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There is little argument about who the defining change-agent is in history. There is a reason for this. There is no one who taught the way He did. All other miracle workers in history are lame in comparison. It is one thing to inspire and gather thousands of followers.
It is completely another to continue to do so after you have conquered death, raised back to life, spent 40 days appearing to men and women throughout Israel (1 Corinthians 15:6), and returned to your eternal relationship with your Father. Not to mention the reality that Jesus continues to show up in every culture and every century.
The book of Acts is a continuation of the Story the way Luke the physician recorded it. A seemingly endless stream of miracles and teachings. One witness interview after another.
Luke was not one of the original 12 disciples. He joined later. It was this Gentile author’s task to tell us the Story of God coming near – and what it did to alter the course of human souls. Check it out.
“The first account I composed, Theophilus, (Gospel of Luke) about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:1-11
We will spend a little time on Acts and then place the letters within the unfolding of this supernatural story. Enjoy!
We now hear from one of Jesus’ closest companions while He lived on the earth. His Mom Mary and His dad Joseph and brothers and sisters certainly had a special window into His miraculous life. And His cousin John (the Baptist) must have been interesting at family reunions. Peter, James, and John were close to Him. The twelve. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha – and many others were dear friends.
What a great Gospel! In Matthew the King comes to the earth in human form through the Father’s promises through the Jewish nation. Mark’s Gospel explodes for the Roman mind: “don’t tell me about the Jewish story – just tell me what He did!” God’s Servant is sacrificed for the sins of the world – for every nation under heaven.
The Jewish world was prepared to provide everything needed to bring Messiah into human history. Matthew recounts their story and how it intertwined with the life of Jesus the Nazarene.