Acts

INTRO: (I taught high school English for a little while before I became a pastor. ***) What might be some helpful things to know and consider in order to get the most out of reading and studying this book?

So this is an introduction to Acts.

Acts 1:1–2 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

Why is Acts an important book in our Bibles? What kind of book is Acts, and why was it written? How is it organized, and what should we expect to learn in Acts? Finally, what should we walk away with today? (application and homework)

Why is Acts an important book in our Bibles?

Luke-Acts together makes up more than a quarter of our New Testament Scriptures. Yep, 25% or better of your NT is Luke-Acts. Not only would the NT portion of our Bibles be shorter without Acts, but we would find a significant deficiency where Acts acts as a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles.

Bridge Between the Gospels & Epistles

The Unique Contribution of Acts - It is no exaggeration to say that this work literally fills the gaps for us in the NT narrative between the Gospels and all the rest of the NT teaching based upon “all Jesus began to do and teach.” Jesus continued his work by the Spirit through the Apostles. (more on that later)

Acts provides the historical backdrop for the birth of the churches to whom the letters were written, even some detail of the specific situations and people (such as Timothy). It gives context to the development of the early church - history, geography, culture, politics

We learn of the early church’s growing pains in the transition from being a Jewish phenomenon to being universal (Gentiles included) to being even a primarily Gentile movement as Christianity began its expansion across the world. (also more on that later)

Jesus Fulfilling His Promises

...to his disciples (to send the Spirit) - As we saw at the end of Luke and will see again in the early verses of Acts, Jesus is fulfilling (very literally) his promise to empower and guide them by sending the Spirit for them to be faithful as his followers.

And through the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is fulfilling God’s purpose to save the Gentiles through Israel (only different than expected).

Transformation & Trustworthiness of the Apostles

Jesus’ apostles become the foundation of the early church, so it stands to reason that establishing how Christ changed them and that they become worthy servant leaders of the church.

Peter in particular: ***

Paul’s credibility also: ***

From First Followers to Subsequent Generations

While the story begins with (v. 2) “the apostles whom he had chosen,” the ‘word of the Lord’ (which is the good news of restoration to God through Jesus) quickly spreads and becomes the foundation for a second generation (those who convert from the teaching of the apostles) and a third (those who convert from the teaching of the 2nd generation), and so on.

The reason this is so helpful to us is that it begins to bridge the distance from Jesus and his immediate followers to subsequent generations of believers empowered and guided by the Spirit to be the church of the Lord Jesus Christ… in every generation, including our own. - the power of God at work to bring people into submission to Jesus as Lord by the Holy Spirit he has given us… and not just for the Apostles, but for all of Christ’s followers.

What kind of book is Acts, why was it written, and how is it organized?

Acts is the second volume by Luke, picking up where his Gospel account concluded. “In the first book, O Theophilus...”

A Second Volume by Luke

It is in this second volume where the relationship and role of the author becomes more interesting and more relevant. And although the author does begin to say “we” in places, here at the outset is the only real opportunity to talk much about Luke… and it’s a valuable conversation.

In a couple of Paul’s letters, namely the ones written to Colossae (Colossians and Philemon), we also discover Paul referencing Luke as a physician (Col 4:14) and a co-laborer (Philemon, v. 24). But again it is in Acts that we learn of Luke accompanying Paul on some of his journeys in ministry, undoubtedly because he was converted to Christ and then determined to serve the Lord in whatever way he might be useful to this missionary endeavor.

Bob Deffinbaugh explains nicely some of the things Luke would have been present for in the “we” passages in the second half of Acts (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16):

In Acts 16, we can see that Luke must have joined Paul and his other co-workers in Troas. This would mean that he was present when Paul received his Macedonian vision. Luke thus accompanied Paul and the others to Philippi. He was also with Paul [later again] in Troas, when the church gathered and Eutychus fell from the window and was taken up dead. Was it Dr. Luke who pronounced this young man dead, making his healing even more emphatic? We find Luke with Paul as he was in Caesarea, on his way to Jerusalem. Luke would have heard the ominous prophecy of Agabus, warning Paul of what awaited him in Jerusalem. Did he agree with those who urged Paul not to go? Finally, we find Luke with Paul on his journey to Rome. He was there with Paul when their ship was broken up on the rocks. He witnessed Paul’s miraculous deliverance from the snake bite and the healing of the father of Publius.

(If these events don’t sound familiar to you, never fear, they will if you stick with us in our study over the next couple of years. Yes, you heard right.)

We should also note that Luke is an extremely capable and reliable witness to these events, and not only because he himself is clearly a convert to Christ. Luke proves an excellent researcher, an educated man who is a knowledgeable source of the geography, culture, and history of the times, a man familiar with Judaism and positioned well to speak of this transitional phase in God’s work among men.

We indeed do well to comfort ourselves with superintendence of the Holy Spirit over sacred Scripture, in this case using Luke’s integrity as a writer and researcher. - Interestingly, historians willingly use Josephus as a reliable source for Jewish history, and yet a comparison would show that Luke is far more meticulous and careful than Josephus about geographical detail and the like, indicating that he is even more reliable as a historian. (We honor God with intellectual integrity. After all, he is the source of truth.)

Finally, and I find this striking and telling of the loyalty and labor of this servant of the Lord named Luke: When Paul writes his final letter, 2 Timothy (which we believe takes place when he is again imprisoned in Rome, if he was indeed released after the imprisonment at the end of Acts), Paul says this near the close of that letter:

2 Timothy 4:9–11 ESV

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

Luke alone is with me. … Your heart should swell just a bit with gratitude to God, and indeed some measure of respect for this author, Luke.

What, When, & Why Luke Wrote

What Luke wrote: (We call this genre.) Acts is history, but it is an admittedly selective history that focuses on key events and key people to provide both a factual-historical as well as a theological explanation for the rapid expansion of Christianity—following Jesus—and the depth to which Jesus changes and uses those who receive him.

Perhaps the best description is a “theological history.” There is without a doubt theological underpinning to this history, “whereby God is constantly presented as intervening, saving, or consoling his people.” - David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 25.

When Luke wrote: Most likely 62-64 AD - It would indeed be strange for Luke to have written after AD 70 and have failed to mention the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, or even the earlier intense persecution under Nero (beginning around 64AD), or the martyrdom of James, or Peter, or Paul (all in the 60’s). In fact, the abrupt ending of Acts seems to give solid indication that Luke probably wrote this circa AD 62.

Why Luke wrote: Since this volume picks up where the former left off (“I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach...”), we know that Luke writes to reassure believers like Theophilus that they can have certainty in their belief in Christ (Luke 1:3-4) and that they can have confidence in Jesus’ ongoing work in and through His church by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-2).

While theoretically Theophilus (whose name means lover of God) could have been an unconverted Greek who was familiar with the teachings of Jesus and the early church, it is more likely that he was himself a newer convert who would benefit greatly (as would many others, and we ourselves) by confirmation of an accurate historical account (with a keen awareness of theological implications of the events).

How has Luke organized this book?

Structure/Outline

It is the progress of the “word,” the spread of the gospel, the expansion of the church, that gives us our structure: “Luke regularly uses the Greek noun logos (‘word’) to describe the actual message proclaimed by Jesus and his followers” (Peterson) —> “word of God” and “word of the Lord” to describe the gospel.

Here’s a fairly traditional outline [Credit: Chuck Swindoll]

Note 1. key verse, 2. basic 3-part breakdown, and 3. Theme/Christ in Acts

What should we expect to learn in Acts?

While there are some important people who play a prominent role in the narrative, like Peter and Paul, it must be clear in our minds that the principle character is God. Acts is about God. Let me show you how we know that is the case. Notice that the primary themes in Acts center around theology—who God is and what he is doing.

God’s Plan, Jesus as Messiah & Lord, and the Holy Spirit’s Activity

Luke presents this as God fulfilling his plan.

The thrust of Acts: Christ continues his work by the Holy Spirit in spreading the word through the Apostles (and all who come to him as a result of their preaching the gospel).

David Peterson explains this dynamic in Acts: “the ascended Lord Jesus is the central figure in the narrative, and that he employs his word and his Spirit to advance his purpose through human agents in the world.”- The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 33.

Such is the purpose and power of Acts (which is also the purpose and power of the NT church), and why others have suggested that a better title than Acts of the Apostles would be Acts of the Holy Spirit Through the Apostles.

Salvation, the Gospel, and the Church

Luke expands the meaning of salvation from a narrow view (Israel’s expectation of being restored to God’s favor that yields primarily a political and geographic kingdom) to a broader and deeper kingdom of spiritual restoration to God, accomplished through the work of Christ, and with wider availability to all people.

In Acts salvation is from God, made possible only by the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), and enacted as a gift upon individuals by the work of the Holy Spirit. “The salvation that Luke describes is not something that humans can attain for themselves, but is the gift of God. This is related to Luke’s understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit as the agent of the exalted Lord Jesus in applying the blessings of salvation to individuals (Acts 2:33–38, 47; 10:15–18).” - David G. Peterson, 70.

Consider too the gospel, the message of good news that is being preached by Jesus’ representatives. The gospel is ultimately about God offering a means of restoration to himself.

While Luke doesn’t use the noun form of gospel (eungelion) often, he frequently employs the verbs of evangelism (euangelizo). In fact, one of the key features in Acts really brings this to the front:

This historical narrative is dominated by speeches (about 1/3 of the text) - “Acts contains a surprising number of speeches, which convey theological perspectives on reported events and carry the narrative forward.” -David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 27. —> Christians to other believers about specific issues (Peter addressing the disciples about need to replace Judas), speeches by unbelievers reacting to the situations involving these Jesus followers, speeches that are a defence of Christians on trial (usually with some evangelism baked in), and especially many evangelistic speeches from Christians to Jewish or Gentile audiences with the goal of persuading them to turn to Christ. - This speech-heavy narrative makes sense when we consider that Luke is recounting a historical movement that is carried forward in large part by evangelistic preaching!

Christ continues his work through the Church. (What Jesus accomplished through the early church… from his ascension and the birth of the church at Pentecost, to the spread of the gospel and growth of the church all the way to Rome)

God’s People in Transition

The focus shifts from the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of the Apostles (and the early church — the disciples of Jesus through their initial ministry).

From the Old Covenant to the New Covenant - The book of Hebrews explains the theology of this shift, while Acts gives the historical (practical) outworking of the New Covenant in the life of the early church.

-One of the challenges of Acts is to discern in it what is descriptive of the earliest days of the church and what is also prescriptive for the church going forward. (Descriptive means giving the historical details of what actually occurred, whereas prescriptive would mean that what took place or what they practices is normative or regulative for the church today.)

-The Apostle Paul’s letters to churches do more for us in this regard by way of instruction than a transitional history with unique circumstances of sometimes miraculous events. So while we shouldn’t completely neglect the potential prescriptiveness of these historical accounts of the early work of the Holy Spirit, we should find it necessary to compare them with more explicit instruction in the epistles.

From Israel as God’s witness to the world to the church (made up of both Jews and Gentiles) as God’s witness people.

God’s Mission & Witnesses

“[One commentator] Bolt concludes that Acts ‘does not provide the readers with a mission, in the sense of them being divinely commissioned for a particular task, but instead it presents God’s mission’. The sending of the Messiah to fulfill the plan of salvation set out in the Scriptures is foundational to the divine mission. This makes possible the sending of the Spirit, to enable his chosen witnesses to proclaim the crucified and resurrected Christ, and to enable others to receive their testimony and enjoy the fruit of his victory. As the apostolic testimony is received and believed, the Spirit continues to equip and motivate disciples to share the message with still more people, urging them to respond with repentance and faith.” - David G. Peterson, 83.

Expectation of Opposition

… to Jesus, to the Gospel, to Christianity

The gospel spreads not only in spite of but even because of suffering.

The Miraculous in Acts

This is again a question of what is descriptive vs prescriptive, or of what was unique to the transition vs what is normative for today.

- Acts is a kind of battleground among Christians bc charismatics will make it their textbook while anti-charismatics might be inclined to overly minimize the supernatural in the Christian life. - (Deffinbaugh) “Christian living is intended to be more supernatural than many non-charismatics say, and it is not as continually miraculous as some charismatics maintain (Acts itself is not riddled with the spectacularly miraculous). Whatever the greater works are [cf. Jn 14:12], it is not in the realm of the spectacular.” - It will require careful discernment and balance between the activity in Acts with what is taught in the Epistles (letters to churches).

- A conclusion from David Peterson that I find helpful: “Although we should be open to the possibility that God can work miracles in any age, it is important to understand the reason for signs and wonders in the NT being especially associated with the ministry of Jesus and the apostles. We should not expect God to do the same things today, envisaging them as an aspect of ‘the normal Christian life’.”

What should we walk away with today?

(application and homework)

Read Acts. Listen to it. Ask hard questions. Talk about it. Live it.

God is at work through his people whom he has chosen.

---

Related Media

Related Sermons