Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Starting a new series in Acts
• To begin by looking at the Prologue
• Reading v1-3
• The second volume of Dr Luke
• Recap of his characteristics
• The Book of Acts is unprecedented - missiology, ecleisiology, doctrine of the Holy Spirit, soteriology
• So many key subjects
• Written again to Theophilus
• Likely a Roman Official
• A greeting to a fellow believer
• Places to use titles and places not to use titles
• He mentions his former account (Luke's Gospel)
• This was a beginning
• Jesus is still teaching through His apostles
• What a privilege Theophilus had to first read Luke's Gospel and Acts
• His name means lover or friend of God
• Overview:
• The Unfinished work of Jesus
• The Authorised work of Jesus
• The Authentic work of Jesus

The Unfinished work of Jesus (v1)

• The acts of the apostles
• Really the acts of Jesus Christ through the apostles
• Luke's Gospel was about what Jesus had begun to do and to teach
• Acts speaks of His continuing work in the world
• God's work was just beginning
• After the incarnation and ascension - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the second most important act
• The book of Acts has closed - what about the work of Jesus in us?
• Example of the Hymn - 'a work unfinished'

The Authorised work of Jesus (v2)

• Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit gave commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen
• Particularly those commandments He gave to the apostles after He rose from the dead
• E.g. The Great Commission
• Luke 24:44-48
• To preach His death and resurrection, to preach the repentance of sins, to preach in His name, to preach to all the world starting at Jerusalem
• John 20:19:21
• Jesus is commissioning His apostles
• He gave them the Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptures (cf Luke 24:45)
• Not much is written about the time after Jesus' resurrection before His ascension ...
•  ... but Jesus would have taught His disciples
• He sent them out in the world
• We should pray that God raises up men to go into ministry
• A different situation today but the same Holy Spirit

The Authentic work of Jesus (v3)

• After His suffering there were many infallible proofs
• E.g. eating broiled fish and honeycomb - a real body (v39-43)
• Example of Doubting Thomas (John 20:24-30)
• If you are worried about the authenticity of the Scriptures
• Re-read the Scriptures
• Come to a settled understanding
• Give a sure and certain sound
• Recognise that God uses ordinary people - consider the spread of Christianity throughout all the Roman Empire
• Filled with the Holy Spirit
• Pray that God would use us and fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit
• Remember that it is the work of Jesus Christ
  • Example of the Apostle Paul - Romans 15:18-19
• Not the work of individuals, churches or nations
• We are to give the glory to God
• Be encouraged and recognise that it is God's work
• Jesus continues His work by the Word of God and power of the Holy Spirit
• It is always the combination of both
• The Bible itself will not transform lives
• It is the Holy Spirit working through the Bible that lives are transformed and saved
• 1 Thess 1:5
• Our great need is to speak the main things
• v3c
• Speak of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God
• Not to give our own thoughts but pass on the main themes
• Example of the parable of the Prodigal Son
• Example of of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
• An ongoing work
• To study the work of Jesus and pass it on
• Hear the call of the kingdo