Introduction

The Book of Acts tells us about the movement of the Gospel and Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome. The focus of the book moves from Jesus to the apostles.

Although Luke hardly tells us anything about church order or organisation, the book is a historical record of the church in the first 30 years. Some call the book the Acts of the Apostles, whilst others call it the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

The Book of Acts and the Gospel of Luke belong together. Together they record what Jesus began to do whilst He was in the flesh and continued to do in Spirit and so, Acts is the continuation of the Gospel of Luke.

The book makes no sense without the Gospel of Luke and so, it was written with the Gospel of Luke in mind. Acts follows the Gospel of Luke but they are not the same. Luke deals with the physical activity of Christ, whilst Acts deals with the spiritual activity of Christ.

The book helps us to understand connections. Paul to the Philippians helps us to explain the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. It helps us to explain the position of the Gentiles with regards to the prophecy and promises historical links.

It links the life of Jesus to places like Rome, etc. It provides a needed setting, the background to the rest of the New Testament and it provides the historic background and setting. The book brings the New Testament letters to life and the book’s historicity.

In the 1900s the book was under attack, some said that there was a conflict between Peter and Paul, and others said, that Luke wasn’t qualified enough to write it.

William Ramsay wrote the book called ‘St Paul the Traveller and Roman citizen,’ and he thought the Book of Acts was inaccurate. So he went all out to prove the book wrong but instead he found it to be true. He visited all the areas mentioned in Acts but came across evidence that proves the book to be accurate.

Author

Luke wrote the book and he is writing to a Roman official named Theophilus. The opening words of the Gospel of Luke and Acts both speak of Theophilus, Luke 1:1-3 / Acts 1:1, which suggests that Acts and the Gospel of Luke are both written by the same person.

There are no less than fifty Greek words that are found in both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, which are not found anywhere else in the rest of the New Testament.

Although Luke is never mentioned by name in the book, he uses the words ‘we’, and ‘us’ in the second half of the book, Acts 16:10. The word ‘we’, implies that the person who is writing the book is there and part of the action. The ‘we’ and the ‘us’, in Acts 16:10, are referring to Luke and Paul.

Luke was a travelling companion of Paul, he was there in Rome with Paul, Colossians 4:14 / Philemon 24 / 2 Timothy 4:9-12. We also know that he was a doctor, Colossians 4:14, possibly Paul’s personal doctor who went with him on his travels.

When we read Luke’s Gospel account, we can see that he had a very special interest in sick people and their diseases, Luke 4:38-39 / Luke 5:12 / Luke 6:6.

When Jesus was talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle, it is interesting because when Matthew and Mark write about it, they use a Greek word which means a ‘household needle’, Matthew 19:24 / Mark 10:25, but when Luke records this event, he uses the Greek word for a ‘surgeon’s needle,’ Luke 18:25.

Date

Paul is in prison around A.D. 61-63, and the book ends with Paul in prison and so the book was finished around A.D. 63. The book tells us nothing about what happens to Paul after his release, but we do know that he was executed around A.D. 67-68.

Theme

When we read through the book, we see God’s continued desired to have fellowship with mankind. We read about the preaching of Christ, and the power of the Word when it is being preached. We also read about the growth of the community of believers, we see progress despite opposition.

We read about the inclusion of the Gentiles and the daily life of the community of believers. The biggest theme is the continued work of Christ in and through His people, they are all interwoven with each other.

Outline

The arrival of the Spirit. Acts 1-2
Early days in Jerusalem. Acts 3-5
Beyond Jerusalem. Acts 6-9
Enter the Gentiles. Acts 10-12
The Asia minor mission and its consequences. Acts 13-15
The Macedonian and Grecian mission. Acts 16-18
Back to Asia. Acts 19-20
The missionaries arrest and imprisonment. Acts 21-28

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