Acts
Bible Study
Lesson 1
AUTHOR
¥ Written by
Luke.
¥ Luke also
wrote the book of Luke.
¥ Luke was a
physician.
Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved
physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.
¥ We learn much detail
about ChristÕs birth and death from Luke. He was very detailed
- Material
found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our
Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as
that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the
sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "You
will be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into your hands I commit
my spirit."
¥ Luke wrote more of the New Testament
than any other writer—unless you think Paul wrote Hebrews.
- The writer of
Luke and Acts does not give his name in his writings. He does claim to be a
traveling companion of Paul, and his interests and vocabulary suggest that he
is a physician. Since Paul tells us that he had a companion named Luke who was
a physician, the conclusion that Luke is the writer we are looking for is
reasonable.
Colossians
4:14
Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.
2 Timothy
4:11
Only Luke is with me Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to
me for service.
Philemon
1:24 as
do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
¥ Many claim
that Luke was a Gentile.
- There are no
specific statements as to the background of Luke. Therefore, the only way we can
know anything about LukeÕs background is from inferences in the Scriptures.
- When God spoke to the
world, He used the Jewish nation.
Romans
3:1—2 1Then
what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Great
in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of
God.
- When the
Jewish people wanted to accuse Paul of bringing a Gentile into the Temple, they
chose Trophimus. Why didnÕt they choose Luke, who was also with Paul, and was an
eyewitness to these events? If Luke were a Gentile, it would have been far
easier, and far more believable, to accuse Paul of bringing Luke with him into
the Temple, rather than Trophimus.
Acts 21:27—29 27When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia,
upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid
hands on him, 28crying out, "Men of
Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere
against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought
Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." 29For they had
previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed
that Paul had brought him into the temple.
¥ Luke traveled
with Paul and remained loyal to him until the end.
2 Timothy 4:9—11 9Make every effort to come to me soon;10for
Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to
Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.11Only
Luke is with me Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for
service.
PURPOSE
¥ Acts is one of
the harder books of the Bible to understand.
¥ Much of the
confusion comes about because it is a book of transition.
¥ The key to
understanding Acts is to approach it dispensationally.
¥ Acts is not a
book of theology and therefore it should not be used to develop your belief
system.
- Since there is a transition in
progress, itÕs very difficult to differentiate between events that happen. Do
they relate to Israel and the coming Kingdom or the Church, the Body of Christ?
- When churches develop their theology on
what is written in Acts, there is confusion.
- It is better to develop your theology
from other books of the Bible and use Acts for explanation and clarification.
¥ Acts is a bridge between Kingdom and
Grace. This is why it is called a transitional book.
- Imagine the huge gap between the
Gospels and Romans if Acts did not act as a bridge to get us there.
SYNOPSIS
¥ Acts can be
summarized in three steps:
1. GodÕs offer of the Messianic Kingdom
to Israel. (to the Jews only)
2. IsraelÕs rejection of GodÕs offer and
the subsequent formation of the Church the Body of Christ. (To the Jews first
and then to the Gentiles)
3. The setting aside of national Israel
and the full maturity of the Church, the Body of Christ. (To the Gentiles only)
For previous notes and additional mid-Acts materials please visit http://www.MidActsTruths.com