Home	About Us		Quick Intro to the Bible		Quick Intro to New Testament	Related Interest Topics
			Brief Overview of The Book of Acts This book recounts the events that occurred after Jesus’ death and resurrection that led to the rise of the early Christian church. This book falls roughly into two parts. The first part is concerned with the activities of Jesus’ disciples in Galilee and Jerusalem, and includes the amazing story of God’s Holy Spirit descending on them during a Jewish religious festival (later known as Pentecost). Many who witnessed this incredible event also witnessed the unexpected miracles that followed. And . . . as all these people heard the disciples telling of how they had actually seen Jesus after he had risen from the dead, literally thousands of people were left with no choice but to accept that Jesus really was who he claimed to be – the long awaited Jewish Messiah. The Christ. The Son of God. The second part of the Book of Acts is concerned with the subsequent spread of this new understanding – the understanding that Jesus really was the Christ. And this understanding became known as Christianity, as people accepted who Jesus was and followed his teachings. This part of the book also includes the story of the conversion of Saul/Paul (a rabid Jewish legalist who originally tried to eradicate the new Christian movement). But when Paul actually met the risen Jesus on a road to Damascus, he had no alternative but to do a complete back-flip and accept who Jesus was. Consequently, Paul became what was probably Christianity’s greatest protagonist, spending the rest of his life travelling far beyond Israel’s borders, taking the Christian message to all who would listen. The Book of Acts records the astounding events of Paul’s adventurous journeys – his achievements, his challenges, his disappointments, his sufferings and persecution, beatings, floggings and imprisonments. On one occasion he was even shipwrecked. The Book of Acts tells how Paul, together with many other followers of Jesus, established the first Christian communities throughout Israel, Asia and Europe. During this time many letters were written for various reasons, and this is where the next section of the Bible fits in – the collection of ‘Letters’.
Old & New Testament Links * The Bible Intro * The Pentateuch * The History * Poetry & Wisdom * The Prophets * The NT Intro * The Gospels * The Book of Acts * The Letters * Revelation
				Brief overview of the Letters Click Here