Acts: Of the Apostles and the Holy Spirit

For the life of me, I can't figure out why I didn't post a blog about Acts back in January. I know I read the book, the first in a Read Through the Bible in one year in alphabetical order plan. Maybe I wrote it but didn't save it; or something like that. This was to be a learning experience; maybe I hadn't yet learned something crucial to publishing.

So, here I am, December 29, writing what should have been the first blog post this year. And in full disclosure, I'm only skimming the book of Acts as I make these comments.

Acts is the sequel to Luke. (And, just FYI, my unpublished novel would be the prequel to Luke. There's more in my blog post in Luke.)

After the Gospels, Acts is probably the best page-turner in the New Testament. It's written as a narrative, with lots of events and dialog; unlike the epistles that follow.

I think it's sometimes called the "Acts of the Apostles," but I've heard people say it should be called the "Acts of the Holy Spirit." The story begins directly after Jesus' resurrection and just before His ascension. After that, it tells of how the apostles--aided by the Holy Spirit--carried the message of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire of the first century. The topic verse is Acts 1:8, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

It's great reading. There are sections about the earliest church in Jerusalem, about Peter and John, about the scattering of the Twelve (or, actually, the Eleven), and so on. I love the Peter stories best. After coming across as immature and impetuous in the Gospels, Peter shows up in Acts as a convicted and courageous saint.

Another of my favorite stories is about Philip and the Ethiopian, at the end of chapter 8.

The bulk of Acts follows Paul on his journeys. I'm always fascinated by what they call the "we" passages, that seem to be a personal account, presumably by Luke himself.

Reading through Acts, you can get caught up in the narrative and the sequence of exciting events. It's best, though, to step back and consider the bigger picture of Acts. It's main point is that within the space of a few years, and through the work of a couple dozen disciples of Jesus--including Paul, who started as a persecutor of Christians--the Good New of Christ's salvation was carried throughout the Roman Empire, literally changing the world. By the power of the Holy Spirit.

And as I write the last of my blogs about the books of the Bible, this would have to be the conclusion. The whole Bible is a story of the Good News of God's love, justice, and salvation that has been carried through the ages and throughout the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed to have God's Living Word to this day.