Pastor's Blog

The full name of the book of Acts is The Acts of the Apostles .   Luke himself didn’t give this name to the book, of course, but this is the name by which it came to be known in the early church. [1]   The name is indicative of the subject matter, although it’s a bit misleading because there is very little information given about the ministry of any of the other apostles except Peter and Paul—and Paul wasn’t even one of the original twelve. Because of the prominent role played by the Holy Spirit, some have suggested the book should be called The Acts of the Holy Spirit . [2]   There is some merit to this.  Clearly the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the book.   I think the book might best be called The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ . [3]   Why?   Because in it we find Jesus continuing the ministry he began while he was on earth.   This is how Luke himself viewed the situation.   In the first book, O Theophilus, I have deal...

The book of Acts follows the progress of the gospel from the time of our Lord’s resurrection and ascension, which occurred in a.d. 30, to the time that Paul reached Rome as a prisoner in about a.d. 60. The first twelve chapters follow the ministry of Peter; the remaining chapters follow the ministry of Paul. Jesus himself provides us with an overview of the progress of the gospel in geographical terms in 1:8 when he says to the twelve: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This is how the book unfolds, by recounting the witness of the apostles: In Jerusalem: chaps. 1-7 In Judea and Samaria: chaps. 8-9 To the ends of the earth: chaps. 10-28 This geographical progression roughly corresponds to an ethnic progression of the gospel. In Jerusale...