Acts - Introduction

PLUS

Share

NEXT Acts 1

INTRODUCTION

 

The book of Acts1 is the second part of the history written by Luke; the first part was the Gospel of Luke. In his Gospel, Luke has written mainly about the work of Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts, however, Luke has written mainly about the work of Jesus’ disciples (apostles) and the Apostle Paul.

Many Bible scholars believe that Acts was written between 60 and 65 A.D. At that time the Apostle Paul was under house arrest in ROME, waiting for his trial to take place. Many important Romans were wondering about this new religion, Christianity, which Paul had been talking about. Therefore, Luke decided to write a proper two-part history about the beginnings of Christianity, about who Jesus Christ was, and about how this new religion had spread from Jerusalem all the way to the great city of Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. After Luke had written his history, he sent both parts of it (Luke and Acts) to a Roman official whom Luke calls most excellent Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1). Nothing else is known about this Theophilus.

The Apostle Paul calls Luke “our dear friend, Luke, the doctor” (Colossians 4:14). Luke was from Antioch, an important city in the Middle Eastern country of Syria. It is possible that Luke met Paul while Paul was living in Antioch. Luke later accompanied Paul on part of Paul’s second missionaryjourney and again on Paul’s final voyage to Rome (Acts 27:1; 28:16). Luke knew Paul well; he was, therefore, well qualified to write an account of Paul’s life.

Although the book of Acts has been called the “Acts of the Apostles,” it can just as appropriately be called the “Acts of the Holy Spirit”; because everything the apostles did, they did through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts, therefore, is not written only about the acts of men; it is written also about the acts of God’s Holy Spirit, who lived within those men.

OUTLINE

  1.  The Beginnings of the Church (1:1-2:47).
    1.  The Post-resurrection Ministry and Ascension of Jesus (1:1-11).
    2.  The Choice of Matthias (1:12-26).
    3.  The Coming of the Holy Spirit (2:1-41).
    4.  life in the Early Church (2:42-47).
  2.  The Church in Jerusalem (3:1-5:42).
    1.  A Miracle and a Sermon (3:1-26).
    2.  First Opposition from the Jewish Leaders (4:1-37).
    3.  The Death of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-16).
    4.  Second Opposition of the Jewish Leaders (5:17-42).
  3.  The Extension of the Church throughout Israel (6:1-12:25).
    1.  The Appointment of the Seven (6:1-7).
    2.  The Ministry and Death of Stephen (6:8-7:60).
    3.  The Gospel in Samaria (8:1-25).
    4.  The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26-40).
    5.  The Conversion of Saul (9:1-31).
    6.  Peter’s Ministry in Israel and the First Gentile Converts (9:32-11:18).
    7.  The Establishment of a Gentile Church at Antioch (11:19-30).
    8.  Persecution by Herod (12:1-25).
  4.  The Extension of the Church in Turkey and Greece (13:1-21:16).
    1.  Paul’s First Missionary Journey (13:1-14:28).
    2.  The Council of Jerusalem (15:1-35).
    3.  Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (15:36-18:23).
    4.  Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (18:24-21:16).
  5.  The Extension of the Church to Rome (21:17-28:31).
    1.  The Rejection of the Gospel in Jerusalem (21:17-26:32).
    2.  The Reception of the Gospel in Rome (27:1-28:31).
NEXT Acts 1