 pp. 14-15 par. 8 “Stand Firm in the Faith” ***
8 Do God’s promises seem less real to me now than they once did? For instance, God has promised to destroy the present system of things. Yet, are we distracted by the world’s array of entertainment options, thus weakening our faith in God’s promise? We might start to doubt that the end is really near. (Hab. 2:3) Here is another example. God promises to forgive us on the basis of the ransom. If, though, we became obsessed with guilt over our past mistakes, we could begin to doubt whether Jehovah has really “blotted out” all our sins. (Acts 3:19) Consequently, we could lose our joy in God’s service and become inactive.

*** w15 10/15 p. 7 par. 14 Do You See God’s Hand in Your Life? ***
14 The preaching of the good news worldwide is accomplished only with God’s help. (Matt. 24:14; Acts 1:8) Add to that the unified, multinational brotherhood of Jehovah’s people today—something the world cannot imitate—and we can see why even outsiders admit: “God is really among you.” (1 Cor. 14:25) So as a whole, we have abundant proof that God is working in behalf of his people. (Read Isaiah 66:14.) However, what about you personally? Do you clearly see Jehovah’s hand in your life?

What other spiritual gems have you discovered in this week’s Bible reading?

*** w18 May p. 26 par. 15 Know Your Enemy ***
15 Satan cannot force people to act against their own will. (Jas. 1:14) Out of ignorance, many work in harmony with Satan’s purpose. But after they learn the truth, each one makes a choice as to whom he or she will serve. (Acts 3:17; 17:30) If we are resolved to do God’s will, there is nothing Satan can do to break our integrity.—Job 2:3; 27:5.

*** w18 June p. 10 par. 11 May We All Be One as Jehovah and Jesus Are One ***
11 To fulfill their commission, Jesus’ disciples needed to conquer the pride and prejudice they had. Before ascending to heaven, he assigned them to bear witness to “all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Jesus had earlier prepared them for such an extensive assignment by drawing their attention to good qualities in foreigners. He praised a foreign army officer for his outstanding faith. (Matt. 8:5-10) In his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus spoke of how Jehovah had favored foreigners, such as the Phoenician widow from Zarephath and the Syrian leper Naaman. (Luke 4:25-27) And Jesus not only preached to a Samaritan woman but he spent two days in a Samaritan town because of the people’s interest in his message.—John 4:21-24, 40.

*** w18 July p. 10 par. 14 Whose Recognition Do You Seek? ***
14 What about Mary? Did Jehovah continue to show her due recognition for faithfully caring for and raising his Son? Yes, he did. God had her actions and words recorded in the Bible. Apparently, Mary was not in a position to travel with Jesus during the three and a half years of his ministry. Perhaps as a widow, Mary had to stay in Nazareth. But even though she missed out on many privileges, she was able to be with Jesus at the time of his death. (John 19:26) Later, though, Mary was in Jerusalem along with the disciples during the days leading up to Pentecost when holy spirit was poured out. (Acts 1:13, 14) She was likely anointed along with the others present. If so, this would mean that she was given the opportunity to be in heaven with Jesus for all eternity. What a beautiful reward for her faithful service!

*** w17 February p. 10 par. 8 The Ransom—A “Perfect Present” From the Father ***
8 While on earth, Jesus helped his disciples to see the importance of God’s Kingdom. Immediately after his baptism, Jesus proclaimed “the good news of the Kingdom of God” far and wide. (Luke 4:43) In his last words to his disciples before he returned to heaven, Jesus instructed them to be witnesses of him “to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8) By means of the Kingdom-preaching work, people throughout the earth would have an opportunity to learn about the ransom and become subjects of God’s Kingdom. Today, we show our support for the Kingdom by assisting Christ’s brothers on earth in carrying out the commission to preach the good news of the Kingdom worldwide.—Matt. 24:14; 25:40.

*** w16 April pp. 21-22 par. 16 Why Should We Meet Together for Worship? ***
16 The early Christians did not simply meet together for a brief period following the stunning miracle at Pentecost 33 C.E. “They continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to associating together.” (Acts 2:42) The Greek word translated “devoting themselves” implies enduring or persevering in a course with intense effort. Under Roman rule and faced with opposition by the Jewish religious leaders, those Christians did not find it easy to attend meetings. Nevertheless, they persevered.