Acts 1:5

"Baptized" (Gr. ebaptisen) means dipped or immersed with the result of union with something (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2). John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; cf. John 7:39). Jesus now announced that this baptism would take place in just a few days (Acts 1:5). It took place 10 days after His ascension (ch. 2). As the Holy Spirit had baptized Jesus and had thereby empowered Him for service, so His successors also needed such a power-producing baptism.

"Luke’s purpose in writing his history is not primarily apologetic. He writes in order to provide his readers with an orderly account of the rise and progress of Christianity. [Note: See L. C. Alexander, "Luke’s Preface in the Context of Greek Preface-Writing," Novum Testamentum, 28 (1986):48-74.] But since this movement was ’everywhere spoken against’ (Acts 28:22), it seemed desirable to refute some of the current objections to it. The first Christian historian found himself accordingly obliged to be the first Christian apologist. Of three main types of Christian apologetic in the second century Luke provided first-century prototypes: apologetic in relation to pagan religion (Christianity is true; paganism is false); apologetic in relation to Judaism (Christianity represents the fulfillment of true Judaism); apologetic in relation to the political authorities (Christianity is innocent of any offense against Roman law)." [Note: F. F. Bruce, "Paul’s Apologetic and the Purpose of Acts," Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library 89:2 (Spring 1987):389-90. See also pp. 390-93; and David Peterson, "The Motif of Fulfilment and Purpose of Luke-Acts," in The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting; Vol. 1: The Book of Acts in Its Ancient Literary Setting, p. 104, who agreed that primarily Luke’s purpose was edification and secondarily apologetic.]