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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
August 28, 2005
The Book of Acts: Introduction
Acts 1:1-8
This morning we begin a journey through the history of the early church as recorded in the Book of Acts. It is a journey I have been looking forward to going through with you as I have been reading through this book over and over again the last month or so. I have found Acts to be a fascinating account of the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. It is full of great examples of the faith of the first believers as they overcame personal difficulties, persecution and opposition from those who rejected the claim of salvation through Jesus Christ who was resurrected from the dead.
Avoiding Error
This morning will be an introduction and overview of the book. Some of this may seem a little on the academic side, but it is important that we lay a firm foundation as we begin our study because many have fallen into theological error, aberration and even heresy because they failed to gain an understanding of the overall purpose and structure of the book before developing theology on particular texts within the book. That same error can occur in the study of any of the books of the Bible, but it is of particular danger in Acts because it is an historical book which records the transition between the Old Covenant and dispensation of the law (period of time in which God operated through the Nation of Israel and the Mosaic Law) and the New Covenant and the dispensation of the church (period of time in which God is operating through the Church and the gospel message).
It is important to stress this transitional nature of the book of Acts from the start of our study. Acts accurately records particular events and the actions and reactions of people in tracing its various themes. It is not a direct commentary on the proper understanding of those events, the theology taught in them, or even the proper response of that Christians should have to similar experiences. That is the purpose of the epistles. For example, Acts 5:1-11 we have the story of Annanias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit and their consequential deaths. While the story is a great illustration about the importance of not lying, especially to the Holy Spirit, it would be wrong to use this as the basis for teaching that every believer that lies will supernaturally die when confronted about it by their church leader. If you want to know about God’s commands to Christians concerning lying you would go to a passage such as Colossians 3:9 (Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its [evil] practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him). If you want to know about God’s response to Christians who sin, you would go to a passage such as Hebrews 12:4-11 which includes the statement, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
My point is simply that we must be careful of using Acts as a foundation for our theology since Luke was writing as an historian and not a theologian. Acts contains theological insights and examples, especially in its many recorded speeches, but we are to go to the Epistles for our theological foundations since that was their purpose.
Authorship
Lets cover some of the basic information about the book before we lay out an overview of it. The first question to address is authorship. Who wrote it? It clear from the usage of the term “we” in many sections of Acts (16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 17:1-28:16) that the author traveled with Paul during part of his second and third missionary journeys as well as the trip to Rome. Paul cites Luke as being with him during this period in Col. 4:14 (in which Paul calls him “the beloved physician.”); 2 Tim. 4:11 and Philemon 1:24. The unanimous voice of early church tradition, beginning with Irenaeus in A.D 185, is that Luke is the author of Acts. This is the same Luke that wrote the gospel account that bears his name. Extra Biblical literature (anti-Marcionite prologue) tells us that Luke was a Syrian physician from Antioch that became a Christian and then accompanied Paul until his martyrdom. He then continued to serve the Lord “without distraction, without a wife, without children, and at the age of eighty-four he fell asleep in Boeotia, full of the Holy Spirit.”
Date
The second question to address is when did Luke write this account? Without going into all the detail, it is probable that Acts was written about A.D. 62 since Acts concludes with Paul having been in jail for two years and Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment that year. Any later date cannot explain why Luke would have ended Acts so abruptly and not included significant events that occurred after A.D. 62. Early chapters could have been researched while with Paul in Jerusalem. Those that argue for a later date generally due so because they believe that Luke wrote based on the gospel of Mark and the writings of Josephus (a very questionable belief to begin with) and that Luke 19:43,44 and 21:20-24 which describes the destruction of Jerusalem were based on recorded history instead of prophecy by Jesus as recorded in the text.
Basis of Writing
A third question that needs to be addressed is on what basis did Luke write Acts. Matthew and John both wrote on the basis of being first hand witnesses of what they recorded, and Luke is a first hand witness to some of the things he writes, but what was the source of the rest of his material? I suppose I will never cease to be amazed at the speculations that liberal scholars will go to in answering such questions because they refuse to believe what the author himself states. In Acts 1:1 we find that Luke is writing on the same basis that he did in compiling the gospel of Luke. He states, The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Acts is actually a continuation of what he began in Luke. A comparison of Luke 24 and Acts 1 shows the harmony of thought in detail. Both record Jesus eating with the apostles, the promise of the Father, that they would be given power from God, that they would be witnesses of Jesus, they were on the Mt. of Olives near Bethany, that they saw Jesus taken up to heaven, that they then returned to Jerusalem praising God and praying. Acts 1 is a quick re-statement of what occurs in Luke 24 just as you would expect in a book that would continue the story of an earlier book.
Luke 1:1-4 states how Luke gathered his information and for what purpose. “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed them down to us, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write [it] out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
In short, Luke writes on the basis of his own investigation of eyewitnesses and the accounts those eyewitnesses passed on to others. A careful study of Acts shows that Luke is an excellent historian both in his first hand accounts and in his accurate recording of the information other people gave him. For example, though Luke is an excellent Greek writer himself, his style varies and adjusts depending on the source of his information. When he recounts Peter’s speeches the Greek grammar used parallels that of Peter’s own writings. Similar parallelism is seen in Luke’s recording of Paul’s speeches and Paul’s own writings.
It should also be pointed out that though liberal scholars used to scoff at some of the details Luke record as being inaccurate to history (such as the names of places and titles of officials), they have had to recant as archeological research continues to reveal that Luke is right and liberal scholars are wrong.
What this means to us is that Luke is an accurate and faithful historian. You can believe what he has written is a faithful and true record of historical events and not something that he has made up on his own. Like the rest of the Bible, you can trust it.
Purpose
The final preliminary question that we must answer is what is the purpose of the book of Acts? Why did Luke write this book?
As already cited in Acts 1:1-3 and Luke 1:1-4, Luke is writing to “most excellent Theophilus.” Theophilus is a Greek man whose name means “friend of God.” We assume he belongs to the educated ruling class of society since Luke gives him the title of “most excellent.” As Acts 1:1 states, Luke’s first account, the Gospel of Luke, concerned “all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when He was taken up.” Luke 1:3 states that this was written out in “consecutive order” so that Theophilus “might know the exact truth about the things” he had been taught. Luke’s first account was a careful historical account of Jesus’ life and teachings from birth to ascension. As I mentioned earlier, it is important to keep that in mind through the rest of our study. Luke’s purpose is to give an historical account, not a theological one. Writing history and interpreting history are two different activities. Acts records events. The epistles give us the theological understanding to interpret them.
Luke’s first book covers Jesus’s life from birth to ascension. The clue to the purpose of Luke’s second book is in Acts 1:2, “until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.” The book of Acts concerns the carrying out of the commands that Jesus by the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostles just prior to His ascension. What commands in specific is Luke interested in? He records that in Acts 1:3-8. “To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over [a period of] forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” [He said,] “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
In Acts 1:3 Luke makes emphasis upon the proofs of Jesus’ resurrection that occurred over a period of forty days during which He gave the apostles further instruction concerning the kingdom of God. Throughout Acts we will see that Luke will emphasize Jesus’ resurrection as a pivotal part of the gospel message. Several times we find groups that are interested in the gospel message until Jesus’ resurrection is presented. We will look at that in more detail next week.
In Acts 1:4,5 Jesus gives them the command to remain in Jerusalem until they are baptized with the Holy Spirit. In verse 6 they immediately wonder if this will coincide with the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. In verse 7 Jesus directs them off of what is a secondary issue that they do not need to be concerned about and focuses them back onto the priority given in verse 8, “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
That is what the Book of Acts is about. It is a selective historical account of certain of the apostles carrying out this command. They would receive power from the Holy Spirit and that power would be evidenced in their boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ starting in Jerusalem and continuing on throughout Judea, then to Samaria and then to the remotest part of the earth. I say it is selective account because Luke’s concentration is on Peter (chapters 1-12) and Paul (chapters 13-28). With the exception of John and James, the other apostles are only mentioned by name in chapter 1, and Luke only references James and John while they are still in Jerusalem. At the end of our study of Acts I will tell you about what church tradition tells about what each of the other Apostles accomplished, but Luke concentrates on Peter and Paul. Part of the reason for this is that God used Peter to open the door to taking the gospel to the Gentiles, and Paul went through that door spreading the gospel throughout the Roman world. They are the representatives of what the other Apostles did and the models for us to follow as well.
This book is entitled ACTS, or as many of your translations have it, “The Acts of the Apostles.” Some later manuscripts entitle it “The Acts of the Holy Apostles” or “Acts of the Holy Apostles of Luke the Evangelist.” Whatever title you have in your Bible, keep in mind that what is going on through this book is a selective historical recording of the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit into the lives of the Apostles and through them to the world. Jesus told them in John 16:7 that when He departed from them He would send the paraklhtoV translated as “Helper,” “Comforter,” or “Counselor,” who is the “Spirit of Truth” (vs. 13) Who would guide them into all the truth and would glorify Jesus (vs. 14). The lives of the Apostles were tied to Christ. Paul put this best in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” So in a real sense, the book of Acts is the continuing story of Jesus Christ working through His Church. Though the book concludes with Paul, it is a story that is not yet finished because Jesus is still working through His church, which is each of you who is His follower. The Holy Spirit still indwells believers and empowers them to live for Him and boldly witness of Him.
Overview : Acts 1:8 not only serves as the theme verse, but also as the outline.
I. Witnesses in Jerusalem (1:1-8:3)
A. Apostles Commissioned (1)
B. Church Established (2)
C. The Church Ministers (3)
D. Persecution Begins (4, 5)
E. Ministry Expands (6, 7)
F. The Church is Scattered (8:1-3)
II. Witnesses in Samaria & Judea (8:4-12:25)
A. Witness to Samaria (8:4-25)
B. Witness to Judea (8:26-40)
C. Conversion of Saul (9)
D. Witness to Gentiles (10,11)
E. Witnesses Protected (12)
III. Witnesses to the Remotest Part of the Earth (13:1-28:31)
A. First Missionary Journey (13,14)
B. Jerusalem Council (15:1-35)
C. Second Missionary Journey (15:36-18:22)
D. Third Missionary Journey (18:23-21:16)
E. Paul’s Arrest & Trials (21:17-26:32)
F. Voyage to & Stay at Rome (27,28)
Three prominent themes in Acts are the Power of the Holy Spirit, Missions and overcoming opposition. A quick tracing of these themes will give us an overview of the book and show the transition that takes place from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.
Power of the Holy Spirit:
In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit could come upon a person, but He could also leave that person. David saw that happen to King Saul and that is why in David’s confession of sin in Psalm 51 David also petitioned God not to take the Holy Spirit away from him (vs. 11). In the New Testament the Holy Spirit indwells the believer forever (Rom. 8:9,11; John 14:16,17). In the book of Acts we see Holy Spirit poured out upon disciples in chapter 2, which was the birth of the church, and then manifest Himself in power upon them by both an outward sign and an outward action. The manifestation of the promise of being “baptized with the Holy Spirit” was speaking in other tongues which was in fulfillment with Old Testament prophecies of both Joel 2, as Peter explains in Acts 2, and Isaiah 28:11, as Paul explains in 1 Cor. 14:21,22. The outward action which then followed was the bold proclamation of the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ in keeping with Jesus’ prophecy in verse 8.
The outward sign of speaking in tongues as the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what convinced these early Jewish believers that other people were also to be part of the church. Remember that the Jewish people, including the apostles, were very ethno-centric in their thinking. They thought that salvation was only for the Jews and those that would convert to Judaism, though Gentile converts were always second class in their religious structure. In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit fills each of the Jewish believers and they speak in at least 15 different languages. Peter then explains that this was the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy. It is also important to note in verse 11 that what they were speaking was the “mighty deeds of God.” The sign was not just how they were speaking, but the subject matter of their speech too. More on that in a minute.
Luke points out the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the gospel goes to different people. In 8:14-17 the Samaritans receive the Holy Spirit when Peter and John lay hands on them. In 10:44-48 while Peter is preaching to a group of devout Gentiles, the Holy Spirit comes upon all who were listening and they speak with tongues and exalt God at which Peter concludes that since these Gentiles received the Holy Spirit just as he had earlier, then they should also be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. In chapter 11 Peter reports this when he returns to Jerusalem and the Jewish believers there glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance to life.” Peter reported this again in Acts 15 when the Jerusalem council in opposition to those that were saying that the Gentile believers would also have to observe the Mosaic Law. Luke’s final specific mention of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is in Acts 19:1-7 when Paul is at Ephesus and runs into a group of disciples of John the Baptist. After he baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus he lays hands on them and Holy Spirit came upon them manifested by speaking with tongues and prophesying. Luke cites these manifestations of the Holy Spirit as the gospel expands to new people groups who are more distance from Jews, Judaism and Jerusalem.
Missions – Proclamation & Opposition
Luke makes even more references to the Holy Spirit giving a person power to be bold witnesses of Christ. Tracing this theme we also find the expansion of missions. It begins in chapter 2 when all the people who were filled with the Spirit were speaking of the “mighty deeds of God” and then Peter, who less than two months before had cursed and then run away when a servant girl accused him of being a friend of Jesus, now boldly proclaims the gospel including charging his audience with the responsibility for crucifying Jesus. In chapters 3,4 & 5 we find Peter and John continuing to boldly proclaim Christ despite rising opposition. Peter begins his bold defense before the Sanhedrin after he is “filled with the Holy Spirit.” In 4:31 they have reported to the other believers what had happened. They then prayed resulting in the place they were at being shaken and all of them being filled with the Holy Spirit began to “speak the word of God with boldness.” In chapter 6 the disciples look for men who were “full of the Spirit” to help with caring for needs within the church. One of those men chosen is Stephen who verse 8 says “full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs.” Those arguing with him were unable to cope with “the wisdom and Spirit with which he was speaking” (vs. 10), so they send in false witnesses. In chapter 7 Stephen still gives a bold defense that “cut them to the quick” resulting in their stoning him.
In chapter 8 we find Philip, another one of the men from Acts 6 who were full of the Spirit, preaching in Samaria, then to the Ethiopian eunuch along the desert road going to Gaza, then Azotus and north along the coast to Caesarea. In chapter 9 Paul is converted on the road to Damascus. When he gets to Damascus, Ananias lays hand on Paul and he is filled with the spirit (vs. 17), after which he is baptized (vs. 18), and then within a few days he is proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues (vs. 19-21). He so effective that “when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him” (vs. 23). He escapes and goes to Jerusalem where he was also “speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord” (vs. 28) until a there were attempts to kill him after which he was sent to Caesarea and then to Tarsus. During this same period of time Peter had gone down to Lydda and the Joppa.
In Chapter 10 Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort, receives a vision from God and sends for Peter, who having also had a vision from God, goes to Caesarea and preaches the gospel there. These devout Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit while Peter is still speaking and were speaking with tongues and exalting God after which they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (vs. 44-48). In Chapter 11 Peter reports these events to the believers in Jerusalem. The end of the chapter reports about Barnabas, who was full of the Holy Spirit, joining those who were from Cyprus and Cyrene that were witnessing to the Gentiles in Antioch with the result that considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. Peter is imprisoned in Chapter 12, but is miraculously released by an Angel, then goes to another place.
In chapter 13 the Holy Spirit sets apart Paul and Barnabas and the first missionary journey begins. They travel to Salamis where they begin to proclaim the gospel. In Paphos, Elymas the magician opposes Paul, but being filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul blinds him. He and Barnabas continue on to Perga, then Psidian Antioch where after preaching to the Jews and finding strong opposition they turn to the Gentiles. Those disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Paul and Barnabas continued on to Iconium were they were again opposed so they went on to Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe. Strong opposition in Lystra resulted in Paul being stoned, but though they left him for dead, he got up and continued on preaching going back through the same cities he had been through before.
In Acts 15 the Jerusalem council is led by the Spirit (vs. 28) to conclude that Gentile converts did not need to keep the Mosaic Law. The gospel would be a message of God’s grace and not law. Soon after this council Paul beings the second missionary journey, which being led by the Spirit brought Paul not only back through placed he and been before in Syria, Cilicia, Derbe, Lystra then up through the Phrygian and Galatian region, then up to Mysia and finally to Europe. He went first to Philippi in Macedonia, then Thessalonica, Berea and then to Athens presents the gospel to the philosophers at the Areopagus. In Chapter 18 Paul goes on to Corinth where he ministers for 1 ½ years before returning to Caesarea and then back to Antioch.
After some time Paul begins the third missionary journey traveling again the Galatian and Phyrigian regions then to Ephesus where he meets the disciples of John and lays hand on them so that they receive the Holy Spirit. He debates in the synagogue there for three months (19:8) before opposition caused him to withdraw and instead reason daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years (19:9,10). After this Paul returned through Macedonia and Achaia with plans to eventually go to Rome (19:21) though he would return to Jerusalem first with the relief money he had collected for the poor. Paul backtracked through Macedonia then to Troas, Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Miletus (where he gave his farewell address to the Ephesian Elders – ch. 20), then to Cos, Rhodes, Patara, past Cyprus and on to Tyre where he spent several days with disciples there. A prophet there also warned him that he would be imprisoned in Jerusalem, but this did not dissuade Paul (Ch. 21).
Paul finally arrives in Jerusalem and while in the temple keeping a vow he had made some Jews from Asia saw him and stirred up a mob. He is rescued by a Roman guard that arrests him, but this begins an imprisonment that lasts over four years. Paul gives his testimony and proclaims Jesus to the Jewish mob in the temple (ch. 22), before the Sanhedrin (ch. 23), before the governor Felix (ch. 24) and his replacement Festus along with King Agrippa. (ch. 25,26). His appeal to Caesar would eventually take him to Rome where he would witness for two years while waiting for his hearing (28). And though plots were made to kill him, and he endured a shipwreck (27), God’s plans to have the gospel proclaimed by Paul were never thwarted. Though Acts is only a limited record, the same was true for the other Apostles. They received power from the Holy Spirit and became witnesses for Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world. What Jesus had told them back in Matthew 10:18 when He first chose them came true. They would be “brought before governors and kings for [His] sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”
The book of Acts concludes with Paul “preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.” In a real sense, Acts is a story without end. As I mentioned earlier, the work of Jesus Christ continues on today through those He has called to Himself to be His followers. The power of the Holy Spirit is still for us today that we might proclaim the gospel message with boldness. That will be our continual challenge in the months to come. You are the next chapter in Acts. It will be an exciting adventure to see what will be written by your life.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up. 2) Count how many times the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Talk with your parents about how God changed the world through the apostles.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others.
What principles must we apply in studying the Bible so that we do not fall into error or heresy? Explain the difference between an historical book and a theological book. How do you interpret each?. Who wrote Acts? When did he write it? How did he write it? What was his purpose(s) of writing it? Explain. What is the theme of Acts? How does the baptism of the Holy Spirit manifest itself in Acts? Why does Luke note this manifestation sometimes, but not every time? Does this manifestation still occur today in the same way? Why or why not? Throughout Acts we find that when a person was filled with the Holy Spirit they were enabled to do something – what was it? Cite examples of this in Acts. Does this still occur today? Why or why not? How does your life demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working in you? If it does not, what needs to change? When will you change it?
Sermon Notes – 8/28/05 a.m.
The Book of Acts – Introduction
Avoiding Error
Authorship:
Date:
Basis of Writing
Purpose:
I. Witnesses in Jerusalem (1:1-8:3)
A. Apostles Commissioned (1)
B. Church Established (2)
C. The Church Ministers (3)
D. Persecution Begins (4, 5)
E. Ministry Expands (6, 7)
F. The Church is Scattered (8:1-3)
II. Witnesses in Samaria & Judea (8:4-12:25)
A. Witness to Samaria (8:4-25)
B. Witness to Judea (8:26-40)
C. Conversion of Saul (9)
D. Witness to Gentiles (10,11)
E. Witnesses Protected (12)
III. Witnesses to the Remotest Part of the Earth (13:1-28:31)
A. First Missionary Journey (13,14)
B. Jerusalem Council (15:1-35)
C. Second Missionary Journey (15:36-18:22)
D. Third Missionary Journey (18:23-21:16)
E. Paul’s Arrest & Trials (21:17-26:32)
F. Voyage to & Stay at Rome (27,28)
Power of the Holy Spirit
Missions: Proclamation & Opposition
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