The great missionary commission given in the 4 Gospels is confirmed in Acts.
Acts furnishes a ladder on which to place the Epistles.
Acts is a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles.
The New Testament without Acts leaves a great, yawning gap. “If the Book of Acts were gone, there would be nothing to replace it” (Howson).
WRITER: Dr. Luke, who also wrote the third Gospel (Act_1:1). Sir William Ramsay says that Luke is the greatest of all historians, ancient or modern (The Church in the Roman Empire before A.D. 170; St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen).
DATE: About A.D. 63
Acts covers a period of approximately 30 years. This is the inspired record of the beginnings of the church. While Genesis records the origin of the physical universe, Acts records the origin of the spiritual body.
KEY VERSE:
But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Act_1:8)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Prominence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Prominence of the Holy Spirit.
Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit (Joh_7:37-39; Joh_14:16-17; Joh_20:22; Act_1:8). This is the age of the Holy Spirit. The great fact of this age is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1Co_6:19).
3. Power of the church.
4. Prominence of the church, visible and invisible (a new institution).
5. Prominence of places — begins in Jerusalem, ends in Rome. (Ramsay checked the many places referred to.)
6. Prominence of persons — Dr. Luke mentions 110 persons by name.
7. Prominence of the resurrection, the center of gospel preaching.
8. Prominence of Peter in the first section, and Paul in the last section. (There is a strange omission of the other apostles.)
TITLE:
The proper title for this historical book is the supreme problem.
“The Acts of the Apostles” — Authorized and Revised Versions
“The Acts of the Apostles” — Codex Vaticanus (MSS)
“The Acts of the Ascended and Glorified Lord” — Robert Lee
“Words Concerning Deeds” — Bantu title
Act_1:1-2 gives the key to the problem: “The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles” (human instrumentalities).
OUTLINE:
I. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem, Chapters 1 — 7
A. Preparation for the coming of the Spirit, Chapter 1
1. Introduction, Act_1:1-2
2. 40 days post-resurrection ministry of Jesus, Act_1:3-9
3. Ascension and promise of the return of Jesus, Act_1:10-11
4. Waiting for the Spirit, Act_1:12-14
5. Appointment of an apostle, Act_1:15-26
B. Day of Pentecost (Bethlehem of the Holy Spirit), Chapter 2
1. Coming of the Holy Spirit, Act_2:1-13
2. 1st sermon in the church age by Peter, Act_2:14-47
C. 1st miracle of the church; Peter’s 2nd sermon, Chapter 3
1. Healing of lame man, Act_3:1-11
2. Appealing and revealing address of Peter, Act_3:12-26
3. Believing 5000 men (results), Act_4:4
D. 1st persecution of the church; power of the Holy Spirit, Chapter 4
E. Death of Ananias and Sapphira; 2nd persecution, Chapter 5
(Discipline within and persecution without)
F. Appointment of deacons; witness of Stephen, a deacon, Chapter 6
G. Stephen’s address and martyrdom (1st martyr), Chapter 7
II. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Judæa and Samaria, Chapters 8 — 12
A. Conversion of Ethiopian Eunuch (son of Ham), Chapter 8
B. Conversion of Saul of Tarsus (son of Shem), Chapter 9
C. Conversion of Cornelius, Roman centurion (son of Japheth), Chapter 10
D. Peter defends his ministry; gospel goes to Antioch, Chapter 11
E. Death of James; arrest of Peter, Chapter 12
III. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles to the uttermost part of the earth, Chapters 13 — 28
A. 1st missionary journey of Paul, Chapters 13, 14
B. Council at Jerusalem, Chapter 15
C. 2nd missionary journey of Paul, Act_15:36 — Act_16:40
D. 2nd missionary journey (continued) Paul in Thessalonica, Athens, Chapter 17
E. 2nd missionary journey (concluded) Paul in Corinth; Apollos in Ephesus, Chapter 18
F. 3rd missionary journey, Act_18:23 — Act_21:14 Paul in Ephesus, Chapter 19
G. 3rd missionary journey of Paul (continued), Chapter 20
H. Paul goes to Jerusalem and is arrested, Chapter 21
I. Paul’s defense before the mob at Jerusalem, Chapter 22
J. Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin, Chapter 23
K. Paul before Felix, Chapter 24
L. Paul before Festus, Chapter 25
M. Paul before Agrippa, Chapter 26
N. Paul goes to Rome via storm and shipwreck, Chapter 27
O. Paul arrives in Rome, Chapter 28 (Last seen preaching to Gentiles)
COMMENT:
I. The Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem, Chapters 1 — 7
Chapter 1 — Gives the post-resurrection ministry and ascension of Jesus, and the 10-day interval before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Act_1:1-2 — Theophilus, the one addressed, is one of the unknown disciples in the early church whose name means “lover of God” or “loved of God.” Luke’s primary objective is to show that Jesus continued His work and ministry after His resurrection but from a different position (see Act_2:33).
Act_1:3 — There are 10 recorded appearances of Jesus after His resurrection. This ministry has a more important bearing on the lives of Christians today than the 3-year ministry recorded in the 4 Gospels (see author’s book, The Empty Tomb). “The kingdom of God” includes not only His purpose in the church but reaches beyond to the re-establishment of the house of David (see Act_15:14-17).
Act_1:4 — “The promise of the Father” is the Holy Spirit (see Joh_16:7-15).
Act_1:5 — Water baptism is ritual baptism; the Holy Spirit is real baptism.
Act_1:6 — This is not a foolish question. The kingdom will be restored to Israel.
Act_1:7 — Jesus does not rebuke them. He merely says that the times and seasons for the establishment of the kingdom are not available to man.
Act_1:8 — This is not a corporate commission given to the church as a body, but a private and personal command given to each believer.
Act_1:9 — The ascension is an important and significant miracle in the ministry of Jesus. This is especially true in the space age with eyes turned aloft. “Cloud” means the Shekinah Glory cloud that filled the tabernacle (see Exo_40:38). He is surrounded with the glory He had before Bethlehem (Joh_17:5).
Act_1:10-11 — Note the witness of the two angels who appeared as men. “This same Jesus” (Act_1:11) means that in His glorified body He will return to earth to the same place (Zec_14:4).
Act_1:12-14 — This is the 10-day interval between His ascension and Pentecost. The attitude of the apostles and believers is that of oneness, prayer, and waiting. This period cannot be duplicated today, for the Holy Spirit has already come.
Act_1:15-26 — The election to choose a successor to Judas Iscariot is conducted by Peter without the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit — the Holy Spirit had not yet come. Matthias was evidently a good man who met the requirements of an apostle and apparently was an apostle. The Holy Spirit, however, ignored him, for he never is mentioned again in the Scriptures. The successor, we believe, to Judas Iscariot was Saul of Tarsus, chosen personally by the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal_1:1).
Chapter 2 — Records the fulfillment of Pentecost, Peter’s sermon, and the primary church.
Act_2:1 — Pentecost took place 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (see author’s book, Learning Through Leviticus, Vol. 2, on Lev_23:15-22). “Fully come” means that this was the fulfillment of the meaning and purpose for which it was given. As the Feast of Passover depicts the death of Christ and the Feast of Firstfruits depicts the resurrection of Christ, the Feast of Pentecost depicts the beginning and origin of the church. (Five minutes before the Day of Pentecost there was no church; five minutes after the Day of Pentecost there was the church.) What Bethlehem was to the birth of Christ, Pentecost and Jerusalem were to the coming of the Holy Spirit. He began to baptize believers, which means He placed them in the body of Christ — identifying them with Christ as His body on earth (see 1Co_12:12-13).
Act_2:2 — It was not a wind but there was a sound “like a” wind. “Rushing mighty wind” means that it had the sound of a tornado so that all of Jerusalem evidently heard it. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of a thousand freight trains. It was an appeal to the ear gate.
Act_2:3 — “As of fire” means that it was not fire but looked like fire, appealing to the eye gate. This was not the baptism of fire, which is judgment yet to come, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Act_2:4 — “All filled with the Holy Spirit” indicates that all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit to believers in this age had already been performed, as they occur in this order:
1. Regenerating (Joh_3:5);
2. Indwelling (Rom_8:9);
3. Sealing (Eph_4:30);
4. Baptizing (Act_1:5; 1Co_12:12-13).
The experience of Pentecost came from the filling of the Spirit — not the baptizing of the Spirit. The baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit placed them in the church, the new body that came into existence here for the first time. “Other tongues” were not unknown tongues, but the polyglot languages of the Roman Empire spoken by the worshipers who had come from the different areas of the Roman Empire (Act_2:5-11). (See author’s booklet, Talking in Tongues.)
Act_2:12 — Some of the multitude that come together are startled and impressed, but not convinced because they do not understand.
Act_2:13 — Others are cynical and mock. They offer a natural explanation for the phenomenon.
Act_2:14-15 — Peter addresses himself to the skeptics and ignorant.
Act_2:16-21 — Peter does not use Joel’s prophecy to show that Pentecost is the fulfillment of it, but “this is that” (Act_2:16) — it is similar to and like that which is yet to come (see Joe_2:28-32; Joe_3:1-2). Peter is saying that Pentecost is not contrary to the Old Testament. It is obvious that Joel’s prophecy was not fulfilled at Pentecost. God said, “I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh” (Act_2:17), yet there were only 3,000 converted at Pentecost. The signs in the heavens did not appear at that time. The age of grace began, not the “great and notable day of the Lord” (Act_2:20). Neither did all nations assemble in “the valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joe_3:2, Joe_3:12).
Act_2:22-24 — The emphasis is not upon tongues or even on the coming of the Holy Spirit, but rather on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection (see Joh_16:13-14). Notice that the passport of Jesus was the miracles, wonders, and signs.
Act_2:25-31 — David in Psalm 16 spoke of the Messiah (not of himself, for his grave was in Jerusalem) who must be raised from the dead to sit on David’s throne.
Act_2:32 — Peter and the others there are witnesses that Jesus was raised from the dead.
Act_2:33 — We know that Jesus arrived at the right hand of God because the Holy Spirit arrived here.
Act_2:34-35 — This is a fulfillment of Psalm 110.
Act_2:36 — The explanation of all that had occurred is the fact that Jesus died, rose again, ascended, and had taken His place at the right hand of God.
Act_2:37-41 — Peter puts down the conditions of salvation for these men of Judæa and all other Israelites who are in Jerusalem.
Act_2:42 — These are the visible marks of the local church.
Act_2:43-47 — The first church had very little organization, but great power and much love and joy.
Chapter 3 — Peter and John perform the first miracle of the church and Peter preaches again. This is God’s last call to the nation to turn to Him as a corporate body. Jesus will return to set up His kingdom as predicted by the prophets (Act_3:24-26). The suffering of Christ had been fulfilled (Act_3:18-19).
Chapter 4 — 5000 are saved at the preaching of Peter’s second sermon, but the apostles are arrested and imprisoned. The reason given for their arrest is that they preached the resurrection (Act_4:2). The apostles are brought to trial before the Sanhedrin to explain the power or name they used in healing the lame man. Peter answers by the power of the Holy Spirit and presents Jesus as the only way of salvation and His name as the name of power and salvation. The apostles are reprimanded by the Sanhedrin and commanded to desist from preaching in the name of Jesus. The apostles return to the company of the early church. The church went to prayer, quoting Psa_2:1-2. They did not pray for cessation of persecution, but for courage to speak the Word of God (Act_4:29). Notice the power of prayer (Act_4:30-31), also the high plane of spirituality of the early church.
Chapter 5 — Introduces the defection in the church, followed by the death of Ananias and Sapphira. These Christians were not living on the high spiritual level of the early church, although they were saved. When they lied to the Holy Spirit, they were removed from the company of believers. They committed the sin unto death (1Jo_5:16). The amazing thing is that this sin could not exist in the early church. There was holiness of life in the church. Peter was probably as much surprised as anyone when Ananias died (Act_5:5). Power continues in the church (Act_5:12-14); multitudes are saved. The apostles exercise the apostolic gifts. The apostles are arrested the second time and put in prison (Act_5:17-18). Gamaliel counsels restraint and moderation in dealing with them. They are beaten, forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, and continue to preach in His name.
Chapter 6 — Gives the selection of deacons due to the defection, and the account of Stephen — framed, arrested, tried.