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Writer: Luke
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Luke 1:2 – Not a personal eyewitness of Jesus
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All early records unanimously name Luke as the writer of Luke and Acts.
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Three indicators that Luke wrote both Luke and Acts
| To whom addressed? | “… to write out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3) | “The first account I composed, Theophilus …” (Acts 1:1) |
| Continuity of action | “He parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51) | “The first account … until the day when He was taken up” (Acts 1:2) |
| Continuity of promise | “I am sending forth the promise of my Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city …” (Luke 24:49) | “He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised” (Acts 1:4) |
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Theophilus
- Nothing is known about him. The name means “friend of God.” Theophilus could be a specific person or a general term for any friend of God.
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Summary:
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Acts covers about 30 years of the earliest history of the church.
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The book of Acts has been shown to be extremely historically accurate. Acts 13:7
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The apostles wait with great anticipation - Acts 1:1-12
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John 14:16-17, 26; 15:16, 26-27; 16:13; 17:18; 20:21; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47-49
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Acts 1:1-12 reviews and continues this great anticipation.
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Carrying out the great commission – Acts 1:8
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Jerusalem – Acts 2-7
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Judea and Samaria – Acts 8-12
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Remotest part of the earth – Acts 13-28
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Isaiah 2:1-3 – This is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
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Jesus ascends into Heaven – Acts 1:9-11
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Jesus left as part of the divine plan. He did not fail but left on His own terms.
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Acts 7:55 – Stephen later saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
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Bible contradiction? Acts 1:8
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Selecting a new apostle – Acts 1:15-26
- The new apostle had to be an eyewitness of Jesus.
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“Witnessing”
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The word “witness” is used many times in the New Testament, but people use it in a different way today. The apostles were witnesses of things they had seen with their own eyes.
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The apostles were the prime witnesses.
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The apostles could tell people what they had seen with their own eyes.
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Matthias qualified as an apostle because he was an eyewitness. Acts 1:21-22
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Paul became a witness because Jesus appeared to him.
- Acts 9:3-5; 18:5; 20:21, 24; 22:14-15; 23:11; 26:16, 22; 28:23; I Corinthians 15:15
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