Acts is widely recognized as the continuation of Luke. It is a pivotal book that shows the transition between the life of Christ and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit through the establishment of the church which is presented as an everexpanding community of ordinary people. It is the only unfinished book in the Bible and one of the most realistic pieces of writing in all early literature. Luke has been called the greatest of all historians, ancient or modern. The title “Acts” comes from a word used in Greek literature used to summarize the accomplishments of outstanding men.
Acts is an important book for our understanding of the origins and growth of the early church. Its longer title, The Acts of the Apostles, reflects the prominence of the early followers, apostles like Peter and John in the early days of the church, and the prominence of the apostle Paul in the subsequent expansion of the church into the Gentile world. The book is important also for our understanding of the writings of the New Testament as a whole. Paul's earlier letters all belong to the period of Acts, and present-day readers will also understand all the remaining letters of the New Testament by all the different writers much better when they are familiar with Acts.
Author
The author is not mentioned, but the first verse refers to the former treatise sent to Theophilus. When Luke wrote his Gospel account to Theophilus. Therefore, he is the author of Acts. The writer’s interest in sickness, as well as his use of medical language supports the notion that the author was a physician. Although Luke was a doctor by profession
(Colossians 4:14), he was also a skilled historian. Even secular historians acknowledge him as a reliable writer, whose record is a valuable source of information on a period that changed the course of world history. He carefully dated the beginning of his story according to well-known events in secular history. Parts of Acts are Luke's own eye-witness accounts, indicated by his use of 'we' and 'us' in some of the narratives. We know that on two of Paul's missionary journeys Luke spent some time travelling with and he even accompanied Paul on the journey to Rome that concludes the book. Church tradition has also always ascribed the book to Luke.
Recipient
Luke abruptly ends the book at the point where Paul is awaiting trial in Rome. Therefore, Acts was most likely completed prior to Paul’s trial. Furthermore, Acts gives nothing of the persecution under Nero in 64 AD, or Paul’s death in 68 AD, or the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. So, since Paul came to Rome, about 59 AD and had been there for two years when Acts closes, the book can confidently be dated at 61 AD. Acts was written to Theophilus, a Gentile government official who was also a Christian, so it is not strictly a personal letter but was a formal essay intended for publication.
Message
The subject is the continuing work of Jesus Christ. The message is Jesus continues to work by the Holy Spirit through men and women, initially focusing on the work of Peter and Paul, then from the Jews in Jerusalem and onto the Gentiles in Rome, and beyond.
Structure
There are two major ways to view the structure of Acts. One is geographical and the other is biographical. But either way the narrative is played out across 11 sections.
I. 1:1-2:47 Birth of the church
II. 3:1-5:42 Rapid growth and great popularity III. 6:1-8:3 Changes in Jerusalem
IV. 8:4-9:31 Throughout Palestine and beyond V. 9:32-12:25 Jerusalem and the Gentiles
VI. 13:1-14:28 Into Asia Minor
VII. 15:1-35 Early problems in the church.
VIII. 15:36-18:22 The message goes Into Europe
IX. 18:23-21:16 Back to Asia Minor and Europe
X. 21:17-23:35 Jerusalem finally rejects the gospel
XI. 24:1-28:31 Paul says farewells to the East; goes to Rome
Purpose
One of the purposes of Acts is to record the spread of the work initiated by Jesus, which He continued by the power of the Holy Spirit through the men from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. There was a need for an accurate and authoritative account of the activities of the leading figures, such as Peter and Paul and even John and James. God witnessed through them with “both with signs and wonders, with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Heb.2:4). Thus, the church is seen as directly connected to the work of the risen and ascended Christ and authenticated by that. Luke's entire story emphasized the triumph of the Christian gospel and the life-giving blessings it brought for all people, regardless of race.
Another of the purposes of Acts is to defend Paul. Paul’s authority is vindicated by demonstrating that he did everything Peter did. His experiences and his missionary labors, and especially his arrest and imprisonment, must be seen in the right light. Luke asks and then answers questions like, was Paul an apostate from the law? Was he an impostor who deserved all the opposition and persecution, which he was receiving? Was he an insurrectionist, or an instrument in the hand of God?
Summary:
Luke wrote to Theophilus to inform him of the continuing work of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit through ordinary men, from early apostles, from the Jews in Jerusalem to the Gentiles in Rome. God wants believers to bear witness of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit beginning where they currently are situated and from there to the ends of the earth. This work will reach its pinnacle with the triumphant return of the risen Christ to his heavenly Father (Luke 24:50-53).
The book finishes by showing how, in only thirty years, Christianity grew from a handful of believers in Jerusalem to a vast community that brought new life and hope to Asia Minor, eastern Europe, and even to Rome itself (Acts 28:31).