Exalting Jesus in Acts

Tony Merida

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781433647093
• eBook ISBN: 9781433647109
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this new commentary series, projected to be 48 volumes, takes a Christ- centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books. Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition. Projected contributors to the series include notable authors such as Russell D. Moore, Al Mohler, Matt Chandler, Francis Chan, Mark Dever, and others.

Acts

Spirit-Empowered Witnesses

Acts 1:1-11

Main Idea: Luke begins his second volume by highlighting the ongoing ministry of the ascended Christ that continues through his Spirit-empowered witnesses.

I. How Should We Study Acts?

A. Not like cold scholars

B. Not like casual admirers

C. Like committed soldiers

II. Luke’s Message Continues (1:1-2).

III. Jesus’s Ministry Continues (1:1-11).

IV. The Church’s Witness Continues (1:8).

A. The people who witness: all believers

B. The path of a witness: suffering

C. The power of a witness: the Holy Spirit

D. The people in need of a witness: the nations

E. The passion of a witness: Jesus

Multiple times I’ve been asked, “How old is your church?” Since our congregation is a church plant, people often raise this question, and I have to do the math in my head to answer them. To simplify matters, and to teach a bit of church history, I have started to respond by saying, “We are about two thousand years old!” You see, the account of the early church recorded in the book of Acts is our history. The people mentioned in that book are our brothers and sisters.

Of course, the people of God did not originate in the first century. God has always had a people for himself—a people to whom he displays his glory, and a people through whom he displays his glory (to paraphrase my friend, Steve Timmis). Nevertheless, the book of Acts marks a pivotal turning point in redemptive history. Acts describes the history of the mission of the early church, and because we are part of the church’s history and mission, the book is of great importance to us.

My children are currently studying United States history, so we are going over the facts and details of the American Revolution, the early presidents, and our founding documents. Learning about these topics is important because we are Americans. American history is our history. But as vital as learning about the founding of our nation is, it is even more important that my children understand church history. It is our spiritual history, a family history.

This history recorded in the book of Acts covers a relatively short period of time. Commentator Michael Green says,

Three crucial decades in world history. That is all it took. In the years between AD 33 and 64 a new movement was born. In those thirty years it got sufficient growth and credibility to become the largest religion the world has ever seen and to change the lives of hundreds of millions of people. It has spread into every corner of the globe and has more than two billion putative adherents. It has had an indelible impact on civilization, on culture, on education, on medicine, on freedom and of course on the lives of countless people worldwide. And the seedbed for all this, the time when it took decisive root, was in these three decades. It all began with a dozen men and a handful of women: and then the Spirit came. (Thirty Years That Changed the World, 7)

So much happened in thirty short years! It makes me ask, What may God do through a modern local group of believers throughout the same period of time?

How Should We Study Acts?

Because Acts involves history, I should clarify what a proper approach to studying history entails. Generally speaking, three types of people study the past: scholars, admirers, and soldiers.

Not like Cold Scholars

While some scholars are no doubt also committed soldiers, anyone who wants to study Acts needs to reject the posture of what I’ll call a cold scholar. Our purpose in launching into the book of Acts is not merely to analyze dates, places, and people as if we were cramming for a test. Instead, our goal is to allow the message of this book to transform our hearts and lead us to a mission. We must not study the Bible as people scrutinizing a book for insights into the distant past. Rather, we should approach it as people who are desperate to see the God about whom we read move mightily in the present.

Not like Casual Admirers

Some who study history are more hobbyists than scholars; they have a casual interest in historical events that may lead them to read a piece on the Civil War, World War II, or the New York Yankees purely for pleasure. Such people may visit museums and even collect antiques and memorabilia related to their interests, but casual admirers rarely dive deeply into the contents of history. Seldom do they allow the events they read about to change them in the present. We, however, must move beyond merely admiring things about the history of the early church. We must not read the Bible lightly or scan it as if gathering insights to add to a mental museum. We should not be casual admirers but committed soldiers.

Like Committed Soldiers

Good soldiers are known to study history, and they do so to become better soldiers. Good soldiers know there is much to be done. And they see themselves—and we must view ourselves—as continuing a mission. Acts is not merely the history of the early church; it’s the history of the mission of the early church. And we are to continue that mission. So let us dive into the contents of the book that we may better serve our King.

We need to keep a few principles in mind. First, we should read Acts in light of the entire Bible, with the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments in mind. A failure to allow the whole Bible to help us rightly interpret the book could lead to some serious problems. Second, we should read Acts in light of Luke’s Gospel in particular because Dr. Luke wrote both books. Third, we must read Acts in light of its genre. It is a historical book, which means that while in it Luke describes the events of the early church, he does not always commend its practices to us. For instance, I don’t think we should read of Paul’s “healing handkerchiefs” and assume we need to start a handkerchief ministry! Rather, we must allow the whole of the Bible to help us make interpretations and applications for the modern world. We’ve got to be sensible soldiers, honoring the dual authorship of this book: it was penned by Luke and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Since Acts is the second volume by Luke, the book opens as a story already in progress. There is also an abrupt ending to Acts, leaving us with the correct impression that even today the church is living out the mission. As we look at the opening verses of this book, we’ll see that three acts are continuing: the message, the ministry, and the witness of Christ’s church. We will look back on the opening section throughout our studies in Acts.

Luke’s Message Continues

Acts 1:1-2

Luke begins his second volume by dedicating it to Theophilus. Luke addresses the same recipient in the prologue to his Gospel. That Theophilus is called “most honorable” (Luke 1:3) implies that he was a Roman official (cf. Acts 24:2; 26:25). And based on Luke’s intention of providing more “certainty” to Theophilus (Luke 1:4), he seems to have been a Christian seeker or perhaps a young believer. It is also possible that he gave financial assistance to Luke, allowing his author-friend the means to research and report on the astonishing work God was doing through followers of Jesus Christ.

What do we know about Luke? We know he was a doctor (Col 4:14). As such, he would have been educated and presumably wealthy. He made trips with Paul and was loyal to him, even while the apostle was in prison (Acts 28; 2 Tim 4:11). I can imagine that his medical skills came in handy; Paul regularly needed a doctor after all those beatings he took.

Luke was also a prolific writer. He recorded for us the stories of the prodigal son and the good Samaritan. And his work shows a remarkable depth of precise historical research. Luke traveled and carefully intervie...

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Series Introduction
• Acts
• Works Cited
• Scripture Index