Acts Part 1
The broad outline of Acts is found in Acts 1:8, where Jesus tells His apostles: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
The book of Acts is a pivotal book in the Bible. At this time, the focus shifts from the lands of Israel and the twelve tribes to other people in other lands. The New Testament Church is established in the early part of the book of Acts. Saul is later called, and his name is changed to Paul. His education and life experience prepared him well for the role God called him to: Taking the gospel to the Gentiles. We read of his life and travels in the later part of the book of Acts. The geographical focus shifts from Israel to modern day Turkey, Greece, and Italy.
Authorship: The author of the Acts of the Apostles is traditionally identified as Luke the physician. Although Luke does not mention himself by name as the author of either the Gospel of Luke or Acts, early Christian writers and tradition attribute both books to him. The two books can be viewed as parts one and two of a single work, with the Gospel of Luke recording the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and Acts continuing the account after His resurrection and ascension.
We see this connection in the opening verses of both books. Luke 1:1-4 explains that Luke carefully investigated the events he recorded so that he could provide an orderly account to Theophilus, allowing him to know the certainty of what he had been taught. Luke writes that he had a "perfect understanding of all things from the very first" and wanted to provide an accurate account. Acts 1:1-3 refers to the Gospel of Luke as the "former account" and continues the story, describing how Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection for forty days and spoke to them about "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."
Theophilus: Both Luke and Acts were written to Theophilus, whose name means "lover of God." In Luke 1:3, he is addressed as "most excellent Theophilus." This title may indicate that he held an official position or had a status that warranted such a formal address. The title is not used in Acts 1:1, where Luke simply addresses him as Theophilus. It is possible that this reflects a change in their relationship to now being friends, although we cannot know his exact identity or position with certainty.
What We Know About Luke: Luke was a physician and likely a well-educated Gentile who had become a proselyte to the Jewish religion. Colossians 4:14 states, "Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you." Albert Barnes wrote that "the most probable opinion seems to be that he was a proselyte to the Jewish Religion, though descended from Gentile parents."
Luke's education is reflected in his thorough approach to recording history. Barnes explains that the phrase "having had perfect understanding" in Luke 1:3 means "having exactly traced everything from the first." This describes careful investigation and following events back to their sources to provide an accurate account. Luke is credited with writing more words of the New Testament than Paul when the Gospel of Luke and Acts are considered together.
Luke's Relationship with Paul: Luke appears to have joined Paul and his companions at Troas. In Acts 16:8, the group arrives at Troas, and Acts 16:11 describes their departure:
"Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis."
The change to the word "we" indicates that the author was present and traveling with Paul and his companions.
Luke became a faithful companion and fellow laborer. In Philemon 1:24, Paul refers to Luke among his "fellow laborers." This letter was written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, generally dated around A.D. 60-62, which is also the period in which Acts concludes.
Later, in 2 Timothy 4:10-11, Paul writes near the end of his life, "Only Luke is with me." This letter is associated with Paul's second imprisonment in Rome, dated around 67 A.D. during the period of persecution under Nero. Luke remained with Paul during this challenging time.
Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome and does not record what happened afterward. The years between approximately 62 A.D. and 67 A.D. would have provided an interesting continuation of the history of the early Church, but Luke did not include those events in his account.
Date Written: The book of Acts is dated to approximately 62-64 A.D. Acts concludes with Paul under house arrest in Rome during his first imprisonment, placed around 60-62 A.D.
James, the half-brother of Jesus and a leader of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, was killed in 62 A.D. according to the account of the Jewish historian Josephus. This event is not recorded in Acts. The book also does not mention the fire of Rome in 64 A.D. or the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Acts ends with Paul's house arrest and does not include these later events; therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that it was written around 62-64 A.D., although the exact date cannot be established with certainty.
Time Period Covered in Acts: Acts covers approximately 31-62 A.D., beginning with events following Christ's resurrection in the spring of 31 A.D. and continuing through the end of Paul's house arrest in Rome around 62 A.D. The book provides a condensed history of the early New Testament Church and records the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Many events from this period are only briefly mentioned or omitted entirely.
Purpose of the Book of Acts: The NKJV Study Bible describes Acts as "a condensed history of the early church, an eyewitness account of the miraculous spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome." Although the title is The Acts of the Apostles, the book focuses primarily on Peter and later Paul. John, James the brother of John, and James the half-brother of Jesus are also mentioned, but Luke does not record how each of the twelve apostles fulfilled Christ's command to preach the gospel.
The first part of Acts focuses on Peter and the beginning of the Church in Jerusalem. The account then transitions to Paul, his three missionary journeys, and his eventual arrival in Rome. Acts also provides historical context for Paul's epistles by recording when he visited churches and describing the relationships and circumstances that help us understand his letters. The broad outline of Acts is found in Acts 1:8, where Jesus tells His apostles:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
The book follows this progression as the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and eventually to the wider world.
Acts of the Apostles is a course taught at ABC by Mr. Darris McNeely. Recordings from the 2022–2023 class year are available on the ABC website.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
