What a blessing to have the Book of Acts! Our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would be greatly diminished without it. Historically, Acts tells the story of the beginnings and growth of the early church, the work of the Apostles, and the transformation of the world. Theologically, it connects the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to our own lives. Mission-wise, we see the calling of the Church to the World through the power of the Spirit—the same calling that exists for us today.
One of the interesting questions when studying the Book of Acts is simply understanding the name. “Acts” are simply referring to the actions that took place in the decades immediately following Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. OK, so far so good. But, the Acts of who?
The traditional title of the book is The Acts of the Apostles, since the initial focus is on the early Church experiences of some of Jesus’ disciples. However, the book is frequently called The Acts of the Holy Spirit, since it details how the Spirit empowered the Apostles to spread the Gospel after Jesus’ ascension. The promise of the coming of the Spirit and then His arrival both dominate the opening chapters of the book, and then His work in guiding the Apostles’ words, giving them courage, and enabling miracles reveal the Spirit as the true protagonist of the work.
Thinking in terms of The Acts of the Apostles focuses the readers attention on the human agents in the narrative, while The Acts of the Holy Spirit draws attention to the divine character of the work and the Apostles’ actions as a whole. Of course, this duality shows the inseparable aspects of the two (the human and the divine) of the same story of the early Church’s growth.
The human character of the book stresses the actions, journeys, sermons, and challenges facing the leading Church figures—Peter, John, Stephen, Phillip, and Paul. We also see the human spread of the Gospel as the Apostles serve as missionaries taking the message of Jesus from Jerusalem to “the ends of the earth.” Practical ministry, persecution, miracles, and spiritual growth are evident throughout.
However, the Spirit’s presence dominates as the driving force behind all that takes place. Promised by Jesus in His final moments on earth (Acts 1), the Spirit arrives at Pentecost, giving the Apostles power and boldness (Acts 2). Guidance and direction (Acts 8 & 13), miraculous work (Acts 3, 10, & 19), and inspiration through healings, tongues, and other signs confirm the Gospel message. This book shows that the apostles’ acts were only possible because of the Spirit’s continuous presence and work.
Join us in studying this exciting story of the Acts of the Spirit through the Apostles and the early Church!
In preparation for worship this week, read Acts 1:1-8.
- In verse 1, the name, Theophilus, means “one who is loved by God.” This could either be an individual person or a title for us all. How does this passage indicate that you are “one who is loved by God?”
- Luke, the author of Acts, summarizes the purpose of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances in verse 3. What does he say, and how does it accurately summarize what we have been looking at in the past weeks?
- What differences can you think are present between “John’s baptism” and the one which the disciples were to wait for (verse 5)?
- What does it show about the disciples’ mindset when they ask about Jesus restoring the kingdom to Israel (verse 6)?
- How do the two parts of verse 8 connect together? What happens when you have one and not the other?
Henry Knapp