Today we're pleased to share with you an audio essay written and read by Nancy Guthrie entitled

Ten Things You Should Know About the Book of Acts.

Nancy is the author of Saved, experiencing the promise of the Book of Acts from Crossway.

Ten Things You Should Know about the book of Acts written and read by Nancy Guthrie.

Number one.

Axe is not primarily about the Acts of the Apostles.

Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, didn't actually give his book the title, Acts of the Apostles. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, didn't actually give his book the title Acts of the Apostles. That name was given to the book by the church in the third century. And while the

book of Acts certainly tells the story of what happened to and through the 12 Apostles and the

Apostle Paul in the 30 or so years following the death and

resurrection of Jesus. If this book is about what the apostles did, it is interesting that after

the 12 are listed in the first chapter, we don't hear anything else about most of them.

An argument could be made that this is a book about the acts of the

poured out Holy Spirit. Or it could be the acts of the preached word. The word almost seems to take

on an identity of its own in this book as it is spreading and prevailing. Perhaps we could also say that this is a book about the acts of

the enthroned Lord Jesus. Jesus ascends to his throne in heaven in the first chapter of Acts,

and then as we read through the book, he remains at the center of the action, calling people to himself,

adding new believers to his church,

providing direction to his disciples, and appointing ministers of his word.

Number two, Acts 1 provides an outline and a geographical guide to the remainder of the book. In the first chapter of Acts, Jesus says to his apostles, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth, which provides an

outline for the rest of the book. These first followers receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them,

and they begin to preach in Jerusalem in chapters 2 through 7. From there, they witness about Christ outside of Jerusalem in

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