Did you know that the Book of Acts is about some of the acts of the Holy Spirit? It is much more than just apostles like Peter, John, James (only in that Herod killed him) and Paul. The emphasis Book of Acts is really on the work of God through His Spirit, working through those He chose to willingly partner with Him through the early Church.
The book is a continuation of the gospel of Luke and is volume two of a two-volume set. For example, Luke said that his gospel account was written to do the following,
“It seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated
everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive
order, most excellent Theophilus” (Lk 1:3 NASB).
The
Luke then said to the same person regarding his first volume (the Gospel of
Luke) that,
“The
first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to
do and teach” (Acts 1:1 NASB).
Consequently, this links the Gospel of Luke
with the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts also links the gospels with all the letters
of the New Testament. The Book of Acts appears to cover roughly 30 years of the
infant church from 33 AD – 63 AD. It is an important book within the New Testament
and early Church history. As it has been said that it records,
“three crucial decades in world history.”[1]
Luke wrote the Book to give someone named Theophilus, which means ‘friend of God,’ some historical instruction. These two-volumes are the record of God’s freedom story of deliverance within history. The Gospel of Luke deals with the coming of Jesus the solution for salvation, while Acts the arrival of the Spirit for the continuation of God’s salvation work through His people. It was also written to demonstrate how the message and Church spread from Jerusalem to the capital of the then known world. It was also written to show that the Church of Jesus Christ has a claim to divine origin.
The Book of Acts story did not end in the first century AD but has continued to today. The story regarding some of the acts of the Holy Spirit in partnership with the Church continues right now. Are we willing to partner with Him in His work where we have been put?
Pause in His presence for a moment and think this over…
[1] Green, M. Thirty Years: That Changed the World: The Book of Acts for Today. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002), 7.
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