Acts - The Big Picture

I am preaching my way through the book of Acts. (We are on chapter 16). I was heartened that with a little prompting the congregation could give what seems to me to be a pretty good account of the big picture of the book. 

The words of the risen Jesus to his Apostles set the agenda for the book in 1:8:

"you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Although the Apostles are prominent in the book (especially Peter in the first half and Paul in the second) The Acts of the Apostles is not just about the Twelve or Thirteen. In vv1 and 2, Luke says his former book, his gospel, was about "all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven". Acts is about what the risen Jesus continues to do by his Holy Spirit through his people. This is a book about the mission of God, about what he is doing in his world. 

The Word of God or the gospel might be said to be the main character of he book. Luke frequently gives us little summary statements about the growth and spread of the gospel. There are all sorts of difficulties and persecution, but the mission of God proves unstoppable. The book ends with Paul in chains at the heart of the empire, but the gospel not chained: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ."

All this should encourage us to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit that we too might play our part in the mission of God, taking the good news of the risen Lord Jesus to all the nations.