The Acts of the Apostles tells what happened after Jesus ascended into heaven. It is the natural continuation of the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author: the physician and evangelist Luke.
The book begins with a promise. Jesus told the disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
That promise is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fills the disciples, Peter preaches boldly, and about three thousand people believe in Jesus in a single day.
The first Christians lived in unity: they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to prayer, and to the breaking of bread. The apostles also performed healings and signs that drew even more people to faith.
The church grows, but it also faces opposition. Stephen becomes the first Christian martyr, and the persecution that follows scatters the disciples beyond Jerusalem.
One of the church’s greatest persecutors, Saul of Tarsus, is transformed on the road to Damascus. He becomes Paul, the greatest missionary of the New Testament.
Acts narrates Paul’s journeys through the Greco-Roman world. Cities such as Philippi, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus hear the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time.
The book also records an important decision of the early church: gentiles who believe in Jesus do not need to become Jews to be saved. Grace is for everyone, through faith.
Acts ends with Paul imprisoned in Rome, yet preaching freely about the kingdom of God, without hindrance. Read this book and see the Holy Spirit in action, calling ordinary people to carry the gospel to all nations.