My first job was helping my dad. He was a farmer, which meant that he had to be a project manager, meteorologist, machine operator, market analyst, mechanic, and a handful of other things on a regular basis. I was barely-skilled labor, often demonstrating a bad attitude and occasionally creating more work than I accomplished.
One afternoon while I was out on a tractor doing some field work, I saw my dad’s truck coming down the road alongside our farm. He climbed out and began walking through the field in my direction. I remember being particularly difficult that day, complaining about how long it was going to take me to finish what he wanted me to do before I could go home. So when I stopped the tractor to see what my dad wanted, I would have bet that he was about to give me (a) even more work, (b) a lecture that I very much deserved, or (c) both.
What happened next caught me completely off guard. No additional work. No lecture. My dad simply told me that I could head home and that he’d finish up. I’ve never forgotten that moment. That patient and gracious act on my dad’s part taught me a lot about who he is.
What was true of my situation with my dad is true of relationships in general. You learn a lot about someone by watching what they do.
That’s important when you consider Luke’s opening line in the book of Acts: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (emphasis mine).
Luke’s “former book” is the Gospel we now call by his name. In it, he recounts the life and ministry of Jesus, including his birth, teaching, miracles, death, and resurrection. On every page, we learn about who Jesus is through what he does.
So the implication of the way Luke begins his second book, Acts, is that he intends to help us learn more about Jesus by showing what he continued to do and teach. That said, it might strike us as odd when Jesus is taken up into heaven in chapter one, and the rest of Acts is concerned mainly with the actions of his followers.
But this isn’t a mistake on Luke’s part. He’s simply wanting us to see that Jesus continued to act in and through his body, the church. It’s as if he’s saying, “You want to know more about Jesus? Watch what his followers did!”
All of this means that digging into the book of Acts is a great way to continue The Crossing’s yearlong emphasis on experiencing God.
Over the next several weeks, the sermons on Sunday morning will walk through Acts 13-17. These stories will serve as windows, helping you to see Jesus…often through the actions of those who first trusted and followed him.
Here are a few glimpses into what—or rather who—we can see in these chapters:
Jesus famously said that he came “to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and by Acts 13, the church has firmly caught on, sending Paul and Barnabas out to tell both Jews and Gentiles the good news about Jesus. By Acts 17, Paul has made it all the way to Athens, a city that stands out for its worship of many different gods (v. 16, 22-23). Jesus, through his followers, relentlessly pursues those who are far from him.
While he was with his disciples, Jesus did incredible things, including healing the sick and those oppressed by spiritual forces and demonstrating power over the natural world (stilling a storm, walking on water, etc.). In Acts, he continues to exercise his power through and for those who follow him. Paul heals a lame man (14:8-10), frees a slave from demon possession (16:16-18), and occasions an earthquake that leads to an entire household coming to faith (16:25-24). Through these and other events, we see a Jesus who uses his great power for his people and his good purposes.
In the Gospels, Jesus regularly interacts with the culture around him, showing people how to faithfully navigate its customs and challenges. Once again, he does the same in Acts. In chapter 15, Jesus works through the gathered church in Jerusalem to help believers from one background (Gentile) respect those from another (Jewish). In Acts 17, his servant Paul both affirms and challenges beliefs associated with some of the leading philosophical schools of the day. Jesus brought the light of life and truth to bear in the world, and we find it continuing to shine through his people in the book of Acts.
The Bible describes Jesus as a “man of suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). And it’s through his suffering that Jesus brings salvation to his people. That pattern is repeated in the book of Acts. At different points in these chapters, Paul is rejected by his fellow Jews, conspired against, stoned, beaten, and imprisoned. And yet he endures all this so he can continue sharing the good news about Jesus. That Paul is willing to do so is a powerful witness to the truth and value of the message. Not only that, but his trials often lead Paul to new (and sometimes unusual) opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Step by step, Paul follows the path that Jesus walked: suffering for the sake of others.
No doubt there is much more to see in these chapters of Acts. But what I’ve mentioned here gives you an idea of how the book spurs us to experience God. By pointing to what these early Christians said and did, Luke is helping us encounter and trust the one they followed.