The focus of the manifestation
of Jesus in the Acts of the Apostles comes primarily through the lives of
two men, Peter and Paul. There is a striking parallel in the events of the lives of
these two men. Both men had the healing of a cripple in their journey.
Healing in their ministries also occurred by strange means: the shadow of
Peter and the clothing of Paul. They both also have an encounter with an
sorcerer. A person was raised from the dead in both of their preaching of
the gospel. Finally, they both were miraculously set free from prison.
Paul is introduced to the reader of the
Acts of the Apostles at the stoning and death of Stephen. The persecution
of the believers by Paul and his conversion to the faith which he fought
brings him into focus for the second part (chapters 13-28) of the Acts of
the Apostles. After his conversion on the Damascus road, he began his
mission journeys with Barnabas from Antioch.
The first convert on these missionary
journeys was an official on the isle of Crete, Sergius Paulus. This
conversion brought also the first persecution of Paul by Elymas, a chief
consultant and servant of Sergius Paulus. The preaching of the gospel by
Paul always brought results: some believed, others wanted to hear more,
and some openly opposed the message of grace (Acts of the Apostles
17:32-34).
Through three missionary journeys, three
trip to Jerusalem, and to this final designation, Rome, the manifestation
of Jesus in the life of Paul as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles
brought many "sign and wonders." The dead was raised, the lame
walked, and devils were cast out. Many people were being set free from the
bondage they were experiencing in their lives.
The preaching of the gospel also brought
great persecutions to Paul. In addition, to the continually trouble Paul
faced on his missionary journeys, his third trip to Jerusalem was filled
with much tribulations. In the twelve days of Paul’s final visit to
Jerusalem (Acts of the Apostles 22-24), he was accosted by an angry crowd
when he was in the Temple. The same crowd threw him out of the Temple and
slam shut the doors. Certain Jews sought to kill him by attempting to beat
him to death. He was rescued by the chief captain only to be bound with
chains. Believed to be the leader of a band of 4,000 murderers, he was
kept in captivity. Although he was saved from being examined by scourging,
he nevertheless was mocked and bound with thongs. Commanded to be slapped
on the mouth for his preaching, the anger crowd was literally about to
pull him to pieces. A band of forty Jews swore an oath together that they
would not eat until they had killed Paul. The message of grace and truth,
amazingly, was being opposed by many of the people to whom God had sent
this great message of freedom.
The manifestation of Jesus in the Acts of
the Apostles is the recorded history of the preaching of the gospel as it
went forth from Jerusalem to Rome. It is the story of the continuing
ministry of Jesus among His people. Revealing the power of God intervening
into the affairs of man, the record of the Acts of the Apostles forever
proclaims the wonder of God’s miraculous deliverance of man.
The purpose of the writing of
the Acts of the Apostles is clear, if the authorship of the books is
accepted as Luke. The author began his account of the history of the
primitive church by stating,
The former treatise have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day
in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given
commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he
shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being
seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of
the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (Acts of the Apostles
1:1-4)
The opening statement of the author
connects the book of the Acts of the Apostles to the former treatise of
the author, the Gospel of Luke.
In the first treatise of Luke, he gave the reason why he wrote both the
Gospel of Luke and this second treatise, the Acts of the Apostles. He stated,
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to
set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the
beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good
to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very
first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou
mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been
instructed. (Luke 1:1-4)
The Acts of the Apostles was written to
declare the certainty of those things that have been delivered from the
beginning through the eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.
|
