Experiencing God Series

EXPERIENCING GOD

I. Introduction

A. Author and Date

1. Although the author is not named in the book we can gather from external evidences and from inferences of the book itself that Luke was the author.

2. The earliest of the external evidences appear in the Muratorian Canon (A.D. 170), where the explicit statement is made that Luke was the author of both the third Gospel and the “Acts of All the Apostles.”

3. Eusebius (A.D. 325) list information citing various sources that identify Luke as the author (Ecclesiastical History, 3.4).

4. Luke was born in Antioch of Syria and was taught in the science of medicine. Some late writers say he was also a prolific painter.

i. We know he was not born a Jew because Paul does not mention him among those of “the circumcision.”

ii. The date of his conversion is unknown but he joined Paul in Troas and journeyed with him into Macedonia.

5. Luke was a Gentile who had excellent training in Greek, knew the art of rhetoric, had superb research and compositional skills, was familiar with historic writings of Hellenistic tradition.

6. As to his death and age there is much uncertainty. He probably died as a martyr between 75 and A.D. 100.

7. William Ramsay, a notable archaeologist and Bible scholar, proved that the historical record of Acts is remarkably accurate regarding the specific practices, laws and customs of the period it purports to record; it is the work of contemporary eye-witnesses.

8. Luke’s Gospel is the first half of a single two-volume work (Luke-Acts), sharing purpose, themes, and theology with the book of Acts.

9. Two dates of the writing of this book are possible:

i. Between 70 and 80 A.D., which would have allowed Luke to use Mark in his Gospel.

ii. During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome A.D. 64. This date is significant because it contains no allusions to events after Paul’s two-year imprisonment.

10. We are now embarking in a study of which we are eyewitnesses of this phenomenon, which is still present in the twenty-first century.

B. Theme, Purpose and Characteristic

1. In this book we see power exercised in the midst of persecution for it deals with a point in time of intense conflict. It is no wonder God says they will be filled with power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they would need it.

2. This book is significant as a historical account of the birth and growth of the Christian church.

i. Acts is not a comprehensive history of the church, but rather a focused history centering on the beginnings of the church and ministry of certain apostles.

3. You will also find embedded in this book a defense presented to both Jews (4:8-12) and Gentiles (25:8-11), with the underlying purpose of conversion to Christianity. It also shows how they coped with pagan thoughts.

i. Luke is underlying the fulfillment of Israel’s hope giving testimony of the fact that God’s salvation had arrived through the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. We will also see principles that are employed in certain situations that would arise in a newly formed church. He wanted to legitimize the claims of the church as the authentic people of God in the present age.

II. A Living Lord (Experience)

A. (v 1) Reference to former writings

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach

1. The book opens with a reminder. The beloved physician had written previously a writing that we know as the Gospel of Luke.

2. Theophilus means “lover of God or Friend of God.”

3. In the previous book (St. Luke) Luke refers to him with a title of “most excellent” an expression used as a title of respect for a person of high social status and wealth, often a of rank in Roman society.

4. This would infer that Theophilus was just a subtitle for Flavious Clement (possibly), who was a cousin of Domitianus or a very influential person in the Roman culture.

5. He was a person that seems to want to learn more about Christianity or some commentaries say he may have been a Christian.

i. This seems to be true because the Christian movement was causing such a stir that it is likely that Rome had an investigation done to find out who these people calling themselves Christians were.

6. Luke wanted to show Rome that Christianity was harmless, innocent, and lawful, contrary to what many oppositionists were saying.

7. Jesus had just spent forty days with his disciples in his post resurrection ministry. He is seeking to move these weak self-centered disheartened disciples into a new beginning.

8. The Gospel of Luke describes only a beginning of what Jesus did and Acts is a continuation of His works to this day.