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THE BOOK OF ACTS

CHAPTER 1

ACTS OVERVIEW

Writer: Luke

Time: 61-66 A.D.

Occasion: The book of Acts was written during the time Paul was writing the four prison
epistles. This book continues where the book of Luke ends and could be entitled Second Luke.
Acts begins with the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus and covers the formation and
development of the church. In essence, it is the passing of the torch from Jesus to the church.
The human subjects change in the book, but the message and the Holy Spirit’s anointing remain
the same.

Theme: The central theme is the diminishing of the Jew and the increasing of the Gentiles.
This theme is found in Acts 1:8, in Jesus’ command to preach the gospel in “Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This is also the outline of Acts. The gospel
begins in Jerusalem where the first church is established (chapters 1-7). Samaria will come next,
with the ministry of Phillip (chapter 8). The book will end with the Gentile revivals in Antioch and
Ephesus with Paul as the main minister (chapters 9-28).

Background: The day of Pentecost began a new dispensation, the “mystery,” which was
unknown to the Old Testament prophets. Another name for this new dispensation is the “church
age” or “the dispensation of grace.” The major difference between the Old and New Testaments
is the new ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was present in the Old Testament, but would
only anoint specific individuals for specific purposes. The day of Pentecost introduced the new
birth and the infilling of the Holy Spirit to empower believers to fulfill the great commission.

The Local Churches

• Chapters 2-10: Jerusalem
• Chapters 12-17: Antioch
• Chapters 18-20: Ephesus

The Predominant Characters

• Chapters 1-5: Peter
• Chapters 6-7: Stephen
• Chapters 8-12: Barnabas, Philip, and Saul of Tarsus
• Chapters 13-28: Saul as Paul