Eighteen Chapters and Counting: The Book of Acts

I remember reading excellent books during my high school years, books that made me think deeply and pay attention to things otherwise unnoticed and details otherwise foregone. Titles like “Of Mice and Men,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “The House on Mango Street,” and “Things Fall Apart” continue to resound within my mind. Good books have a manner to leave a mark on the student’s mind.

Similarly, a book from the Bible that continues to amaze and transform me is the Acts of the Apostles. The sequel to the Gospel of Luke is quite similar to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as it tells in great detail the work of the Holy Spirit through mere men whose faith is solely placed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even more impressive is how the gospel breaks out from the regions of modern-day Palestine and Israel to reach Africa and Europe through the Roman Empire’s peace (Pax Romana). It is a remarkable narrative filled with intrigue, miracles, plot twists, and the epic-scale mission to deliver humanity from death and darkness into the arms of a holy, merciful, and just God.

The book of Acts points to a simple message that believers must hold on to with clarity, joy, and tenacity. There is only one way to eternal life—Repent and Believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who has atoned for our sins. Peter, Philip, Barnabas, Silas, and Paul all make this message known to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. The news is nothing more and nothing less than repent and believe. Here, the focus is not anything earthly but the one who made heaven and earth, all in and under them.

Some takeaways from the first 18 chapters of the book of Acts:

God uses regular people to accomplish extraordinary works. Reading through the book, the reader will perceive that every man and woman in the history of the 1st-century church are simply human beings. Warts, wrinkles, stink, and all, each of the heroes of the faith was all human. The only distinctive mark in their lives is the presence of repentance and belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus changes everything upon receiving Him and surrendering to Him.

Faith is more than a sideshow. Even today, some teachers and pastors will take the gospel as a sideshow, only presenting it as a performance and a means to wealth. Faith is more. It is the rebirth of our spirit, from darkness to light. Faith is the life we receive from God to not walk as humans bound to our basic desires but beholden to please God for his mercy, grace, and compassion. Faith is the bond that leads to perfect love in thought, word, and action. Faith is the pathway to God-like love.

Christ is worth everything. The Apostles left everything about their old lives to serve Jesus. Nothing was an idol, an excuse, or a contending goal. All but one of the Apostles died for the message of the cross and the resurrection (all but John, who died of old age). Those who believed surrendered their lifestyles and means of living to glorify God by serving him rather than themselves. Nothing was too high a price for those whose repentance was shown in their works of faith.

The gospel is not sensationalism or emotionalism; it is rational and logical. The appeal of the gospel points to the core of the man and woman who hear it. It is not done as you feel; feel your emotions and let them guide you. The gospel points to someone better and higher than us as our example. Paul makes that clear as he appeals to the Athenians as we read about the sermon at Mar’s Hill. The gospel is as much for the mind as it is for the heart of humanity. Praise God, who makes us all new; not just our hearts or minds, but all of us are given new life.