Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing: Lessons from Acts 1:1-8 for Today’s Bible-Believing Church

In a noisy, distracted world, even sincere Christians can lose focus. Politics scream for attention, cultural battles rage, end-times charts multiply, and church programs multiply faster than souls are saved. Yet right before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His apostles one crystal-clear priority. That priority still stands for every blood-washed, King James Bible-believing fundamentalist today.

Turn with me to Acts 1:1-8 

> “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days see hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

These were the last words the risen Christ spoke to His chosen men before He was taken up. Forty days of infallible proofs—meals shared, Scriptures opened, wounds touched—yet on the brink of His departure, Jesus boiled everything down to one command: **Keep the main thing the main thing.**

Here are three timeless truths from this passage that will keep any local church or individual believer on target until Jesus returns.

1. The Main Thing Is Not What We Think It Is—It Is the Promise of the Father (vv. 4-5)

Jesus did not tell the apostles to launch a building campaign, polish their theology first, or organize a political movement. He said, “Wait for the promise of the Father… ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

The main thing has never been bigger crowds, louder music, sharper suits, or even flawless doctrinal statements—though we thank God for sound doctrine. The main thing is the supernatural, personal, filling power of the Holy Ghost upon God-called men and women who are willing to tarry until they are endued with power from on high.

John could baptize with water—an outward act. Jesus promised something far greater: an inward, heavenly fire that turns ordinary believers into bold witnesses. This is the power that filled the upper room on Pentecost, that shook prison walls at midnight, and that carried the gospel across the Roman Empire in a single generation.

If we lose this, we are left with nothing but a form of godliness that denies the power thereof. We may have the biggest bus ministry in the county and the longest altar calls, but without Holy Ghost power we are simply playing church while a lost world slips into hell.

2. The Distraction Is Always the Same—the Earthly Kingdom Instead of the Heavenly Commission (v. 6)

Even after forty days with the resurrected Saviour, the apostles still asked the wrong question: “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” They were thinking politics, nationalism, and national restoration.

Jesus’ answer was gentle but firm: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” In plain language, He told them, “Stop speculating about the prophetic calendar and start obeying the commission I just gave you.”

Sound familiar? In our fundamentalist circles today we can become consumed with election cycles, Supreme Court rulings, cultural decline, and “taking our country back.” Voting, standing for righteousness, and exposing darkness are important—but they are not the main thing.

The main thing is not restoring America. The main thing is not protecting our rights. The main thing is being witnesses unto Jesus Christ in Jerusalem (our hometown), Judaea (our state), Samaria (the people we used to avoid), and to the uttermost part of the earth.

The apostles would one day see the kingdom restored—but only when the King returns in glory. Until then, our marching orders remain unchanged: preach the gospel, win the lost, plant churches, and keep the main thing the main thing.

3. The Power for the Main Thing Has Already Been Promised (vv. 7-8)

Jesus never sent His people out empty-handed. He declared, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”

Notice the divine order: power first, then witnessing. Not programs first. Not fundraising first. Not social-media strategies first. *Dunamis*—explosive, dynamite power—is what the early church operated in, and it is what every Bible-believing church must operate in today.

The scope is breathtaking: start at home, move outward, cross every cultural barrier, and reach the ends of the earth. This is not a suggestion for super-Christians. This is the main thing for every believer who claims the name of Christ.

Practically, keeping the main thing the main thing looks like this:

- A church prayer meeting that spends more time crying out for Holy Ghost power than it does discussing the next building project.  

- Believers who carry gospel tracts in their pockets and a genuine burden for souls in their hearts.  

- Preachers who declare “Thus saith the Lord” even when it costs friendships or popularity.  

- Young people more excited about soul-winning than the next ball game.  

- Gray-headed saints still tarrying in the prayer room, asking God to refill them with the same fire they received decades ago.

The early church had no buildings, no seminaries, no radio shows, and no internet—yet they turned the world upside down. Why? Because they refused to let anything crowd out the main thing: the power of the Holy Ghost and the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Will You Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing?

If the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart while reading this—if you realize you have drifted into secondary issues, political distractions, or powerless routine—then right now is the moment to come back.

Bow your head and pray: “Lord Jesus, fill me afresh with Thy Holy Spirit. Let the main thing be the main thing in my life and in my church from this day forward.”

May God raise up a generation of fundamentalist believers who refuse to be distracted—who keep the main thing the main thing until we hear the shout, see the cloud, and meet our Saviour face to face.

DMMC 

3-25-26