New Testament Overview Part 5 : Acts I. Introduction We have completed our overview of the four Gospels and the life of Christ! From here, the Lord will commission His apostles and prophets to begin building His church (cf. Eph. 4:11–12) This Session: An Overview of the Book of Acts II. Acts This follows up the Gospels, providing history for the rest of the New Testament. This book records the fulfillment of the coming of the Holy Spirit Jesus promised Him in the Upper Room discourse (John 14:26; 16:13) Jesus said He must go away and will only then send the Spirit (16:7) AUTHOR: Luke (Luke 1:1–4; Acts 1:1–2) Between his Gospel and Acts, he provides the most complete history, covering ca. 6 bc – ad 60! A ministry companion of the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:10–17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16) AUDIENCE: Theophilus (a representative of Gentile Christians) DATE: c. A.D. 62 THEME: Birth and Growth of the Church/Acts OUTLINES Acts 1:8 I. Jerusalem (1–7) — ca. 3 yrs II. Judea and Sa...
