ACTS

INTRODUCTION

“Unhindered.” That’s the very last word in the book of Acts. “Unhindered” is a fitting final word because it perfectly describes the central theme of Luke’s historical account of the first-century church. That’s not to say that the movement established by Jesus Christ and carried forward by His followers didn’t meet with opposition. On the contrary, Acts describes opposition so ferocious and so deadly that any other organization would have folded immediately. “Unhindered” doesn’t suggest that the first believers didn’t experience challenges. They did, in fact, meet challenges so insidious, so unique, and so frequent that following conventional wisdom would have hastened their doom. “Unhindered” simply indicates that nothing would keep the church from fulfilling its divine purpose.

While Luke provides an accurate, detailed account of the first-century church and its spread across much of the known world, his book really does not focus on ideas or events, or even the people who served and led the church. In fact, the usual title, Acts of the Apostles, could mislead readers; the book primarily recounts the actions of two key apostles —Peter and Paul —though both were always in close cooperation with numerous gifted associates and ministry assistants. Perhaps a more apt title might be “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” One of these Spirit-filled ministry associates, the physician Luke, has assembled a grand mosaic using facts like colored bits of broken pottery to display the work of God as He carries out His plan to redeem and transform the world.

Because Acts tells part of the story about God and His relationship with the world, it’s helpful to see where this book fits in the grand scheme of redemptive history. The late evangelist Billy Sunday described his experience of the Scriptures in a poignant first-person word picture:

Twenty-two years ago, with the Holy Spirit as my guide, I entered the wonderful temple of Christianity. I entered at the portico of Genesis, walked down through the Old Testament art galleries, where the pictures of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Isaac, Jacob and Daniel hang on the wall.

I passed into the music room of Psalms, where the Spirit swept the keyboard of nature, until it seemed that every reed and pipe in God’s great organ responded to the tuneful harp of David, the sweet singer of Israel. I entered the chamber of Ecclesiastes, where the voice of the preacher was heard, and into the conservatory of Sharon, and the lily of the valley’s sweet-scented spices filled and perfumed my life. I entered the business office of Proverbs, and then into the observatory of the Prophets, where I saw telescopes of various sizes, pointed to far-off events, but all concentrated upon the bright and Morning Star, which was to rise above the moon-lit hills of Judea for our salvation.

I entered the audience room of the King of kings, and caught a vision of His glory, from the standpoint of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; passed into the Acts of the Apostles, where the Holy Spirit was doing His work in the formation of the infant Church. Then into the correspondence room, where sat Paul, Peter, James and John, penning their Epistles. I stepped into the throne room of Revelation, where towered the glittering peaks, and I got a vision of the King sitting upon the throne, in all His glory, and I cried:

All hail the power of Jesus’s name,

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all.[1]

Acts is a pivotal book in the great narrative of God’s redemptive plan. The Old Testament introduces God to humanity and establishes His covenants with Israel, all in anticipation of Jesus Christ. The Gospels —Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John —tell the story of how the God-man, Jesus, came to fulfill the Old Testament covenants and to establish a new covenant with humanity. God summarized this new covenant through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer. 31:31-34)

Acts documents the launch of the new covenant and traces the new-covenant community’s phenomenal growth in the first three decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

THE PURPOSE OF ACTS

Today, the books of the New Testament appear in a standardized order —Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and so on —that separates Luke and Acts. But the book of Acts was never intended to be read as a stand-alone document; rather, it is the second volume of Luke’s two-volume work, which began with his historical account of Christ’s life, the Gospel of Luke.

Nevertheless, the book of Acts is well placed after the Gospels. It is a book of transitions, documenting the period after the earthly ministry of Jesus when the church began receiving the written treasures of the apostles. Consequently, it comes after the Gospels and before the Epistles in the New Testament. Luke’s second volume narrates an era like no other in history, a time when God had much to say but spoke less through individual prophets and more through a growing, Spirit-filled community.

As with the first volume of his work, Luke dedicated the second volume to “Theophilus,” whose identity remains a mystery (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). The name means “one who loves God,” which could be the nickname of Luke’s patron. In ancient times, wealthy people typically commissioned histories, usually for self-serving reasons. The head of a family might want to establish a credible family line in order to claim a title or give the family name a higher standing. Or he might commission a history to vindicate the actions of his ancestors or to glorify his family’s achievements. In other words, the patron would have had a specific reason for paying a historian to compile a history that others would read. In the case of the first volume, Luke states his purpose, which likely reflects that of his patron: “so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught [concerning Jesus]” (Luke 1:4). We can therefore say with reasonable certainty that Theophilus commissioned Luke to research the life of Jesus and to meticulously set down the facts to undergird the faith of the church.

The purpose of the second volume most likely follows that of the first, with a slight variation in emphasis. Perhaps prompted by the recent challenges the church was facing, Theophilus may have commissioned Luke to chronicle the rise and expansion of Christ’s body by focusing on a recurring theme: “unhindered” growth despite overwhelming opposition, with special emphasis given to the role of the Holy Spirit.

Several fine expositors have offered credible suggestions about the purpose of Acts. On the one hand, F. F. Bruce sees Luke as a pioneer apologist, defending Christians against misinformation and misunderstanding spread by their unbelieving critics.[2] He arrives at this opinion because so much of Acts depicts the church as unfairly accused and unjustly treated, and Paul’s appearances before secular authorities are given special attention. On the other hand, William Barclay claims that “Luke’s great aim was to show the expansion of Christianity, to show how that religion which began in a little corner of Palestine had in a little more than 30 years reached Rome.”[3] A few commentators point to Luke’s stated purpose for his Gospel, saying that persecution shook the faith of many in the church and that the book of Acts assured them Christ would not let His church fail.

I have difficulty with these suggestions because they give too much attention to the issue of persecution, only one of many trials threatening the first-century church. Throughout this narrative, Luke shows the church challenged, the church guided by the Holy Spirit, and the church triumphant. Therefore, I would state Luke’s purpose this way: to demonstrate, from the facts of history, that the church has become God’s instrument for stewarding the new covenant, that the church is guided by His Spirit, and that nothing can prevent Christ from building His church. The book of Acts opens with a question about the kingdom of God and Christ’s commissioning and empowering of the church (Acts 1:6-8), and it closes with the assurance that, even under arrest in Rome, Paul continued “preaching the kingdom of God . . . unhindered” (28:31).

THE AUTHOR OF ACTS

Luke is a small figure in the story of the early church, but he looms large in its history.[4] Some identify him as Lucius of Cyrene (13:1), one of the leading elders in Syrian Antioch who commissioned Paul and Barnabas for the first missionary journey. Some church traditions place Luke in Antioch during these early days of the church, but we have little hard evidence to support the theory. If we take the book of Acts at face value, Luke appears to be a late addition to Paul’s evangelistic team instead of a top-ranking voice in the most influential Gentile church at that time. (For an extended discussion of Luke’s identity, see my introduction to Insights on Luke.[5])

LUKE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Acts 16:10-17[6]

Acts 20:5–21:18

Acts 27:1–28:16

Colossians 4:14

2 Timothy 4:11

Philemon 1:24

In three extended passages in Acts, Luke uses the pronoun “we.” Presumably, when Luke uses “they” and “them,” he means that he wasn’t personally present at the time. Based on that assumption, we find that Luke encountered Paul for a period during the first missionary journey but didn’t meet him again until the end of the third missionary journey. Luke later traveled with Paul from Jerusalem to Rome.

Luke’s Travels with Paul. Luke met Paul on the course of Paul’s second missionary journey. Paul left him to work in Philippi, and then Luke rejoined him for the journey back to Jerusalem.

Luke apparently met Paul and his entourage during the second missionary journey as the men lingered in Troas. When the Holy Spirit prevented them from penetrating the Roman provinces of Bithynia, Asia, and Mysia with the gospel, the team remained in this port city for an extended time, pondering their next move (16:6-8). Luke may have been a believer when he encountered Paul, or perhaps Paul led him to faith while in Troas. Luke doesn’t say. We know only that when Paul and the members of his team decided to alter their course for Macedonia and Greece, Luke traveled with them on the first leg of the journey, from Troas to Philippi. He witnessed the beating and imprisonment of Paul and Silas (16:22-40), and as a physician (Col. 4:14), undoubtedly took the lead in treating the men’s wounds. When the team continued on to Thessalonica and then Greece, Luke remained in Philippi, because it is possible he had lived there before meeting Paul.

On the third missionary journey, Paul and his entourage passed through Philippi on their way to Greece, again without adding Luke to their number. After several months of ministry in Greece, Paul intended to sail directly home from Cenchrea, a port city near Corinth, but a plot to kill him changed his plans. To distract any would-be assassins, he instructed his team to board a ship in Cenchrea as originally planned, but to sail for Troas, where he would rendezvous with them. Meanwhile, he retraced his steps through Philippi (Acts 20:2-5), where he evidently invited Luke to join him. According to the second “we” passage, Luke accompanied Paul to Troas. We know this was not Luke’s last journey with Paul. It is possible that Luke remained at Paul’s side for the rest of the apostle’s life.

The third “we” passage (27:1–28:16) follows Paul from his arrest in Jerusalem to confinement in the palace of Herod Agrippa, along the journey to Rome, and through his two years of house arrest awaiting trial. No one knows for certain where Paul traveled after his release, but within a couple of years, he was back in Rome and again in prison. As he penned his final letter to Timothy and prepared for the end, he mentioned that only Luke remained at his side (2 Tim. 4:11).

THE STRUCTURE OF ACTS

Luke’s Gospel followed Jesus’ earthly ministry in ever-narrowing circles from Nazareth and Galilee (Luke 4:14–9:50), through Samaria and Judea (Luke 9:51–19:27), and ultimately to Jerusalem (Luke 19:28–24:12). The book of Acts, however, radiates from Jerusalem outward in ever-expanding circles. When the risen Lord met with His disciples for the last time, they asked, “Is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They still expected Jesus to seize the reins of religious and political power and become the leader of a worldwide Jewish empire, through which God would rule the earth. But Jesus corrected their understanding of the plan. He said, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (1:7-8).

Note the emphasis on geography: “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” This becomes an “inspired outline” for the book of Acts: “Jerusalem” (Acts 1–7), “all Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8–12), “the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 13–28).

THE UNFINISHED STORY

In His last appearance in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus summarized His earthly ministry using the Old Testament Scriptures as a guide (Luke 24:44-49). He demonstrated from the Scriptures that God’s plan had always been for the Messiah to suffer on behalf of His people and conquer death on the third day. His plan had always been to call the nations to repent of sin, receive His forgiveness, and trust that His grace is sufficient to save. The city of Jerusalem had always been the Lord’s intended light on a hill (see Ps. 43:3; Matt. 5:14) and would finally become the starting point of world evangelism (Isa. 43:10; 44:8; Acts 1:8).

The Lord’s final proclamation (Luke 24:36-49), densely packed with meaningful terms and expressions, foreshadows many of the key themes and events in the book of Acts. For example, the term for “witness” (martys [3144], Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8; 2:32) is the term from which we derive the English word “martyr.” Above all, the apostles were witnesses to the Lord’s resurrection (1:22). The English meaning of the word “martyr” developed from the fact that some of the witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection were willing to readily die rather than recant the gospel message (7:59-60; 12:1-2).

The verb meaning “send forth” (apostellō [649], Luke 24:49; Acts 3:20, 26) is related to the term from which we get “apostle.” Jesus had been sent from God, and He had sent the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49) so that the apostles could be sent forth even to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17; 28:28).

The “promise of My Father” (Luke 24:49; cf. Acts 1:4-5, 8) is a reference to the Holy Spirit, who would soon “[clothe them] with power.” This word picture is taken from the commissioning ceremony of a government official. The phrase “from on high” declares the source of their commissioning and power, God Himself (cf. 4:13-20).

As the book of Acts opens, the power of the Holy Spirit falls like lightning on the newly commissioned witnesses, who begin teaching and preaching the good news with boldness in the temple. The Jesus movement then emanates from Jerusalem to the surrounding territory, then to neighboring Samaria, up to the Gentile lands just north of Galilee, and from there all across the eastern Roman Empire.

We don’t find a nice, tidy conclusion at the end of Luke’s second volume; instead, the last lines describe the apostle Paul’s two years of house arrest in Rome, where against all odds, he was “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered” (28:31). This feels very much like the soft ending of volume one, after which Luke clearly intended to continue the story. We do not know whether he intended to write a volume three. Paul had hoped to say a final farewell to his mission east of Rome and then embark for the western frontier as far as Spain (Rom. 15:23-28). Luke undoubtedly expected to go with him and document every step. But that was not to be.

Regardless of Luke’s literary plans, the Holy Spirit intended the narrative to end with volume two. I don’t see this open-ended conclusion as an accident. Luke didn’t foresee Nero’s persecution, which led to Paul’s second imprisonment and execution, but God was not surprised by it. Could the Lord have left the narrative open intentionally for others to complete —not in writing, but by continuing the commission Jesus gave His first one hundred or so witnesses in Jerusalem? When you think about it, there’s no good place to conclude a history of the church. For two millennia, each generation of believers has met challenges, responded through the power of the Holy Spirit, and perpetuated the gospel. They have continued to “write” the history of the church —and now that duty falls to us. Throughout the twenty centuries of church narrative, nothing could stop its inevitable expansion, and it continues today —unhindered.

The Roman World in the Time of the Apostles. The Roman Empire spanned the entire Mediterranean world, from Syria to Spain and from Egypt to Macedonia. Acts tells the story of how, following the Day of Pentecost (2:1-47), the apostles and their associates carried the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus throughout the entire Roman world.

THE BOOK OF ACTS AT A GLANCE
	THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH 1:1–7:60	THE RISE OF THE CHURCH 8:1–12:25	THE EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH 13:1–20:2	THE CHALLENGES OF THE CHURCH 20:3–28:31
THEMES	The Church Is: Born Tested Purified Strengthened Empowered	The Gospel Is: Spreading Multiplying Changing Lives Breaking Traditions	The Witness Is: Extended Received and Rejected Changing Lives Unifying Jews and Gentiles	The Movement Is: Tested Persecuted Defended Unhindered
KEY TERMS	Apostle Be Amazed Witness Sign Wonder	Preach/Proclaim Evangelize Disciple Repent Circumcision	Reason With/Discuss Make Known Widely/Proclaim Exhort/Encourage Suddenly/At Once Faith	Persecute Solemnly Testify Immediately Accuse Command