AN INTRODUCTION TO ‘ACTS’

AN INTRODUCTION TO ‘ACTS’

Over the next weeks we shall be taking a closer look at St Luke’s second book of ‘Acts’. Episodes from it will be the themes for the main Sunday service sermons and for the Afternoon and Evening Study Groups.  

The title actually ought to be translated ‘Acts of Apostles’ or ‘Some acts of some Apostles’. The book was not (as too with St. John’s Gospel) meant to be exhaustive; rather, it speaks of the most important events in the life of the new-born Church. We are witnessing Christianity in action for the first time in human history, and this is both exciting and disturbing. It is exciting because the young Church is setting off joyfully to spread the ‘good news’ of Jesus and win the pagan world for God through him: it is disturbing because it is a record of what the Church was, in its unspoiled Spirit-led simplicity, before it became hide-bound in power, prosperity, and the pursuit of all too worldly ambitions.

The book is sometimes referred to as ‘The Gospel of the Holy Spirit’ or ‘The True Fifth Gospel’ because the Spirit of the Risen Lord is everywhere present and it lacks the embellishments, party politics, and other such distractions of the non-canonical ‘Gospels’ favoured by Dan Brown and others. No one can read the book without being convinced that there is Someone here at work besides mere human beings: and it was on account of their readiness to believe, to obey, to ‘taste and see how gracious the Lord is’ that He was able to work through them as they turned the known world upside down by His love.

The book spans the period AD 30 – 63, that is to say, from the Ascension of Jesus to Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. It was written sometime around AD 65. Luke is a careful historian and his geographical as well as historical accuracy is very notable: manuscript and archaeological evidence continue to support this.

This is the beginning of the Christian era, the beginning of the practice of those virtues that not only transformed individuals but whole families and communities; virtues which, contrary to much modern social and psychological dogma, are not ‘natural’ to all human beings everywhere but are created by the operation of the indwelling Spirit in the life of the forgiven and reconciled man or woman, the Spirit who ‘bloweth where he listeth’ and so often at odds with or beyond the constraints of purely human wisdom. Indeed, when we compare the strength and vigour of the Spirit-filled early Church before its too close association with politics and power and with the often all too inward-looking and feeble performance of the Church today, we are forced to admit that the Institution has largely lost or refused the great gift it was offered. But it still is today to those who want to take their discipleship seriously.

It is one of the curious phenomena of our day that it is considered perfectly respectable to be abysmally ignorant of the Christian Faith – an intellectual affectation increasingly in vogue: so here is a wonderful opportunity to brush up our knowledge and understanding and to pray that God will give to us opportunities to lighten the darkness of others. Here is a simple, unvarnished, conscientious account of the behaviour and actions of quite a small group of people who honestly believed that Jesus was right in his claims and knew him as a reality in their lives. External writings of opponents admit that people were unquestionably being changed at the very root of their being: cowards become heroes; sinners are transformed; fear, greed, envy, and pride are expelled by something beyond normal human experience; groups of ‘brothers’ (which for many years included ‘sisters’ - on equal standing!) sprang up and flourished in the most unlikely of places.

Study the present day persecuted Church and you will catch more than a glimpse of the real life of ‘Acts’: study the opposition to genuine life and fruitful Christianity both within and from beyond the Church and you will see the same enemies of Christ and the young Church – the self-righteous. ‘Acts’ took place because men and women were truly in touch with God, acknowledged Jesus as Lord of their lives, and practised what they believed. I hope that we shall all of us allow this book to speak to our hearts and minds.

QUESTIONS – refer to Acts Chapter 1 verses 1 - 14

1. Why do you think Jesus needed to spend a further 40 days teaching? (v3)

2. What do you think is the difference between the two baptisms? (v5)

3. Do you think they have really understood the nature of his kingdom? (v 6)

4. For whom is this commission (v8)? Just these ‘witnesses’?

5. What constraints/issues do you think makes the Church less effective?

6. How can we become, do you think, more effective disciples and witnesses?