INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ACTS

The Gospels are a tough act to follow. But that is exactly what the book of Acts does. The book of Acts is the bridge that spans the gap between the four Gospels and the Epistles.

Four Gospels		Epistles
	Book of Acts

It is tied with Matthew for being the longest book of the New Testament - 28 chapters.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Luke is the author of the book of Acts. The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are written as companion volumes. They are part one and part two of the work of Jesus.

Luke	Acts
The ministry of Jesus as He was on earth	The ministry of Jesus from heaven
Teachings of Jesus	Teachings of the apostles
Introduction of the Gospel	Progress of the Gospel
Christ revealed historically	Christ revealed mystically
Christ for us	Christ in us
Begins with the events surrounding the coming of Christ to earth.	Begins with the ascension of Christ into heaven
Ends with the disciples in Jerusalem	Ends with the apostle Paul in Rome

This two-volume set makes up 28% of the entire New Testament - more than all of the epistles of Paul combined.

The Early Church Fathers are uniform in attributing the 3rd Gospel and Acts to Luke.

Luke also, the companion of Paul, set down in a book the gospel preached by him. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3:1:1).

The Acts of the Apostles, however, were written by Luke in one book addressed to the most excellent Theophilus; and he makes it clear that these events took place in his presence, for he omits the passion of Peter, as also the journey of Paul when he went from the city to Spain. (Muratorian Fragment, A.D. 200).

Even a cursory reading of the 3rd Gospel with the book of Acts will show that they were written by the same hand.

In Acts 1:1, the author makes reference to "the first account" he composed and which told "about all the Jesus began to do and teach."

Both Luke and Acts are dedicated to Theophilus. This is the only mention in the Bible of this man.

There is a strong similarity of style and language in both books. They both utilize a very high vocabulary and command of the Greek language.

They both have a similar world outlook. They reflect the same interest in Gentiles and the same interest in women. Luke was not Jewish. His name is a Latin name (short for Lucanus). He writes in the highest Greek of the New Testament.

The end of Luke dovetails into the beginning of Acts. Acts begins where Luke leaves off. Acts is a sequel.

Jesus only appears to his disciples in Jerusalem in Luke and Acts.

Luke is the only Gospel which refers to the trial of Jesus before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:7-12). An allusion to this theme is made in Acts 4:27 and the book of Acts goes on to relate the stories of the later Herods as they related to the message of the Gospel.

The Author Was a Companion of Paul.

There are movement in the narrative from the 3rd person to the first person plural - where the author moves from "them" to "us." There are three such sections.

2nd Missionary Journey	Acts 16:10-17	From Troas to Philippi
3rd Missionary Journey	Acts 20:5 - 21:18	From Philippi through Troas, Miletus, Rhodes, Tyre, Caesarea, to Jerusalem
4th Missionary Journey	Acts 27:1 - 28:16	From Caesarea through Sidon, Crete, Malta, to Rome

In Colossians 4:14, Luke is described as "the beloved physician" and is with Paul in his imprisonment in Rome. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Luke is the only one who is still with Paul.

DATE OF WRITING

The abrupt ending of the book indicates that it was written immediately after the events described in the book and prior to the death of Paul or the destruction of Jerusalem.

There is no mention of Nero's persecutions which began A.D. 64/65. Indeed, there is no mention of any persecution at the hands of Rome. Neither is there any mention of the Jewish revolt of A.D. 66 which eventually resulted in the fall of Jerusalem. We conclude that Acts was written immediately after the events described in the book.

It was written by Luke who had been an eye-witness of many of the events described in the book. The following dates are helpful for dating the events found in the book of Acts:

A.D. 45 - Herod Agrippa dies suddenly (Acts 12:20-23).

A.D. 49 - Emperor Claudius issues an edict banning all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2).

A.D. 51 - Gallio appointed as proconsul of Achaia for a one-year term (Acts 18:12-17).

A.D. 59 - Porcius Festus takes the office of Procurator of Judea (Acts 24:27). Paul has already been imprisoned in Caesarea for two years.

SOURCES OF THE BOOK OF ACTS

At the beginning of his gospel narrative, Luke states that he had used a number of sources in gathering his material to write (Luke 1:1-4).

While he was an eye-witness of many of the incidents which took place later in the book, he makes no claim to having been an eye-witness of those events portrayed in the first half of the book.

When we study the Gospel of Luke, we have three other gospel accounts with which to compare the writing. In the case of Acts, most of the material is unique.

It is evident that the sermons recorded in the book of Acts are edited versions in the same way that the sermons of Jesus in Luke were edited in order to fit in with the author's purpose in writing.

CHARACTER OF THE BOOK

Acts is a Book of Victory.

This book ought to be a trail of tears. It contains every sort of persecution and problem. But that is not the tone of the book. It is a book of victory.

Acts is Essentially about the lives of Peter and Paul.

The two other notable characters within this book are Stephen and Philip - two deacons in the early church.

It is a book about men - about their mistakes as well as their successes. It records their discouragements and their doubts as well as their victories.

There is a principle here. The great problem is not being discouraged - it is STAYING discouraged. Acts is a book about learning to get back up.

The book of Acts does not picture Christians with halos. There are no stained-glass saints. Luke tells us about Christians the way they really are. We see the arguments that divided Christians. We see all of their failings. That is good because it means that if God can work with them, then He can work with us, too.

Acts is full of Surprises.

There are a number of things within the book of Acts which will take us by surprise. I would not have done things the way God did them.

There is a lesson here. It is that God does not fit into our nice, neat theological boxes. He is not some puppet which is used by men. It is He who uses men.

In chapter 6, deacons are chosen to free up the apostles for their work of ministry. But then in chapters 7-8 it is the deacons who are used by God to deliver the gospel.
In chapter 7 we read of Saul of Tarsus who is instrumental in having Stephen stoned to death, but then the Lord calls Saul to be His apostle.

The Narratives of Acts are not necessarily Normative.

Acts is not so much a "how to" book. We are not told how to speak in tongues or how to heal and perform miracles. We are not even told how to evangelize or plant churches, although there are some patterns from which we might learn a great deal.

Rather, Acts is the story of how the Lord continued to ministry to His church through His saints, by means of His Spirit.

On the other hand, I want to suggest that this is not just a book for the first century. God is not too tired to work in this century. He is still in the world-changing business. And He is at work today, too.

The Preaching of the Book of Acts.

The main theme of the preaching of the apostles is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and demand for repentance on the basis of that message.

Acts is a book of Prayer. The Christian life cannot run without prayer any more than a car can run without gasoline.

THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK OF ACTS

Luke and Acts must be approached as a double work with a single purpose that is historical but primarily theological in nature. These are not mere history books. They are not just recording early Christian history. If they were, then there are things that ought to have been added.

1. Primary Purpose.

Luke states that his primary purpose in writing his Gospel account was to give an account of the teachings of Jesus. By the same token, his primary purpose in writing the book of Acts was to give an account of the teachings of the apostles and those who came after Jesus.

2. Secondary Purposes.

It is an evangelistic tool, telling us what is the gospel that from the beginning was preached by the church.

The book defends Paul and Christianity in the face of Jewish attacks. It may even have been designed as a part of his defense before the court of law in Rome.

To convey the historical movement of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. In this regard, Acts 1:8 serves as an outline for the book.

The book takes us through the gospel as it is preached in Jerusalem and to Judea and then north to Samaria and finally to the uttermost part of the world - to far off Rome.

To explain the defeat and rejection brought to Israel and her hope by the events of the fall of Jerusalem, and explain its cause and the answer to it found in Christianity.

KEY WORDS

Holy Spirit. This is the motivating force behind the apostles. This phrase is found 45 times in the book of Acts.

Power. This is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. The word is found 11 times in Acts.

Witness. Look at how much of the book of Acts takes place within a courtroom setting. The book is a presentation of legal witnesses in a courtroom drama who bear testimony of the resurrection of Jesus.

OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF ACTS

1	Primarily Peter	Church Established	Preparation	Church Foretold
2				Church Born
3			Persecution	Church Witnessing
6				Church Organized
7	Peter and Others	Church Scattered		Church Expanding
9				Church Dispersed
10			Gentiles in the Church
13	Primarily Paul	Church Extended	First Missionary Journey
15			Church in Conference
16			Second Missionary Journey
19			Third Missionary Journey
21			Paul Imprisoned	Paul in Jerusalem
24				Paul in Caesarea
27				Paul in Rome

IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK OF ACTS

Acts (combined with the Gospel of Luke) makes up over one-fourth of the entire New Testament. Luke/Acts is really one work in two volumes (remember that only so much could be put on one scroll, just as only so much can be recorded on a cassette).

If this one work makes up over one-fourth of the content of the New Testament, the principle of proportion alone tells us that it must be very important material.

The Book of Acts tells us of the dramatic and radical change which took place in the attitudes and actions of the disciples. At the end of the gospels, these same disciples were afraid and in hiding. They were doubtful and denying and despairing of any hope. But something changed. They went on to stand before priests and princes and kings, boldly asserting the fact of the resurrection of Christ.

Acts fills in the gap between the Gospels and the Epistles.

The Gospels	Acts BRIDGES the Gap	The Epistles
End in Jerusalem with no church		Directed to churches throughout the Roman world
The gospel is given mainly to the Jews		Churches filled with Gentile believers
Ends in Jerusalem		Ends in Rome

The Book of Acts provides us with a historical background for many of the churches which are dealt with in the Epistles of the New Testament.

The Book of Acts supplies us with some excellent examples of the apostolic preaching of the gospel. Gospel preaching is modeled in Acts. If we would follow the example of the apostles in proclaiming the gospel, then we will learn from Acts how it is done.

The Book of Acts relates to us the way in which the Holy Spirit worked and empowered the foundations of the church. Jesus said, "I will build My church" and the book of Acts relates the fulfillment of that promise.

This book also relates the fulfillment of our Lord's promises to His disciples concerning the coming of the Spirit and His ministry in the world.

It is in this regard that the book of Acts has become something of a battleground. Charismatic Christians wish to take all the workings of God as found in this book and make them normative, insisting that God must always work in the same manner today. Non-charismatics go to the other extreme to insist that God today is doing nothing in the way in which He was originally working.

The Book of Acts is a defense of the apostleship of Paul.

If you were to read the Gospels and then to move directly into the epistles without any knowledge of the book of Acts, you would wonder who is this Paul and what gives him to right to speak with such authority.

The Book of Acts describes how God used Israel to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, but in a way no one would have expected.

It was not the obedience of Israel that brought the gospel to the Gentiles. Rather, it was the disobedience of Israel which resulted in the gospel going out to the world. Indeed, it was at the insistence of the Jews that Paul was arrested and given a free mission trip at state expense to Rome where he could proclaim the gospel.

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