Today, we begin our series in the Book of Acts, which is the second volume of Luke’s dual histories. In the first volume, Luke gave us the history of what Jesus began to do in His person. Now, in the second volume, Luke is going to show us what Jesus continues to do through His people.
Acts begins with a commission from the risen Jesus just prior to His ascension, “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 1:8). That commission outlined the basic structure of the book. Luke traces the early days of the Gospel in the city of Jerusalem (1:1–6:7), as it spreads throughout Judea and Samaria (6:8–7:60), going out to the nations (9:32–15:35), to the ends of the earth (15:36–21:16), and then finally to the heart of the Roman Empire, which encompassed nearly all the known world at the time (21:17–28:31).
In this series, we’ll discover the inspirational story of what God can do through ordinary people filled, by the power of His Spirit, who decide to join Jesus on mission in changing their world. Centuries later, nothing has changed. God is still in the business of using ordinary people to change the world. The question is: Will we join Him in the work He is doing?
Remember, you are loved, more than you know!
