In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
Luke is writing his second book. Book writing can be fun. It can be arduous. Luke set out (in his gospel account) to give us an historical account of Jesus words and deeds. In Acts, Luke is giving us an account of the words and deeds of the early church through the power of the Holy Spirit. When writing a book, today’s authors are left to their own imaginations, intellect and communication skills. Thankfully the Scriptures were written by men who were powered by the Holy Spirit. God was guiding Luke as he wrote. In the first chapter the Holy Spirit is mentioned multiple times. Jesus left and said He would send the Sprit of God to guide the disciples, empower them and to make sure they completed the mission He sent them to complete. This is the difference between Christianity and other “religions.” Other “faiths” are based upon similar structures but none where God paid for their sins and none where God spends a Helper for us to live the life. So many believers want to live their new found faith in their own power. But, God has giving us a power in the Person of the Spirit to provide for us the strength, insight, and ability to live for Him. What a great truth and promise. We seldom live in light of what Luke took time to write and to tell us. As we read his words in the book The Acts of the Apostles, we soon forget that it was the Acts of the Apostles through the power of God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is the forgotten Person of the Trinity to many believers. But, it is in the strength of the Spirit that we are successful in our walk of faith.
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