Hearing God Through Acts of the Apostles

Immediately following the four Gospels in the New Testament is the book of Acts, also known as Acts of the Apostles and Acts of the Holy Spirit. At one point The Gospel of Luke and Acts were joined as one book in 2 volumes. Ancient books were often written on papyrus scrolls. The length of a scroll would be up to 35 feet long. Any longer than this and it would become difficult to transport. So, it is thought that Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts on two separate scrolls. Where the Gospels end with the life and works of Jesus, Acts extends by showing His works continue through His followers by way of the Holy Spirit. Over 50 times in the book you will hear about being baptized, filled or led by the Holy Spirit. By this frequency we can see that Luke wants his audience to understand how crucial the Holy Spirit is to successfully living the Christian life. The book also allows to peek into the formation of the early church and the Apostle Paul’s transformation. From Paul’s experience we see that even those who despise Jesus the most, and forcefully oppose Him, can be overcome and saved by His love. It shows the power of the Gospel to transform people, communities and even countries. For even though the teachings of Jesus came to ordinary, unimpressive people, without any money or earthly power to further its cause, it took root, grew and continues to do so even today over 2000 years later. Reading the Bible is different than reading any other book. It is more than a narrative about God, it is more than a story of broken individuals and the trials they faced. It is more than a set of rules and regulations. It is even more than a love letter. It is the very essence of Jesus. It is about Him, but there is more than that. It is God’s conversation with us. It is alive. It is active. It is a 2-way conversation.