The New Testament is divided into four sections, 260 chapters, and 7,959 verses. The four sections are: Biography, History, Letters, and Prophecy. There are four biography books about Jesus’ life (Matthew-John), one book on church history (Acts), twenty-one letters to churches and Christians (Romans – Jude), and one book of prophecy (Revelation). (The sequence is easy to remember: 4-1-21-1.) Christ is the central theme of every section, and every book, of the New Testament (cf. Heb. 10:7). In this issue, we want to focus on the background of the church history book of the New Testament—Acts of the Apostles.
ACTS OF APOSTLES—HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (28 chapters / 1007 verses)
The Book of Acts presents the continuation “of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (1:1). It recounts the acts Jesus carried out after His ascension, through the Holy Spirit and His apostles, to establish the church and save lost souls. The Book provides a condensed history of the early church, an eyewitness account of the miraculous spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. In the Book, one can follow the church’s growth from its birth to maturity. It grew from a small group in one city to thousands in all the major cities of the Roman Empire. The most important lesson to be learned in this book is how to become a part of the same church today. If we do what they did, we will become what they became (Christians, nothing more, nothing less). In Acts, they heard the preaching of the Word (Acts 2:36,37), believed in the Christ as God’s Son (Acts 8:37), repented of past sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Christ (Acts 8:37), and were immersed for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). In Acts, becoming a part of the church was equal to being saved from sin since God placed the saved in the church (2:47).
The author the Spirit used for the book is Luke. Called “the beloved physician” by Paul (see Col. 4:14), Luke was a doctor Paul met in Troas (16:8–11). He cared for Paul during the illnesses he suffered on his missionary endeavors. Paul’s references to Luke in 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24 portray Luke as Paul’s faithful traveling companion. The key verse in the book is 1:8, showing the threefold geographic description of the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Acts is called the “Acts of the Apostles,” yet Luke traces only the work of Peter (chapters 1–12) and Paul (chapters 13–28).
Keys to Opening the Book of Acts:
- Author: Luke
- Key Verses: 1:8; 2:1-4,38,41,47
- Key Chapter: 2
- Date: About A.D. 62
- Themes: The Early History of Christianity, the Growth of the Church, and How to be Saved from Sin.
- Key Words: Jesus, Spirit, Resurrection, Apostle, Church, Baptism
Take time this month to read the Book of Acts. If it would help, we have a study guide we will send you free of charge.
