Introduction to "Acts"

Introduction to the Book of Acts

Thank you guys, and thank you Kristi & Eloise for that wonderful music, but before we continue in our studies tonight, please if you would: “Join me in a word of prayer.”

I sure hope you guys all had a great Easter. What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the beginning of our Christian faith, with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. “Amen”??

As you know we have been studying the Gospel of Mark since the first of the year, and we were kinda forced into moving forward to the end of the book because of Easter. Instead of going back and picking up in the middle of Mark’s gospel, we have decided to move on, and study about the very beginning of today’s church by taking a look at how it all began back in the first century, with a study in the book of “Acts”. I’m sure you guys are very familiar with this, but if not, I certainly hope you will be by the time we’re finished. Tonight we’re just gonna focus on a general overview of the book and move into a chapter by chapter study next week.

There’s been several names used for Luke’s description of all the events that took place just shortly after the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven. It’s been called “Acts of the Apostles”, “The Holy Acts of the Apostles” The ever popular “The Acts of the Apostles” and as most modern versions of the bible call it, just “Acts”. Whatever you choose to call it, doesn’t really matter, it doesn’t change the content of the book. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that (“16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,” ).

As was the case with his Gospel, Luke doesn’t identify himself as the writer of Acts, but his authorship is never questioned, by Bible believers anyway. The information he provided in the book of Luke was a result of his research to verify the testimony of eyewitnesses, as the first four verses of Luke tells us. His involvement in the book of Acts is different, it’s a little more personal. Much of the book of Acts, like Luke’s Gospel, is written in the third person. But certain sections like chapter 16:10–17; chapter 20:5–15; chapter 21:1–18; and chapter 27:1–28 switches from third person to the first person. This makes it very evident that Luke accompanied Paul on various legs of his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys as well as his trip to Rome.

Luke was a doctor as Paul states in Colossians 4:14 who had a good eye for detail. (“14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.”) Luke seems particularly interested in sailing, and gives vivid descriptions of the narratives he writes about. Many of his first-person accounts are when Paul is traveling by ship.

Like in his Gospel, Luke’s book of “Acts” is addressed to someone named Theophilus. There’s a lot of speculation among scholars as to just who the man was but Luke himself doesn’t tell us. The purpose of Luke’s Gospel account was to let him, whoever he was, know the exact truth about the things that have been taught about the Lord Jesus. It’s significant that we realize in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, the writers were writing to a general audience, but Luke, in his gospel and the book of Acts, was writing to a specific individual person. In the book of Acts, Luke is sending him a well-researched account of the first thirty some odd years after the resurrection of Jesus. Since Luke was personally involved in the growth of the church, he was able to provide an insightful, historical overview of those first thirty years or so.

Each of the four Gospels provide a distinctive look at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But none of them deal with what happened to Jesus’ followers after He ascended back into heaven and returned to the Father. In the last two verses of Luke’s Gospel, we are told only, that the disciples stayed at the temple, praising God, and that’s as far as it goes.

The book of Acts picks up at that point to describe the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and records the growth, challenges, and the miraculous signs that were happening in the early church. Jesus had commanded His 11 disciples to make more disciples of all the nations according to what is commonly known as the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:16–20. And by the way, the words “Great Commission” are never used in the bible. So why don’t we take just a few minutes here, to take a look at what this text really tells us. I’ll read the text and then we’ll go back and look at it. (“16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”)

(Explain the text)

Who was speaking? Jesus

To whom was He speaking ? The 11 disciples, verse 16

At what time period were they speaking?

What were the circumstances surrounding the text?

What’s happening just before and just after the text?

Are there any other passages that can help?

This is something you really need to consider if you really want to do God’s will by coming to the knowledge of the truth as stated in 1 Timothy 2:3–4. ( “3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”). This will play a huge part in understanding what God intended us to know about the role of the “Body of Christ” or the church, in the world we live in today.

The book of Acts details the work of the “Holy Spirit”, the establishment and growing of the church, and what’s very seldom taught, the falling away of the nation of Israel. Even though it’s only temporary.

The book of Acts is considered a transitional book between the dispensation of law and the dispensation of grace that we live in today. In other words, the difference in how God dealt with the nation of Israel, and how He deals with the Church, the “Body of Christ” today. There is a huge difference. It’s best viewed as a bridge between Jesus’s earthly ministry in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and what Peter was preaching just after the day of Pentecost to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem, and the ministry of the apostle Paul, that he taught in the book of Romans and his other 12 epistles. When you study the text, you can’t help but see a difference in what the apostle Peter taught and what the apostle Paul taught. As we go through the book of Acts, I will point out these distinct differences and you will be able to fully understand what God is doing in the world today here in Joplin, MO in 2024.

God’s Word went out in ever-widening circles from the city of Jerusalem. Just not by the one’s Jesus had instructed to spread it, in Matthew 28. The “new message of grace”, started spreading through the teaching of the apostle Paul some ten years after Jesus had given the “Great Commission” to the 11 disciples. Even as the book of Acts concludes, Paul had arrived in Rome still preaching the “Gospel of the Grace of God” to both Jews and gentiles alike. Though faced with relentless opposition and persecution, Paul and his companions persevered and continued to carry the “Gospel of the grace” wherever they went. Paul was the most influential Christian to ever live, and the only person to see and communicate with the Lord Jesus after He had ascended back to heaven.

From start to finish, the book of Acts emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was first evident in the lives of Jewish believers in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, but later, about seven or eight years later, it was realized that the Gentiles, too, were experiencing the forgiveness of sins, receiving of the Holy Spirit, and salvation from God.

The establishment and expansion of the church is Luke’s ongoing focus in the book of Acts. The early followers of Jesus were Jewish, and established a separate group creating a small, single community by selling all their property and belongings to help all those within the group that were in need. While we’re here, let me let you in on the truth as to why they did that. According to old testament prophesy, Christ would return to earth in seven years after God had punished the nation of Israel for their sins during a time of tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week) and set up His “Millennial Kingdom” here on the earth. (The 1,000 year reign of Christ mentioned in Revelation chapter 20) There wasn’t any need for them to own property and belongings when Jesus would provide them with everything they would ever need in the Kingdom. But as we all know now, that didn’t happen, and still hasn’t happened some two thousand plus years later. We are still waiting for Daniels 70th week, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s going to happen sometime in the future according to God’s irrevocable covenant with the nation of Israel. And we, as believers, better be prepared when it does.

As the Jewish believers increase in number so does persecution from Saul of Tarsus, who was later saved and converted to the apostle Paul. The persecution pushes them out of Jerusalem, and they settle in various other locations. And rather than each group seeing itself as independent, all the small churches look after one another’s needs, financially and spiritually.

The persecution of believers is repeated throughout the book Acts. It was that persecution that drove most of the church out of Jerusalem into the surrounding areas. Paul was also persecuted regularly during his travels. And at times when Paul could not be located, his associates were persecuted instead. More intense and organized persecution would come later, but Luke describes many of the initial attacks against the early church.

Luke also records a number of passionate speeches throughout the book of Acts by church leaders such as Peter, Stephen, and Paul. Every episode contributes in some way to the central theme of the book: the temporary fall of Israel and the establishment and expansion of the young church from it’s Jewish beginning to the expansion and inclusion of all people.

Since Luke’s coverage of world events makes no mention of Nero’s persecution of Christians in AD 64 and following, or the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, or Paul’s death in AD 68, many scholars believe that Luke wrote the book of Acts around AD 60–62. He had traveled with Paul to Rome during this time, and may have been writing Acts while Paul was writing his Prison Epistles. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

The book of Acts holds a distinctive place in scripture. It is the only follow-up provided for the Gospels and provides a revealing look at the interaction, blessings, and problems of the believers in the early church. The four Gospels highlight the earthly ministry of Jesus while the book of Acts highlights the ministry of the ascended Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Only when viewed together with the rest of “Holy Scripture” do readers get the complete picture of God’s plan and will for our lives.

Acts shows how the expansion of the church from Jerusalem to Rome, and from Jews to include all people, was the work of God and part of His plan of salvation. The accounts of this time period provided by secular historians such as Josephus are helpful, to be sure, but they were written by people outside the church, looking in. Luke’s account as a participant and believer gives us a trustworthy report that emphasizes things important to those who share his faith. His book of Acts provides much information that amplifies our understanding of other portions of scripture. If it weren’t for the book of Acts we could never understand the epistles of the apostle Paul, because they are so different from what Jesus taught in His earthly ministry. Acts bridges that gap for us. In addition, Luke’s mostly chronological account of Paul’s travels is really valuable in establishing dates for, and a better understanding of his Epistles. By combining Paul’s references in his letters with Luke’s references in Acts, the details of Paul’s ministry becomes much clearer for us.

I hope this introduction into the book of Acts will help you understand where we will be heading for the next few months. To me, and hopefully to you also, the beginning of the early church is one of the most exciting times in our Christian history. And I’m really looking forward to us being able to learn about it together.

Lets pray together:

As Kristi and Eloise are getting us ready to sing our last hymn tonight, and as we’re considering all the things we will soon be learning together about the church in the book of Acts, and if you have never honored God before by asking His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come into your heart and be your personal Lord and savior, this would be the perfect time to do just that. God has made that so easy for us to do. The Bible says that anyone, and I do mean anyone, who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED. It doesn’t matter what your past might look like. Remember the apostle Paul, before the Lord saved him on that road to Damascus, how he persecuted the church, and had the Lord’s people put in prison and even executed. And remember King David who commited adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed in battle. Those two “Great men of God” commited terrible sins, and the Lord forgave them, and even chose them to do great things for Him. The Lord doesn’t care about our past, He just cares about our future. And He wants everyone to spend that future with Him in eternity, in that place He calls heaven. Don’t wait another second. If you have any doubt at all about your eternal security, or what’s going to happen to you when you die physically, I beg you to get it settled right now. Don’t wait another second. Get it taken care of right this minute, right here,--- just quietly, with your eyes closed, heads bowed, and your heart’s toward God, just pray a little prayer like this..............Just pray......

Please, as we’re singing our last hymn, if you need to, just pray that little prayer I mentioned as we sing. And God will save you !!