1The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Written around AD 62–63, while Paul was in Rome under house arrest, the book of Acts makes no mention of the Roman persecution that broke out under Emperor Nero beginning in AD 65, nor the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. By that time, the expansion of the gospel message, that is the Word of God, had gained momentum to the point that the prevailing culture and authorities became concerned enough to take radical steps. The book of Acts records this expansion and the early encounters with resistance that led to that widespread persecution. A common refrain seen in Acts 6:7 is repeated in various words throughout the book:
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. (see 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:31)
On the literary front, this book bridges between the story of the life and teachings of our Lord and the life and times of the congregations to whom Paul wrote. Theologically, it shows the transition between Judaism and Christianity, between law and grace, covenant people and church. In many ways, we can see here, as MacDonald writes, “the gradual widening of horizons from a small Jewish movement centered in Jerusalem to a worldwide faith that has made inroads in the imperial capital itself.”
We know from other historical records that Christianity not only survived decades of repression but eventually became so influential that it became not only tolerated but also the dominant and “official” religion of the empire in the fourth century.
The Book of Acts does not mean to teach us that every Christian should expect to do the things that the heroes of the book do. It was an extraordinary time of unprecedented miraculous events and evangelistic outpouring. We must be careful in seeking to imitate everything recorded about this transition time in the movement. However, we must carefully and wisely consider the precedents set by those closest to the Lord—not just as history, but to understand how they worked out His teachings as they carried the gospel forward.
Lord, help us to discern Your will for us today as we carry the message forward.
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