A Biblical Vision, Part II: Mastering the New Testament Witness to Christ

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A B i b l i ca l Vi s i on, Par t I I : Mas ter i ng the New Tes tament Wi tnes s to Chr i s t

9. In Jerusalem, he could have connected with a host of eyewitnesses, from James (Acts 15) to Mary, the mother of our Lord.

10. Luke’s connections with other apostolic level companions (e.g., Silas, Timothy, others, who could have related info on the early Church and its life and ministry)

II. Origin and Purpose

To show a consecutive and reliable account of the progress of the belief in Jesus of Nazareth as Lord – The Acts of the Apostles provide an outline of the history of the beginnings and development of the movement around Jesus the Messiah. The Acts of the Apostles takes up the story where the Gospel (the first book of Acts 1.1) ends, with the resurrection appearances of Jesus, and goes on to record the ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the rise and early progress of the church of Jerusalem (1-5) . . . dispersal of the Hellenistic members of the church which followed the execution of Stephen (their leader), and their evangelization into more distant regions. . . . Paul’s conversion and Peter’s evangelization of the plain of Sharon, culminating in the conversion of the first Gentile household in Caesarea. This section of Acts ends with Paul’s arrival in Antioch to take part in the Gentile mission there, and Peter’s departure . . . [Acts] covers Paul’s apostolic ministry from its inception to Rome. ~ The New Bible Dictionary , p. 11.

A. Critical reasons for writing the book of Acts

1. To show that the Church, the Messianic community of Jesus of Nazareth, is not a threat to Roman society

a. In Luke’s Gospel, Pilate three times says Jesus is not guilty of sedition (cf. Luke 23.4, 14, 22), and similar charges given in Acts are denied.