ACTS

Introduction: Acts is a selective history of the early church following the resurrection of Christ. We have 4 accounts of Jesus, but only one of the early church, where the author Luke traces only the ministries of Peter (chs. 1-12) and Paul (chs. 13-28). So Acts or the "Acts of the Apostles" occupies an indispensable place in the Bible. It is the first work of church history ever penned, where Acts records the initial response to the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20), as it provides information on the first 3 decades of the church's existence, which is found nowhere else in the NT. Acts:

1. emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth was Israel's long-awaited Messiah,
2. declares that the gospel is offered to all men (not merely the Jewish people), and
3. stresses the work of the Holy Spirit (mentioned > 50 times)
   

As Hebrews sets forth the theology of the transition from the Old Covenant to the New, Acts depicts the New Covenant's practical outworking in the life of the church.

Theme: In Acts, Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ (the gospel) among both Jews and Gentiles, and in doing this they establish the church. Acts explains how Christianity, though it is new, is rooted in God's promise from the beginning of time. Luke presents the church as the fulfillment and extension of God's promises by quoting the OT extensively. (Acts 2:17-21 [Joel 2:28-32]; Acts 2:25-28 [Ps 16:8-11]; Acts 2:35 [Ps 110:1}; Acts 4:11 [Ps 118:22]; Acts 4:25-26 [Ps 2:1-2]; Acts 7:49-50 [Isa 66:1-2]; Acts 8:32-33 [Isa 53:7-8]; Acts 28:26-27 [Isa 6:9-10])

Purpose: Studying Acts brings us into close proximity with the early church, and with the way the early church was shaped by the gospel. The mission of the church, which remains incomplete and which reminds us of what remains to be done, is to be a witness to the resurrected Christ, beginning locally where we are and continuing "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), as an "Acts 29."

Overview: Acts was likely written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.The author Luke the physician was the companion of Paul from his 2nd missionary journey onwards. Acts is a careful history of the development of the early church.

Luke begins his story with the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentacost. This was followed by the honeymoon period of the rapidly growing Spirit-filled church in Jerusalem, which was abruptly terminated by opposition of the Jewish authorities. This set the stage for the Gentile mission by Stephen's martyrdom, Philip's evangelism, the conversions of Saul and Cornelius, and the founding of the 1st Greek church in Antioch, from which the world-wide Christian mission was launched. Paul and Barnabas evangelized Cyprus and Galatia during the 1st journey, Europe was reached during the 2nd journey (including Athens and Corinth) and Ephesus on the 3rd. Then Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, followed by a series of court trials, his appeal to Caesar, and the long sea voyage to Rome, the city of his dreams. Acts ends with Paul restricted to his own rented house, but unrestricted in his preaching of the gospel.

Application: John Calvin called Acts "a kind of vast treasure." Martyn Lloyd-Jones says of Acts: "Live in that book, I exhort you: it is a tonic, the greatest tonic I know of in the realm of the Spirit." Calvin also said of Acts: "spatial distance does not prevent Christ from being always present with his own, as he promised." Through Acts, may I/we understand the way Christ's continuing presence and power enables me/us to fulfill his commission. Like the NT church, we face relentless opposition to the gospel, where planting and growing churches always poses challenges. But Acts clearly demonstrates that no obstacle can withstand the power of the gospel--the power of the Holy Spirit, which Acts teaches us to "expect great things" when the gospel is clearly proclaimed.

References:

1. The Message of Acts (18 chap), John R.W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today, 1990
   
2. Acts (59 chap), Derek W.H. Thomas, Reformed Expository Commentary, 2011
3. ESV Study Bible, 2008
   
4. The Reformation Study Bible, 2005
5. The MacArthur Study Bible, 2006