Title Introduction to Acts
Contents
Introduction to Acts
Acts of the Apostles is the Acts of the Apostles, but also the Acts of the Holy Spirit with the Apostles. The acts of the apostles and the Holy Spirit were acts of witness to Jesus. In particular, it was the act of witnessing the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross. The theme and content of the apostles' sermons recorded in the book of Acts was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It was not only the apostles who witnessed for Jesus. Numerous believers, including the seven deacons, preached the gospel of the cross and resurrection. Starting from Jerusalem, he preached the gospel of the cross and resurrection to Samaria, Syria, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and Rome. Where the gospel was preached, churches were established. Therefore, the book of Acts is the history of the expansion of the gospel and the history of the establishment of the church.
The situation of preaching the gospel and establishing the church was a situation of persecution and hardship. In the face of persecution and suffering, the apostles and believers in the early church achieved the victory of changing the world by relying only on the Holy Spirit in prayer, doing good deeds only with love, and preaching the gospel of the cross and resurrection. Such was the case with Stephen, Dorcas, Paul and Priscilla. Therefore, the book of Acts is a record of victories in the midst of suffering.
The representative protagonists in the book of Acts are the apostle Peter and the apostle Paul, but several assistants appear together. The summary of the book of Acts is as follows: 1) Birth of the Church (1:1-6:7) 2) From Persecution to Expansion (6:8-12:24) 3) To the Gentiles to Macedonia (12:25-19:20) 4) Paul to Rome Ro (19:21-28:31). In the book of Acts, the appearance of the church in Jerusalem filled with the Holy Spirit, the martyrdom of Stephen and the evangelism of Philip, the conversion of Saul and Cornelius, the establishment of the church in Antioch, the evangelism of Paul and Barnabas, the evangelism of Macedonia, Greece and Ephesus, the arrest of Paul and the trip to Rome, etc. It is recorded.
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said the book of Acts was "the most lyrical book." "I invite you to abide in the book. It is the most powerful tonic in the realm of the Holy Spirit as far as I know."