Author: The book of Acts, also called the Acts of the Apostles, does not specifically identify its author. From Luke 1:1–4 and Acts 1:1–3, we know that the same author wrote both Luke and Acts. The tradition since the earliest days of the church has been that Luke, a companion of the apostle Paul, wrote the books of Luke and Acts ( Colossians 4:14 ; 2 Timothy 4:11 ).
Date of writing: The book of Acts was probably written between 61 and 64 AD. c
Purpose of Writing: The book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. The emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Acts records that the apostles were witnesses for Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding world. The book of Acts sheds light on the gift of the Holy Ghost, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. As we read the book of Acts, we are enlightened and encouraged by the power of the gospel as it spreads throughout the world and transforms lives. The apostles performed many miracles during this time to validate their message. The book of Acts covers the time of transition between the ascension of Christ and the completion of the New Testament canon, and apostolic miracles were God’s means of authenticating his message through the men who wrote the Bible.
Key Verses:
Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 2:4: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:19–20: “But Peter and John answered, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. Because we can’t stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard.’”
Acts 9:3–6: “As he was approaching Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you persecute,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go to the city, and you will be told what you must do.’”
Acts 16:31: “Then they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.'”
Brief Summary: The book of Acts gives the history of the Christian church and the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as the growing opposition to it. Although many faithful servants were used to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, Saul, also called Paul, was the most influential. Before converting, Paul zealously persecuted Christians. Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–31) is a high point of the book of Acts. After his conversion he went to the opposite extreme of loving God and preaching his Word with power and fervor in the Spirit of the true and living God. The disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1—8:3), in Judea and Samaria (8:4—12:25), and to the ends of the earth (13:1—28). :31). Included in the last section are Paul’s three missionary journeys (13:1—21:16), his trials in Jerusalem and Caesarea (21:17—26:32), and his journey to Rome (27:1). —28: 31).
Connections: The book of Acts serves as a transition from the Old Covenant to the New. This transition is seen in several key events in Acts. First, there was a change in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose main function in the Old Testament was the external “anointing” of God’s people, including Moses ( Numbers 11:17 ), Othniel ( Judges 3:8–10 ), Gideon ( Judges 6:34 ) and Saul ( 1 Samuel 10:6–10). After Jesus’ ascension, the Spirit came to live in the very hearts of believers ( Romans 8:9–11 ; 1 Corinthians 3:16 ), guiding and empowering them from within. The indwelling Spirit is God’s gift to those who come to Him in faith.
Paul’s conversion in Acts 9 is a dramatic example of God’s saving power (see Romans 1:16) and the opening of spiritually blind eyes. Paul admitted that, before meeting the risen Savior, he was the most zealous of the Israelites and was above reproach “as to righteousness based on law” ( Philippians 3:6 ), even going so far as to persecute those who They taught salvation by grace through faith in Christ. But, after his conversion, Paul realized that all his legalistic efforts were futile, calling them “rubbish, to win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is by law, but that which is It is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that is from God, and through faith” ( Philippians 3:8–9 ). Before meeting Christ, Paul had been blinded by a self-righteous misunderstanding of the law and an inflated opinion of his own righteousness. After meeting Christ, “the scales fell from Saul’s eyes,” so to speak ( Acts 9:18 ). Her boasting of his own goodness was replaced by his glory in the cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:27; Galatians 6:14).
Peter’s vision of the canvas full of unclean animals in Acts 10:9–15 is another sign of the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant unity of Jew and Gentile in one universal Church. The “unclean” animals in Peter’s vision symbolized the Gentiles, who were declared “cleansed” by God through the sacrificial death of Christ. The Old Covenant law had served its purpose (see Galatians 3:23–29), and both Jews and Gentiles are united in the New Covenant of grace through their faith in Christ’s death and resurrection.
Practical Application: God can do amazing things through ordinary people when He empowers them through His Spirit. The book of Acts shows how God essentially took a group of fishermen and commoners and used them to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). God took a murderer who hated Christians and turned him into the greatest Christian evangelist in history, the author of nearly half the books of the New Testament. God used the persecution Christians endured to help spur the incredibly rapid expansion of the early church. God can and does do the same through us: change our hearts, empower us with the Holy Spirit, and give us a passion to spread the good news of salvation through Christ. If we try to carry out God’s work in the world with our own power, we will fail. Like the disciples in Acts 2, we are to faithfully proclaim the gospel, trust God for the results, and devote ourselves “to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” ( Acts 2:42 ).