Acts is the direct sequel to Luke's Gospel. It chronicles the first 30 years of the Church, from a scared group of 120 to a global faith reaching Rome. The main character is not Peter or Paul, but the Holy Spirit.
He directs every move. It is the story of how a marginal Jewish sect became an unstoppable world faith.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."ACTS
The theology focuses on Power for Mission.
1. Pentecost (Ch. 2):
The Spirit comes to give power (dunamis). Uneducated fishermen preach with authority. The Spirit is the Church's engine.
2. Radical Community:
They "had all things in common". It wasn't forced communism, but voluntary love. Generosity was the proof of the Spirit.
3. To the Ends of the Earth:
It follows Acts 1:8: Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The Gospel breaks geographical and racial boundaries.
Where does Acts meet you?
1. The Need for Power:
Feel weak? Acts says: "Wait until you are clothed with power." Christianity without the Spirit is just a tiring moral code. Seek daily filling.
2. When Change Scares You:
The early church had to change its theology to accept Gentiles. God pushed them out of their comfort zone. Are we willing to let God break our traditions?
3. The God Who Opens Prisons:
Whether Paul and Silas singing or Peter sleeping in chains, God opens doors. No chain can bind the Word of God.