The Book of Acts follows the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. The Book has been formally called “The Acts of the Apostles,” which is true, but it’s actually the continuing work of Jesus through His Apostles as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit for life and ministry. As the gospel writers wraped up their accounts of the resurrection, Acts begins by providing the account of Jesus’s Great Commission to his disciples, saying,

“And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

After these words, Luke records Jesus’ ascension into heaven, and then proceeds to describe the continuing work of Jesus through His Holy Spirit as the church grew and expanded throughout the Roman Empire. And, in case you were not aware, Acts is actually Volume 2 of Luke’s record of Jesus’s life and ministry, and it was addressed to the same person, Theophilus, who was likely Paul’s defense attorney who was waiting for Paul to arrive in Rome to stand trial before Nero.

The Book of Acts spans about 33 years of New Testament history, from Jesus ascension in AD 30 to Paul’s journey to Rome in about AD 63. The Book contains many important events in the life of the church, including the descent of the Holy Spirit upon those gathered in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost; Peter’s preaching in Jerusalem; The stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr; Saul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus; Paul’s three Missionary Journeys, including his arrival in Jerusalem where he was rescued by the Roman guards from certain death by the Jewish religious mob; and then Paul’s shipwreck as he traveled to Rome.

There are a few passages that I believe are important for us to focus upon. Let’s remember that it was the resurrection of Jesus that made all the difference in the lives of the Apostles as they proclaimed His resurrection with confidence and boldness. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowds that had gathered,

“Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified” (Acts 2:36).

Such an irritation Peter was to the religious leaders! Peter was not only saying that they were the ones who had crucified Jesus, but that it was God who raised Him from the dead, causing Him to be both “Lord” and “Christ,” that is, both the King of kings and the Messiah.

Shortly after Pentecost, Peter and John healed a lame beggar on the Temple steps, causing a “fuss” amongst the religious leaders. Here is how Peter responded,

“…let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, and which became the  very corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).

And then on Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, after entering Europe for the first time, and after leading many to Christ, he and Silas were imprisoned in the City of Philippi. After a great earthquake that caused their chains to fall off and the prison doors to open, Paul and Silas told the jailer not to commit suicide, because all of the prisoners were still there. After hearing this, the jailer exclaimed,

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31),

Years later, during his imprisonment in Caesarea Maritima, Paul was brought before King Agrippa where he gave the  testimony of his conversion on the Road to Damascus, and his commissioning by God to preach the gospel to the gentiles, proclaiming that,

“…all men everywhere should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20).

After hearing this, Paul told Agrippa that he was certain that he believed the Prophets of the Old Testament and their consistent message of repentance, to which Agrippa replied,

“In a short time, you will persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28).

If you are not already a follower of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior, then maybe it’s time for you to come to Him in repentance and faith. King Agrippa was moved by Paul’s testimony, and although we will never know the end result for King Agrippa, you can know for certain if you respond to the message of the Gospel that was proclaimed throughout the Book of Acts. It’s the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and the need for repentance to all who would listen. Maybe you are one of those who need to heed this message, the same message proclaimed by Peter and Paul, and the other Apostles, during the first century. If you haven’t yet proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Messiah and repented of your sins, maybe it’s time to do so. No need to put it off. The risen Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is waiting to hear from you.

Blessings to all of you as we move even closer to Christmas, the season of Hope and Restoration!