Bible Book: Acts

Because the Bible is practical, here is an overview of the book.

Author: Luke

Type of Book: History

Outline
Introduction (1:1-2)
The Period From Jesus’ Resurrection to the Day of Pentecost (1:3-26)
From His Resurrection to His Return to Heaven: Forty Days of Proofs and Instructions (1:3-11)
Jesus’ Appearances After His Resurrection (1:3)
The Promise and Purpose of the Coming Holy Spirit (1:4-8)
Jesus’ Ascension Into Heaven and the Promise of His Return (1:9-11)
From His Ascension to the Day of Pentecost: Ten Days of Prayer and Preparations (1:12-26)
The Promise of Power Fulfilled at Pentecost (2:1-41)
The Holy Spirit’s Powerful Arrival and the Crowd’s Response (2:1-13)
Peter’s Spirit-filled Preaching and the Crowd’s Response (2:14-41)
The Early Days of the Church in Jerusalem (2:42-8:1a)
Characteristics of the Spirit-Empowered Church (2:42-47)
A Remarkable Miracle and its Effects (3:1-4:31)
The Benefits of Community and Consequences of Deception (4:32-5:11)
Miracles Through the Apostles and Opposition from the Religious Establishment (5:12-42)
The Selection of Seven Assistant Leaders (6:1-7)
Stephen: The First-Known Christian Killed for His Faith (6:8-8:1a)
Severe Persecution Leading to Rapid Expansion (8:1b - 9:31)
Christians Scattered Throughout Judea and Samaria (8:1b-4)
Philip: The Ministry of an Evangelist (8:5-40)
Saul of Tarsus: The Conversion of a Persecutor (9:1-31)
The Spread of Christianity Beyond the Jews (9:32-12:25)
Peter’s Ministry at Lydda and Joppa (9:32-43)
Peter’s Mission to the Gentiles at Caesarea (10:1-48)
Peter’s Report to the Jerusalem Church and His Action Approved (11:1-18)
Antioch: The First Gentile Church (11:19-30)
Persecution of the Church by Herod Agrippa I (12:1-23)
Summary of the Church’s Progress (12:24-25)
Paul’s First Missionary Journey (13:1-14:28)
Paul and Barnabas Commissioned by the Local Church at Antioch (13:1-3)
Paul and Barnabas in Asia Minor (13:4-14:28)
The Jerusalem Conference (15:1-35)
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (15:36-18:22)
Parting Ways With Barnabas (15:36-40)
Revisiting Old Territory (15:41-16:5)
Reaching New Territory (16:6-18:21)
Returning to Syrian Antioch (18:22)
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (18:23-21:16)
Encouraging Stops Throughout Galatia and Phrygia (18:23)
The Ministry of Apollos (18:24-28)
Extended Ministry at Ephesus (19:1-41)
To Macedonia, Greece and Back to Macedonia (20:1-5)
Return Trip to Jerusalem (20:6-21:16)
Paul’s Arrest and Ministry During Imprisonment (21:17-28:31)
In Jerusalem (21:17-23:35)
In Caesarea (24:1-26:32)
On Voyage to Rome (27:1-28:10)
In Rome (28:11-31)

Theme: The Triumphant Spread of the Gospel Through the Power of the Holy Spirit

Date of Writing: c. A.D. 63

Background
The book of Acts is a sequel, or continuation, of the Gospel of Luke and is addressed to the same man named “Theophilus” (1:1; see the introduction to Luke). Although the author is not identified by name in either book, the opinion of the majority of early Christians and the supporting evidence from within the two books point to Luke, “our dear friend... the doctor” (Col 4:14), as the author of both books.
The Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write to Theophilus to fill a need in the church—particularly among the first Gentile (i.e., non-Jewish) Christians throughout the middle-eastern and Mediterranean regions of the Roman Empire. Luke’s books provide a full and accurate account of the beginnings of Christianity. (1) His “former book” (Luke) is his Gospel (i.e., his account of the “good news”) about Jesus’ life. (2) His latter book (Acts) is his account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Jerusalem (i.e., when God sent the Holy Spirit to fill and empower his first followers). Acts also gives account of the growth and development of the early church that followed. It is obvious that Luke was a skilled writer, a careful historian and an inspired theologian (i.e., a student of matters relating to God, particularly the Christian faith and God’s relation to the world).
Acts covers selected portions of the first thirty years of the history of the church (i.e., the broad community of Christ’s followers with the shared purpose of worshiping God and the primary mission of spreading the message of Jesus worldwide; see article on The Church). As a church historian, Luke traces the spread of the message about Christ from Jerusalem to Rome. In the process, he mentions 32 countries, 54 cities, 9 Mediterranean islands, 95 different persons by name and a variety of government officials by their specific titles. Modern archaeology continues to confirm the amazing accuracy of the details recorded by Luke. In addition to historical details, Luke insightfully describes the meaning and importance of various experiences and events in the church’s early years.
In its first stages, the NT Scriptures were available in two collections: (1) the four Gospels—the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and (2) the letters of Paul—a pioneer missionary and Christian leader who started many NT churches among Gentiles (those who were not Jews). As the very important connecting link between these two collections, Acts is placed among the writings that are accepted as God’s proven and authoritative Word. Chs. 13-28 provide the historical background necessary for a more complete understanding of Paul’s ministry and letters to various churches. The “we” references found in Acts (16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16) reveal that Luke participated personally in Paul’s travels.

Purpose
Luke has at least two purposes for recording the church’s beginnings. (1) He shows how the gospel (i.e., “good news” about forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ) spread effectively beyond the Jewish believers to the Gentiles (i.e., people of other nations who are not Jewish). In spite of opposition and persecution, the book of Acts reveals how Christ’s message eventually reached most of the Roman Empire. (2) Luke reveals the Holy Spirit’s central role in the church’s life and mission, emphasizing the baptism in the Holy Spirit (see ch. 2) as God’s way of empowering the church to spread the message of Jesus and to continue his ministry. Luke clearly records three times that the baptism in the Spirit was characterized by speaking in tongues (i.e., praying, praising or prophesying in unlearned languages as inspired by the Holy Spirit, 2:4ff; 10:45-46; 19:1-7). The context of these passages indicates that this was a normal experience in early Christianity and is God’s enduring pattern for the church to this day (see articles on Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and Speaking in tongues).

Survey
While Luke’s Gospel records “all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Ac 1:1), Acts describes what Jesus continued to do and teach—through his followers—after he returned to heaven. Jesus’ work continued through the power of the Holy Spirit working through his followers individually and as a church body in communities, cities, regions and nations throughout the world. Before Jesus ascended into heaven (1:9-11), his last instruction to his disciples was to wait in Jerusalem until they were “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (1:4-5). The key verse of Acts (1:8) summarizes the spiritual and geographical focus of the book: Jesus promises his followers that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them—power to spread his message and do his work (1) “in Jerusalem” (chs. 1-7), (2) “in all Judea and Samaria” (chs. 8-12) and (3) “to the ends of the earth” (chs. 13-28).
Acts reveals a crucial blending of God’s power and purpose working through human activity. The entire church—all individuals who were a part of it, not just its pioneer leaders—“preached the word wherever they went” (8:4). People like Stephen and Philip (6:1-6) assisted the church leaders and took a bold stand for truth, showing great faith and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to perform “great wonders and miraculous signs” (6:8). As a result, the message of Christ impacted entire cities at once (8:5-13). Individuals guided by God prayed with passion, saw angels, had visions, witnessed powerful miracles, commanded demons to release their power over people’s lives, healed sick people and preached about Jesus with great boldness and authority. Although there were problems at times among some of the believers (e.g., tensions between Jews and non-Jews, ch. 15) and persecution from religious and public authorities outside the church, the message about Jesus spread effectively in words and actions from one city to the next.
In chs. 1-12 the main center of the church’s ministry and outreach is Jerusalem, and Peter is shown as the primary leader God used to spread the message (see map of Philip’s and Peter’s missionary journeys). In chs. 13-28 the main center of the church’s outreach is Antioch in Syria, and Paul is shown as the primary messenger whom God used to spread the gospel beyond the Jews to people of other nationalities. Acts ends abruptly with Paul in Rome, still awaiting his trial before Caesar. Though the outcome of the trial is left hanging, the book ends with a positive and victorious tone as Paul, still a prisoner, boldly and freely continues to preach and teach about Jesus (28:31) For an overview of Paul’s ministry, see maps of Paul’s first missionary journey, Paul’s second missionary journey, and Paul’s third missionary journey).

Special Features
Nine major themes (key topics) characterize Acts: (1) The church: Acts reveals the source of power and the true nature of Christ’s mission for his worldwide community of followers, along with principles that should guide and direct the church in every generation. (2) The Holy Spirit: The third person of the Trinity (i.e., the Three-in-One essence of God, see article on The doctrine of the Holy Spirit) is mentioned specifically 50 times. The baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s ministry provide power (1:8), boldness (4:31), fear and reverence of God (5:3, 5, 11), wisdom (6:3, 10), guidance (16:6-10) and spiritual gifts and abilities (19:6; see charts of The gifts of the Holy Spirit, and The work of the Holy Spirit). (3) Early church messages: Luke skillfully relates Holy Spirit-inspired sermons by Peter, Stephen, Paul, James and others, providing insight into the early church not found anywhere else in the NT. (4) Prayer: The early Christians devoted themselves to consistent and faithful prayer, sometimes lasting all night and always producing powerful results (see article on Effective praying). (5) Signs, wonders and miracles: Powerful spiritual manifestations confirmed the truth of Christ’s message, convinced people of his power and brought honor to him among those who were receptive to the truth (see article on Signs of believers). (6) Persecution: Preaching and teaching about Jesus consistently stirred up opposition and harsh resistance from both religious and worldly sources. (7) Jew/Gentile sequence: Throughout Acts the message of Christ is delivered first to Jews and then to people of other nationalities. (8) Women: Special mention is made of women involved in the ongoing work of the church. (9) Triumph of the message: No barriers (national, religious, cultural or racial) and no opposition or persecution could prevent the message about Jesus from spreading throughout the world.

Interpretation Principle
Some scholars and interpreters, as well as some ministers, view the book of Acts as if it were in an entirely different category from other NT books. They see it mainly as a description of God’s plan for the early church only at its starting point. From this perspective, the many descriptions of spiritual gifts, powers and activities applied only for a limited time in order to spark the growth and influence of the church. In general, this view does not consider Acts to be God’s standard or pattern for the church during the entire period of time that the NT calls “the last days” (i.e., generally from the beginning of the church to the time when Christ returns for his church, cf. 2:17, note). But God gave us this book as more than just a history of the early church. The content reveals that God wanted it to be a guide for Christian living and for a Spirit-filled church (i.e., guided, directed, empowered and characterized by the Holy Spirit working through God’s people).
Christians today ought to desire and expect their lives and churches to be characterized by the same types of ministry and experiences that were evident in the NT church, except that we are not still writing NT Scripture, i.e., God’s Word. This Biblical standard is accomplished when the church is operating in the full power of the Spirit. Nothing in Acts or the rest of the NT teaches that the miracles, spiritual gifts and standards for the church revealed throughout this book were relevant only for a period of time. These powerful works of the Holy Spirit were not meant to end with the ministry of Christ’s first followers. Christians today have the same purpose and need the same power to fulfill Christ’s mission in their generation. Acts clearly reveals what the church must be and do in any generation as it continues Jesus’ ministry in the Pentecostal power of the Holy Spirit (see Ac 7:44, notes).

Giving credit where credit is due.  These informational notes about this book come from the Full Life Study Bible, also known as the Fire Bible.  Don Stamps, editor.  Originally published by Life Publishers.