Acts, The Appetizer

If the book of Acts were a movie, it would be classified as Action and adventure… so get your popcorn ready! This book has it all: tongues of fire, prison outbreaks, a shipwreck, dramatic healings, and dead people who come back to life. Plus, we get to meet an enemy of the Christian faith who encounters the Lord on a road trip and becomes one of the most influential Christ followers in history.

Speaking of the apostle Paul, he refers to the writer of the book of Acts as his coworker and beloved physician. Luke is the author of this adventure we’re about to embark on. He’s the same Luke who wrote the third gospel and is known as the most literary of all the gospel writers. He did not witness the miracles of Jesus firsthand but instead, set about to record what other believers had seen with their own eyes. Interestingly enough, Luke wrote more words in the New Testament than the apostle Paul!

At the beginning of Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts, Luke mentions a man named Theophilus. This is from Luke chapter 1: Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

Love that! We can be certain! Luke endeavored to make sure that his friend knew the truth and had a good handle on it. Chuck Swindoll is a wonderful pastor and author. He says a good question to ask yourself is… who is your Theophilus? Who are you trying to reach with the truth and hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ?

Really looking forward to embarking on this incredible adventure with you! Let’s dive into the first chapter of Acts tomorrow!

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Transcription:

Welcome to The Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s Word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, come to me and I WILL give you rest. This is us RSVPing: Yes!! to that invitation. So, take a deep breath and let’s get started.

Today’s episode is called, “Acts, the Appetizer”. We are about to dive in, into the book of Acts together, and I am so excited. If this book in the Bible was a movie, it would be an action-adventure film. It’s got everything. We’re talking a shipwreck, tongues of fire, dead people who come back to life. It is so exciting. Plus, we’re gonna meet a man who was the enemy of the Christian faith, but then he goes on a little road trip, encounters the Lord, and he becomes an influencer. Perhaps one of the most influential Christians who ever lived.

And while we’re on the subject of the apostle Paul, he calls the author of the book of Acts his coworker and the beloved physician. Yeah. We’re talking about Luke. Luke wrote the gospel of Luke, of course, and the book of Acts. Interestingly enough, he wrote more words in the New Testament than the apostle Paul. That’s something I just learned the other day. Now, Luke did not witness the life of Jesus or his miracles. Instead, he picked up his pen and he wrote down what other people were blessed to see. He mentions a man named Theopolis at the beginning of the gospel of Luke and at the beginning of the book of Acts.

I wanna read to you from the beginning of the gospel of Luke, because this is so interesting. You’ll find out why Theopolis has a place in your life too. Here we go. Okay, this is how Luke starts his gospel. “Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness report circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theopolis, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” Okay, you and I can be certain about what we believe. You can be certain, there was a man named Luke who was a doctor who wrote it all down, so you and I could know that these things that we’re about to study together actually happened. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty awesome. 

Chuck Swindoll is a wonderful preacher and I love learning from him. He says to ask yourself this question, who is your Theopolis? Who is the person in your life, who you’re trying to reach with the truth and the hope that can only be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ? So, ask yourself that. I’m asking myself that. Who can you share this podcast with? We would love that. Listen, I am so excited to dive into the book of Acts with you. Can’t wait to embark on this incredible adventure. Until then, remember you are loved. 

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.