1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him, 3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me. 6When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky. 7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat!’ 8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.’ 9But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, don’t you call unclean.’ 10This was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me. 12The Spirit told me to go with them without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying to him, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, who is called Peter, 14who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. 16I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave to them the same gift as us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”
18When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
19They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only. 20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch, 23who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord. 24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
25Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
27Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them named Agabus stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius. 29As any of the disciples had plenty, each determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea; 30which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
We find the sequel to the work of the Gospel writer Luke in the book of Acts. This second work continues where his Gospel left off, and even overlaps with the ascension of Jesus into the heavens. Few scholars doubt that Luke wrote the work, but some do question his accuracy. Fortunately, numerous studies done by historians and archaeologists have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt, that Luke was a highly accurate historian, being very familiar with the subject areas of his book, whether it be customs, political titles, cities and countries, and the like.
The book of Acts is written sometime after the Gospel of Luke and ends with Paul preaching the gospel under arrest while waiting for his first trial under Nero. Thus we are speaking of a date in the early 60s.
The recipient of this second work is also Theophilus, but probably intended for a larger audience. Some have sought to argue that the Acts is really a legal brief to defend Paul. Though it has some elements to seek to show that Christianity was not a revolutionary movement against Roman rule, nonetheless the primary focus of the book is elsewhere. Luke seeks to move the life of Jesus from suffering Savior to Lord of the church. Jesus is seen throughout the book in some form, but particularly He is working through the promised Holy Spirit.
The Acts is more than a history of the church, but is a theology of the movement of God in His people and in the world through the proclamation of the Gospel that began at Jerusalem and finally reaches the capital of the empire, Rome.
The first portion of Acts centers on Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. This discussion introduces the apostles, Stephen the Hellenistic Jew, and Philip the evangelist. The primary figure, however, is the apostle Peter, particularly through his proclamation to the Gentile centurion Cornelius in chapter 10 and subsequent defense before the apostles and elders at Jerusalem in chapter 11.
The major human character of the Acts only emerges in chapter 8, and he is not a friend of Jesus or Christianity. Saul the Pharisee and rabbi is present at the stoning of the martyr Stephen and assented to his death. It is only in chapter 9 that this fervent Jew is brought to faith in the Messiah that he had been persecuting. From this point on, Luke’s book focuses on the ministry of the apostle to the Gentiles. Luke covers three missionary journeys and the final trip to Rome, where the Roman citizen and Christian Paul must give testimony to the risen Lord and Savior before the Romans, and ultimately before Caesar himself. We find the book ending with Paul sharing about Jesus with Roman soldiers without hindrance. Only in church tradition do we discover he was found innocent at this time. He later died after a second trial toward the end of Nero’s reign in A.D. 66, after he had written his last letter to Timothy, his son in the faith.
One discovers in the Acts a number of theological ideas, of which I will only mention three. Luke emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, empowering the apostles and disciples to preach the Gospel and giving them strength in times of persecution. Secondly, the book of Acts indicates, along with the remainder of the New Testament, that salvation is through faith and not works. Last of all, Acts makes clear that the Gospel is intended for all people, Jews and Gentiles.
Acts is a unique book in the New Testament in that it bridges the gap between the life, passion and resurrection of the Messiah with the work of the apostles and the Holy Spirit in the life of the church that Jesus said he would establish. Without this book there would be considerable confusion regarding Paul, the major author of the epistles, as well as the life of the church.