Acts Introduction
Introduction
Luke wrote the book of Acts as well as the book of Luke. Acts continues the story of the good news of life in Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts the story moves from Jerusalem to other nations. It tells about the Holy Spirit coming to the believers in Jerusalem. And it tells about the teaching and work of Peter and Paul. They were followers of Jesus and leaders of the new church. People from many nations became believers.
The book of Acts has six main parts. Each part tells about a new step in the spread of the good news about Jesus. Each part is marked by words similar to “God’s word spread and grew.”
First, the church is established in Jerusalem. For the first time the Greek language is used in the church. This allowed for the message of the good news to spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Second, the message of the good news spread to Galilee and Samaria.
Third, it became clear that the message about Jesus was also for people who were not Jews.
Fourth, messengers of the good news went west into the Roman part of Asia.
Fifth, the message went from Asia into Europe.
Sixth, the last part of the book tells how the message of good news spread to Rome. Rome was the capital city of the Empire. The good news of God’s kingdom is reaching all nations.
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Acts Introduction: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Acts INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of Luke. Its chief purpose is to tell how Jesus' early followers, led by the Holy Spirit, spread the Good News about him “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. (1.8) It is the story of the Christian movement as it began among the Jewish people and went on to become a faith for the whole world. The writer was also concerned to reassure his readers that the Christians were not a subversive political threat to the Roman Empire, and that the Christian faith was the fulfilment of the Jewish religion.
Acts may be divided into three principal parts, reflecting the ever widening area in which the Good News about Jesus was proclaimed and the Church established: (1) The beginning of the Christian movement in Jerusalem following the ascension of Jesus; (2) Expansion into other parts of Palestine; (3) Further expansion, into the Mediterranean world as far as Rome.
An important feature of Acts is the activity of the Holy Spirit, who comes with power upon the believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and continues to guide and strengthen the Church and its leaders throughout the events reported in the book. The early Christian message is summarized in a number of sermons, and the events recorded in Acts show the power of this message in the lives of the believers and in the fellowship of the Church.
Outline of Contents
Preparation for the witness 1.1–26
a. Jesus' last command and promise 1.1–14
b. The successor of Judas 1.15–26
The witness in Jerusalem 2.1—8.3
The witness in Judea and Samaria 8.4—12.25
The ministry of Paul 13.1—28.31
a. The first missionary journey 13.1—14.28
b. The conference in Jerusalem 15.1–35
c. The second missionary journey 15.36—18.22
d. The third missionary journey 18.23—21.16
e. Paul a prisoner in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome 21.17—28.31
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.