Luke wrote more of the New Testament than any other writer. Although a Gentile, God used this unique man to record the life of our Lord and the only history of the early church. The Acts of the Apostles carries the historical narrative from the ascension of Christ to the Roman jail in which Paul was imprisoned. In this famous diary written by Paul's traveling companion, Luke shows how the early believers fulfilled the Great Commission. The first seven chapters tell of the witness in Jerusalem. The next five deal with witnessing in Judea and Samaria, while the last sixteen chapters deal with taking the Gospel to the Gentile world.
More than merely a missionary account, the book of Acts reveals the work and Person of the Holy Spirit. In it, we learn how God's Spirit empowers His people for witness and comforts them in trial. The Holy Ghost also commissions for service and instructs for decision. This book displays the glory and work of the Holy Spirit in His relationship to the other Persons of the Trinity and to the church.
Prayer plays a prominent role in the book of Acts. Here we find believers praying during times of great crisis. God hears their prayer and brings deliverance. However, the believers prayed more than "crisis prayers." Prayer was a vital part of their daily spiritual life. So powerful were their prayers that often the places where they prayed were "shaken." In these, the last days, may God give us a baptism of prayer power so that we, too, can shake our world for Christ.
“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31 KJV
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