Tracing God's Story: New TestamentSample

Historic Book

Today, we are covering the section in the New Testament called the Historical Book. Notice I said book and not books; that is because there is just one book in this section: the Book of Acts.

Acts was written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, which we credit to a doctor named Luke, even though it's technically anonymous. We know he authored both books for many reasons, but the biggest giveaway is that they were addressed to someone named Theophilus.

There are many purposes to this book, but the objective we will focus on is Luke's desire to share the chronological account of Jesus's earthly ministry by tracing the growth and geographical expansion of the church.

The beginning of Acts records Jesus's ascension to heaven. Just before leaving, Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." This statement sets the theme of advancing the gospel. It lays out the message, who the messengers will be, and where they will deliver it.

The first seven chapters of this book illustrate the increase of believers, specifically in Jerusalem. In Acts 2, the power of the Holy Spirit poured out on the believers, causing them to speak in other tongues. Many were amazed and wondered what it meant. Peter, the apostle, addressed the crowd, and 3,000 were added to their number. This was the beginning of the church.

Persecution came against the church almost immediately, and some of the apostles were arrested, beaten, and even killed. This forced many believers to flee. The good news is those scattered preached the word wherever they went. The gospel message was being taught, and more believers accepted salvation through Christ.

This spread was both ethnic and geographic. After many Jews in Jerusalem rejected the gospel, God offered salvation to other peoples, starting with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a hybrid group who worshiped God but also idols, so the Jews treated them as heretics. There was great hostility between the two, but when the apostle Philip came proclaiming the gospel and performing signs and wonders, the crowds believed him and were baptized.

Philip was then led by the Holy Spirit to travel south on a desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. It was here that he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading the book of Isaiah. Philip explained to the man what he was reading, and the man immediately believed Jesus was the Son of God and wanted to be baptized. This was the first African to receive Jesus, which helped build the transitional bridge to the next phase of expansion: the Gentiles.

Peter had been traveling and performing miracles in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee when he had a vision from God telling him to eat any animal he chose. Moments after he awoke, servants of a man named Cornelius, a Gentile from Caesarea, appeared and requested that Peter follow them. Peter did, and when he arrived, Cornelius, his relatives, and friends were eagerly awaiting a word from Peter. Peter understood then what his vision meant and preached to these Gentiles. His message was different than the one he'd been giving to the Jews. He did not focus on tradition or the teachings of Christ but concentrated on Jesus's actions, his death and resurrection, and the specific factors of the gospel most relevant to the Gentiles. While he was speaking, the Holy Spirit came on those listening, and they began speaking in tongues and praising God. The Gentiles joining the church with the Jews as equals allowed the church movement to grow in massive ways.

This story began in Jerusalem and continues on a 29-year mission of taking the gospel to Rome. Peter's witnessing to the Jewish people within the borders of Israel was the primary focus of Luke's writing for the first half of this book. However, in chapter 13, he transitions to Paul's extensive journey to take the gospel to the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire. Acts records over 14 years of Paul's travels, mentioning three missionary journeys with visits to 56 cities, during which time he evangelized, taught, pastored, performed miracles, planted churches, and trained disciples. He was arrested and, after three trials and three leaders believing he was innocent, sent to Rome to appear before Caesar.

The Book of Acts is an exciting documentation of the gospel being spread and God's plan being fulfilled in the growth of his kingdom. It is wrapped up perfectly when Luke writes, "And thus we got to Rome." The entire reason for the book is completed. Despite opposition on every level, God's purpose could not be hindered. The gospel had spread like wildfire as it was successfully taken from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and the end of the earth.

I hope the information shared today helps you grasp how interesting the Bible is so that you develop a passion for reading it. I pray that as you dig into scripture, God speaks to you in exciting new ways, and your spirit begins coming to life.