Written around 63AD, the book of Acts is the second half of Luke’s orderly account to Theophilus. This two-part work was written to recount the recent events surrounding the formation of Christianity. Whereas the first half dealt with the life and ministry of Jesus the second half covers the ministry of the apostles and the founding of the early church.
The Gospel of Luke is paraphrased as ‘all Jesus began to do and to teach’ (Acts 1:1). Though called the Acts of the Apostles it is more appropriately the Acts of Jesus which He did through His apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts follows on where the Gospel of Luke ends. Luke ended with Jesus explaining the gospel, how repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. He then commands His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receive power from on high. With this said, Jesus ascends into Heaven. Acts begins with an expanded account of the Ascension, the instruction to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the commission to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Acts tells us the story of the growth of the early church and how it began in Jerusalem, spread to Judea and Samaria and went on to reach the ends of the earth. The book begins in Jerusalem, the religious capital, and ends in Rome the political capital of the Roman Empire. Baptised by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles become the witnesses of Jesus Christ as they proclaim the Gospel of salvation to humanity.
Like his Gospel, Luke gathered the accounts of many eyewitnesses to the events he described. But unlike the Gospel, Luke was himself an eyewitness. Luke was a companion of Paul during his second missionary journey and later his journey to Jerusalem and Rome. Thus, Acts takes the form of a firsthand account with three ‘we/us’ passages:
16:10-40 Luke in Troas travels with Paul to Philippi
20:5-21:25 Luke in Philippi travels with Paul to Jerusalem
27:1-28 Luke travels with Paul from Caesarea onto Rome
Most of the book of Acts revolves around two main characters which are Peter and Paul. Though there is some overlap, the first half of the book centres around the ministry of Peter whereas the second half focuses on the ministry of Paul.
In chapters 1-12 Peter is the central character whilst Paul appears near the end. In chapters 13-28 Paul is the central character whilst Peter features near the beginning.
Most of what Peter is recorded doing is later done by Paul showing the similarities of both apostles in their call and ministry. Both Peter and Paul preached the Gospel to Jew and Gentile alike, however Peter would later be known as the Apostle to the Jews and Paul known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. The first half of the book though moving beyond the borders of Judea still focusses on areas with a large Jewish population. However, it is in the second half of the book that the Gospel spreads into Europe and areas that are predominantly Gentile with only small Jewish communities.
Debatably, the book of Acts can be divided into 6 sections which are identified by some similar re-occurring expressions marking the growth of the church (6:7, 9:31, 12:24, 16:5, 19:20). These verses typically describe how the Word of God spread and the disciples multiplied in number. They also serve as verses marking the transition from one stage of ministry to the next.
1:1-6:7 Jerusalem Ministry
6:8-9:31 Judea and Samaria Ministry
9:32-12:24 Wider Gentile Ministry
12:25-16:5 Paul’s Ministry in Asia
16:6-19:20 Paul’s Ministry in Europe
19:21-28:31 Paul’s return to Jerusalem and voyage to Rome
Acts begins in Jerusalem with the events surrounding Pentecost. Following the coming and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches the Gospel to the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem for the feast (2:14-40). The result is that 3,000 people believed, were baptised and the church was born (2:41-47). From the initial 120 disciples, the church grows rapidly to nearly 10,000. Under the teaching of the apostles, the church flourished in Jerusalem with the believers devoting themselves to one another in fellowship and good works.
As the church grew larger, more united opposition from the religious leaders also grew with many of the apostles imprisoned and beaten. This opposition culminated with the death of Stephen, the first Christian Martyr. It was through this persecution that many believers were scattered to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. The result was that the Gospel was preached wherever they went and in Acts 8 many Samaritans believed and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
From Acts 10, we see a transition to the wider Gentile ministry as Peter is sent to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, who, along with his entire household became the first Gentiles to believe the Gospel and receive the Holy Spirit. In addition to this, the believers who were scattered into Gentile territories also preached the gospel and many Gentiles responded.
From Acts 13 the narrative transitions from Peter to Paul a man who once persecuted the church but had encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Paul along with Barnabas are set apart by the Holy Spirit and commissioned by the church in Antioch to go out and preach the gospel. The two travel first to Cyprus and then to Asia Minor (modern day turkey). These were Gentile areas with large Jewish populations. Paul would go to the main city and preach the gospel with the idea of the gospel spreading from there. Though they would first go to the Jewish synagogue many Gentiles would also respond to the gospel. Paul would make many disciples, but before leaving he would establish churches and appoint elders (14:21-23). One of the outcomes of the first missionary journey was the growing division between Jews and Gentiles. In particular was the question of whether Gentile believers should be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses (effectively becoming Jews). This came to ahead at the council of Jerusalem. In Acts 15 the church gathers and after hearing from Peter and Paul the council decides that Gentiles do not need to be circumcised or keep the law in order to be saved. They then write a letter which is carried by Paul and others declaring the decision of the council to be delivered to Gentile believers. The second missionary journey begins with Paul revisiting the churches from the first and delivering the letter from the council of Jerusalem (15:36-16:5).
From Acts 16 we see narrative transition to Paul’s ministry in Europe. These were areas that were majority Gentile with minor Jewish populations. Seeking to go further but being prevented, Paul receives a dream where a man from Macedonia beckons him to come (16:6-10). Taking this as a sign, Paul extends his ministry into Greece setting up churches im Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea and Corinth. After a significant ministry in Corinth, he returns to Antioch in Syria. However, everywhere Paul went he encountered opposition of one kind or another. The third ministry journey mainly revolves around Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. Paul remains in Ephesus for nearly 3 years with the result that all who dwelt in Asia (Jews and Gentiles alike) heard the Word of the Lord (19:8-10). Following a riot in Ephesus, Paul departed and after a tour of Greece, he returned to Jerusalem ahead of the Passover.
On the journey to Jerusalem Paul is warned repeatedly that what awaits him is imprisonment (21:1-14). Whilst in Jerusalem, Paul is accused of bringing Greeks into the temple. The resulting commotion ends with Paul being arrested and then sent to Felix, the Roman governor of Judea (21:26-23:35). After being held for 2 years Paul appeals to Caesar and is eventually put on a ship for Rome. The journey is tumultuous and after surviving a shipwreck, Paul arrives in Rome. There, he is permitted to dwell under house arrest. And for two whole years he received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching all things concerning Jesus Christ (28:30-31).
The book of Acts began with the Gospel being preached in Jerusalem, the religious capital, and ends with the Gospel being preached in the Rome, the political capital of the Roman Empire.