S5:001 Acts 1 – The role of an apostle, Judas, and the ascension
Join The Journey
Watermark Community Church, Dallas, TX
5.0 • 879 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What was an apostle? Do apostles still exist? Why does the ascension of Jesus matter? In this episode, Emma Dotter unpacks the definition, role, and qualifications of an apostle and why Judas needed to be replaced. Then, Watermark’s Resident Theologian, Garrett Wikle, joins to explain the doctrine of the ascension, how it shapes our understanding of the rest of Scripture, and why it’s significant forfollowers of Jesus today.
ADDITIONAL VERSES MENTIONED:
Ephesians 2:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Corinthians 9:1; Luke 24:50-53, 49; Matthew 26; 28; Daniel 7; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6; 4:8-11; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews; 1 Peter 3:21-22; Revelation 1; 4-5
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:
- Acts of the Risen Lord: https://a.co/d/bUChMSg
- The Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com/videos/acts-1-12/
- GotQuestions: https://www.gotquestions.org/apostleship.html
RELATED JOIN THE JOURNEY EPISODES:
- S4:263 – Introduction to the book of Acts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey/id1600151923?i=1000735019898
- S1:190 – How do I see the Spirit working in my life? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey/id1600151923?i=1000580392361
WHAT IS JOIN THE JOURNEY?
Join The Journey is a realistic daily Bible reading plan that helps followers of Jesus at Watermark Community Church and beyond enjoy abiding in Jesus together.
Daily Bible lessons for adults: https://www.jointhejourney.com
Daily Bible lessons for parents and families: https://www.jointhejourney.com/jr/7957-what-is-real
Weekly Bible podcast for kids: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/join-the-journey-junior/id1660089898
Contact the Join The Journey Team: JoinTheJourney@watermark.org
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, all right, join the Journey family, friends, and guests. |
| 0:04.3 | You're listening to Join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter. |
| 0:09.0 | Thanks for joining and welcome to the first episode of Join the Journey 2026. |
| 0:14.1 | This is season five of the Join the Journey podcast. |
| 0:17.0 | If you're listening on Apple or Spotify audio only, we're now on video. So for those of you on |
| 0:22.6 | YouTube, hey, it is good to see you. And today, we are reading Acts 1, answering the questions, |
| 0:29.4 | what was the role of an apostle and why did Judas need to be replaced? And what's the |
| 0:35.9 | doctrine of the ascension and why is it significant for followers of Jesus today? |
| 0:41.1 | I want you to picture a relay race, maybe at the Olympics, where each runner has a job, |
| 0:46.6 | be the fastest and get the baton to the next runner. Ultimately, get the baton across the finish line. |
| 0:53.2 | And in the Gospels, we see Jesus charge his disciples to |
| 0:57.6 | carry that baton. Take the gospel message to the ends of the earth, make disciples. And in Acts |
| 1:03.2 | 1-8, we see this command again. He says, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, |
| 1:08.1 | to the ends of the earth. But when Judas betrays Jesus, |
| 1:13.2 | it's kind of like Judas dropped the baton. Of course, God was fully in control. He knew this |
| 1:21.5 | would happen. Jesus entrusted them, the disciples, the apostles, not to run in their own strength, but to carry |
| 1:30.2 | forward his mission empowered by his spirit. When Judas fell away, it wasn't just an empty |
| 1:36.1 | spot on the roster. It's like the baton tumbling off the track or down the track. To be clear, |
| 1:42.5 | God knew the baton would be dropped, and he was in control, in full |
| 1:46.6 | control, the entire time. Yet, Judas still needed to be replaced. Many scholars believe that |
| 1:53.2 | the presence or existence of the 12 disciples, or rather the 12 apostles, represented the restored |
| 1:59.8 | people of God, echoing the 12 tribes of Israel. |
... |
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