Thelo Church

If you would have asked me, as a young girl, my favorite book of the Bible I would have told you it was Acts.

I had a white, Precious Moments Bible with a lamb on the cover. I loved that it zipped up and could hold all of my notes. Acts was one of those books that was filled with notes in my practiced handwriting and different color inks. Looking back, I cannot tell you why I loved Acts so much. I do not know what gripped me as a young girl therefore I was excited when Pastor Jonathan told me we would spend the next several months digging into this book. I cannot wait to rekindle the love I once had with this book.

I am excited to write the introduction to Thelo’s Acts series for you.

This is a story about Jesus, leading His people to go out into the world and invite all nations to live under His reign (The Bible Project).

Basics

• Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote… the Gospel of Luke
  • Luke was a doctor, historian, and a companion to Paul
  • Luke was a Gentile (a person who is not Jewish).
• Acts is the 5th book in the New Testament and the 44th book of the Bible.
• Acts spans across 28 chapters
• Acts was written sometime around 60 A.D., recounting events from approximately 30 A.D.
• Luke wrote Acts as a letter to his friend Theophilus
• Acts details Luke’s history of the spread of the Gospel

Brief Outline

Our series title, To The Ends of the Earth, comes from Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” With that in mind, Acts describes the spread of the Gospel over the course of all 28 chapters.

1. The Church in Jerusalem (the beginning of the church)
2. The Expansion of the Church to Samaria and Judea
3. Inclusion of Gentiles (that’s us, y’all)
4. Expanding the Church Around the World
5. Paul’s Adventures

I’ll leave you with these words from Amanda Bible Williams (yes, that is her real name): “The birth of the early Church is the story of God’s kingdom alive in His people and spread by His Spirit at work in us.” (Acts, She Reads Truth, pg 7).