Christ’s community spreads the news.
Acts is the second volume of a two-part account. Together, Luke’s Gospel and the Book of Acts tell the story of the life of Christ and the launch of His church. Acts picks up the narrative with a review of the Ascension and the news and directive that got the Christian movement under way: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” Jesus informs His disciples. “And you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Not long after, the Holy Spirit arrives on the Day of Pentecost, and His followers begin the work of spreading the gospel across the Roman empire.
Luke and Acts both emphasize the Spirit’s activity—first in the ministry of Jesus, and then in the early church. In the Book of Luke, John the Baptist and his parents were filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:15, 41, 67), as was Simeon (2:25–35). Jesus began His ministry “in the power of the Spirit” (4:14; compare 4:1, 18; 10:21). He also promised the Spirit to His disciples in their hour of need (12:12). Jesus was not alone; the Spirit was always with Him, within Him, empowering Him to accomplish the Father’s will.
Acts continues that theme, starting with Jesus’ command that His followers should wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit’s power (Acts 1:4). Tradition has assigned this book the title “The Acts of the Apostles,” which may sound as if Peter, Paul, and a handful of other spiritual giants shouldered all of the work. But the account shows that the Holy Spirit created a movement of ordinary people who made mistakes, got into arguments, and had to overcome past prejudices. Yet through the work of the Spirit, these people were lifted up and empowered to build a multiethnic, multicultural, and increasingly widespread community based on the message of God’s grace. Because this book illustrates what happens when everyday people apply their faith to everyday life, Acts is one of the Bible’s most timelessly relevant books.
Between his Gospel and the Book of Acts, Luke stands out as the author of nearly a quarter of the New Testament. His fact-gathering probably began with accompanying Paul on parts of his second, third, and final missionary journeys. In three sections of Acts, the perspective abruptly switches from the third person to the first person plural (“we”; 16:10–17; 20:5—21:18; 27:1—28:16), a shift that probably indicates that Luke was personally present during those episodes. Paul affectionately referred to Luke as a “fellow laborer” (Philem. 24), which may be further evidence of Luke’s involvement in the events recorded in Acts.
Luke was possibly a resident of Antioch, a Syrian city that became the center of early Christianity (see “The Antioch Model” at Acts 13:1–3). This was the church that sent Paul, Barnabas, and other leaders to take the good news about Jesus to people throughout the Roman empire.
Luke may have written Acts (along with the Gospel of Luke) as a legal document for use in Paul’s trial at Rome (compare Acts 25:11; 28:30, 31). His presentation of the Christian movement would have shown that its followers posed no threat to the government. Because Acts ends abruptly, some scholars suggest that Luke planned to write a third installment. If the Gospel was completed around A.D. 70, then Acts was probably produced shortly thereafter.
Key Events in Acts
• Jesus commands His followers to take the good news about Him to the world (Acts 1:1–11).
• The Holy Spirit falls on Jesus’ followers and they speak in tongues (Acts 2:1–4).
• Peter and John heal a lame man in the temple (Acts 3:1–10).
• The Jewish ruling council stones Stephen (Acts 7:54–60).
• An Ethiopian treasurer hears and believes the gospel (Acts 8:26–40).
• Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus and becomes His follower (Acts 9:1–30).
• Paul and Silas bring the gospel to a jailer in Philippi (Acts 16:25–34).
• Paul preaches in Athens (Acts 17:16–34).
• Silversmiths start a riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41).
• A young man named Eutychus is raised from a fatal fall (Acts 20:7–12).
• Paul is shipwrecked on his way to Rome (Acts 27:13–44).
• Paul arrives in Rome, where he lives under house arrest (Acts 28:16–31).