Acts 1:1

Berean Standard Bible

In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,

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Acts 1:1, in the New International Version, states, “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.” This opening verse serves as the prologue to the Acts of the Apostles, the second volume of Luke’s two-part work, following the Gospel of Luke. It establishes continuity with the Gospel, introduces the recipient, and sets the thematic and theological framework for a narrative that traces the early church’s growth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a bridge between Jesus’ earthly ministry and the church’s mission, this verse encapsulates Luke’s purpose to demonstrate the ongoing work of Jesus through His followers. To fully unpack Acts 1:1, we must explore its historical, cultural, theological, and literary dimensions, as well as its role in framing the book’s message of God’s redemptive plan extending to all nations.

The verse begins with a reference to “my former book,” clearly identifying the Gospel of Luke as the predecessor to Acts. This connection establishes Acts as a continuation of the story begun in the Gospel, forming a unified two-volume work, often referred to as Luke-Acts. The Gospel narrates Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, while Acts recounts the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome through the work of the apostles and early church. By linking the two, Luke signals that the events in Acts are not a new story but an extension of Jesus’ mission, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The phrase “former book” (Greek: proton logon) suggests a deliberate literary structure, reflecting Luke’s intent to provide a cohesive account of God’s redemptive work, from the incarnation to the global expansion of the church.

The recipient, “Theophilus,” is named in both Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1, providing continuity and a personal touch to the narrative. The name Theophilus, meaning “lover of God” or “friend of God,” may refer to a specific individual, possibly a Roman official or patron, given the honorific “most excellent” in Luke 1:3, a title used for high-ranking figures (e.g., Acts 23:26). Alternatively, Theophilus could be a symbolic name, representing any reader who loves God or seeks to understand His work. The ambiguity allows the text to address both a specific audience and a broader readership, inviting all to engage with the story. The personal address to Theophilus reflects Greco-Roman literary conventions, where authors dedicated works to patrons or notable figures, lending credibility and a sense of purpose to the narrative.

The content of the former book is described as “all that Jesus began to do and to teach.” The phrase “all that” suggests a comprehensive account, though Luke’s Gospel is selective, focusing on key events and teachings that reveal Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and Savior (Luke 24:44-47). The verb “began” (Greek: erxato) is significant, implying that Jesus’ work and teaching continue beyond the Gospel, through the apostles and the church in Acts. This underscores a central theme of Acts: the risen Jesus remains active, guiding His followers through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The pairing of “do and teach” highlights the unity of Jesus’ actions and words, emphasizing His miracles, compassionate deeds, and authoritative teachings as integral to His mission. This summary sets the stage for Acts, where the apostles’ deeds and proclamation mirror Jesus’ ministry, fulfilling His commission to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Theologically, Acts 1:1 establishes the continuity of God’s redemptive plan, rooted in Jesus’ life and extended through the church. The reference to Jesus’ actions and teachings connects Acts to the Gospel’s portrayal of Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises (Luke 4:18-21). The implication that Jesus’ work “began” in the Gospel suggests that Acts narrates its continuation, with the Holy Spirit empowering the apostles to carry forward the mission of salvation (Acts 2:1-4). This reflects a theology of divine initiative, where God’s plan unfolds through human agents, guided by the Spirit. The verse also introduces the theme of universal mission, as Acts traces the Gospel’s spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), fulfilling Jesus’ promise of salvation for all nations (Luke 2:30-32).

Literarily, Acts 1:1 serves as a formal prologue, a common feature in Greco-Roman literature, where authors provide a preface to outline their purpose and connect to previous works. The polished Greek style, consistent with Luke’s prologue (Luke 1:1-4), reflects Luke’s literary skill and his appeal to an educated, Hellenistic audience. The verse functions as a narrative bridge, linking the Gospel’s account of Jesus’ earthly ministry to the church’s mission in Acts. By summarizing the Gospel’s content, it reminds readers of Jesus’ foundational work while setting expectations for a new phase of divine activity. sharpening The personal address to Theophilus creates a sense of intimacy and purpose, inviting readers to see themselves as participants in the story. The verb “began” introduces a dynamic narrative arc, suggesting that Acts will unfold as a story of ongoing divine action, filled with miracles, preaching, and the growth of the church.

Culturally, the verse reflects the early Christian context of the late first century CE, likely written around 80–90 CE, when the church was expanding in the Greco-Roman world. The address to Theophilus and the reference to a written account align with Hellenistic literary practices, where historical and biographical works were dedicated to patrons to gain credibility. The emphasis on Jesus’ deeds and teachings would resonate with Jewish Christians familiar with the Messiah’s role in fulfilling Scripture, as well as with Gentile converts seeking a coherent narrative of Christian origins. The Roman Empire’s diverse and often hostile environment, with its competing philosophies and religions, provides the backdrop for Acts’ portrayal of the church’s growth against opposition. Luke’s careful framing suggests an apologetic purpose, presenting Christianity as a legitimate and divinely guided movement to a skeptical world.

In the broader canonical context, Acts 1:1 connects to the Old Testament’s promises of a restored Israel and a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6), fulfilled in Jesus and extended through the church (Acts 13:47). It aligns with the Synoptic Gospels’ emphasis on Jesus’ mission, but Luke’s focus on the Spirit’s role in Acts distinguishes it, highlighting the church’s empowerment for mission (Acts 2:4). The verse resonates with Paul’s theology of the church as Christ’s body, continuing His work (1 Corinthians 12:27), and with John’s portrayal of Jesus’ ongoing presence through the Spirit (John 16:7). The theme of universal mission anticipates Revelation’s vision of a redeemed multitude from every nation (Revelation 7:9). Acts 1:1 thus serves as a hinge between the Old Testament’s covenant promises and the New Testament’s fulfillment in Christ and the church.

The interpretive history of Acts 1:1 underscores its significance. Early church fathers, like Irenaeus, viewed Luke-Acts as a unified testimony to God’s redemptive plan, countering heresies that separated Jesus’ earthly ministry from the church’s mission. The verse’s emphasis on continuity has shaped Christian theology, affirming the church’s role as the extension of Christ’s work. Modern scholarship highlights Luke’s historiographic and theological aims, seeing Acts 1:1 as a deliberate link to the Gospel, emphasizing the Spirit’s role in salvation history. The verse’s focus on Jesus’ ongoing work through the church continues to inspire Christian mission, encouraging believers to see themselves as part of God’s unfolding plan.

In conclusion, Acts 1:1 is a concise yet profound introduction to a book that narrates the church’s Spirit-empowered mission. By referencing the Gospel of Luke, addressing Theophilus, and summarizing Jesus’ deeds and teachings, the verse establishes continuity, purpose, and divine initiative. Theologically, it affirms Jesus’ ongoing work through the church, while literarily, it adopts a Greco-Roman style to appeal to an educated audience. Culturally, it reflects the early church’s need to articulate its identity in a diverse world. As the gateway to Acts, this verse invites readers into a narrative of God’s redemptive plan, extending from Jesus’ ministry to the global witness of His followers, guided by the Holy Spirit.

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To the Faithful in Christ Jesus, scattered across the nations but gathered in one Spirit,

Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come. I write to you not with ink alone, but with the fire of conviction that has burned from the days of the apostles until now, a flame passed from heart to heart, generation to generation, unquenched by time, unshaken by persecution, unbound by geography. We are heirs of a testimony that does not age, a Kingdom that does not collapse, a Gospel that does not weaken. Let us hold fast the confession of our faith with boldness, for He who promised is faithful.

In the first book, Theophilus received a careful account of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach. And that, my beloved, is a sentence worthy of our meditation: what Jesus began to do and teach. These words open a window into the heartbeat of the Gospel, into the very nature of the mission that was set into motion by our Lord’s Incarnation, ministry, passion, and resurrection. For if Jesus began something, then what He began is still ongoing. What He initiated, He continues—through His Spirit, through His Church, through us.

This is no dead history we proclaim. This is not a tale concluded, a memory embalmed. No, we speak of a living Christ, of a work still unfolding in the earth. The Gospels give us the beginning, but the Acts of the Apostles—and indeed the acts of every generation of believers—tell of the continuation. Jesus is not merely the subject of our sermons—He is the One still working in the midst of His people. He has ascended, yes, but He has not retired. He has risen, yes, but He has not withdrawn. His body is in heaven, but His Spirit is in us. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is movement, there is mission.

So I write to you today, not as one who reports from the past, but as one who urges you to take your place in the unbroken story of divine commission. What He began in Galilee, He continues in your city. What He taught by the Sea of Tiberias, He now teaches through your life. What He did in power—healing the sick, casting out devils, raising the dead, preaching good news to the poor—He is still doing, through hands that are consecrated, hearts that are surrendered, voices that are lifted in holy obedience.

Do not say, “That was for them, not for us.” Do not divide the acts of Jesus from the acts of His Church. For the Church is His body, and a body does not act independently from its head. He lives in us, He moves through us, He speaks by us, and His mission continues wherever there is faith to believe and boldness to obey. Theophilus was a lover of God, and so are you. Receive, then, this letter as your own. Let it awaken your spirit and stir your heart. You are not merely a recipient of truth—you are a vessel of divine action.

The former treatise declares the beginning. But what will the next chapter say of you? What will the record of heaven say of our generation? Will it say we sat quietly, content to admire what was? Or will it say we rose in faith, carried the message, turned cities upside down, and bore the light of Christ into the darkest corners of the world?

I charge you, therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice. Let your feet be shod with the readiness of the Gospel. Let your lips be anointed with truth. Let your heart burn with compassion. Let your mind be renewed with the Word. Let your hands be stretched out to heal, to serve, to bless. Do not wait for permission. You have already been commissioned. Do not ask if the time is right. The time is now. Do not wonder if you are qualified. The Spirit qualifies whom He fills.

Jesus began to do and to teach. What He began, He entrusted to witnesses—not merely spectators, but participants, those who walked with Him, saw His glory, and then were filled with power from on high. The promise of the Father is yours. The same Spirit that came upon them comes upon you. The same boldness, the same authority, the same fire is for you and your children and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.

So rise, beloved. Write the next verse. Preach the Word. Heal the broken. Love the unlovable. Carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Let the name of Jesus be lifted higher than your name, your comfort, your dreams. Let your life be another chapter in the acts of the risen Christ. The world has not seen the end of His works. And neither have you.

I commend you to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among the sanctified. Stand firm. Walk worthy. Keep your eyes on the One who began the work—and who will surely bring it to completion.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

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O Sovereign Lord, Maker of heaven and earth,

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We lift our hearts before You with reverence and awe, with thanksgiving and trembling, for You are holy, enthroned in glory, and yet near to those who call upon Your name in truth. You are the God who speaks, who acts, who reveals, who fulfills all that You begin. There is no shadow of turning in You, no faltering in Your plans, no failing in Your hands.

We come before You with gratitude for the testimony of the sacred text, for the Word that abides forever, for the record of what Jesus began both to do and to teach. O Lord, You are not a God of theory, but of action. You are not distant in the heavens, but present in power. You did not merely teach righteousness; You embodied it. You did not merely declare salvation; You purchased it with Your own blood. And You did not merely begin a good work on earth; You have continued it by Your Spirit, and You will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

Father, we bless You for Jesus, the Christ, who in the days of His flesh walked among us, healed the sick, cast out demons, forgave sinners, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. We glorify You that He taught with authority, not as the scribes, and that He confirmed every word with mighty deeds. Yet more than this, we rejoice that His work did not end with His ascension, but that He poured out the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, that He continues His ministry now through His Church, the body of Christ on earth.

O Lord, we stand in awe that You have called us to be part of that body. That what Jesus began, You have called us to carry forward. That His mission is now our mandate, that His words are now our witness, and that His Spirit is now our strength. We confess, Lord, that often we have been slow to believe, slow to act, slow to go. But You are patient, rich in mercy, abounding in steadfast love, and You have not cast us off. You have chosen jars of clay to carry Your treasure, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of You, and not of us.

So now, Most High God, fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit. Let the fire that descended on Pentecost burn again in our hearts. Let the boldness of the apostles rest upon Your people today. Let our voices be lifted without fear, our feet move without hesitation, and our hands stretch forth in compassion and healing. Let Your Word proceed from our lips with power. Let signs and wonders follow those who believe. Let the sick be healed, let the oppressed be delivered, let the lost be found, let the dead be raised, and let Jesus be glorified in all the earth.

Lord, stir up the Church again. Awaken us from comfort. Deliver us from apathy. Shake us from the dust and clothe us with strength. Let us not only admire what Jesus began, but participate in what He is doing. Let us not sit as spectators, but run as messengers. Let us not merely remember Pentecost, but live in its power.

O Jesus, exalted at the right hand of the Father, we honor You. You are the head of the Church, the author and finisher of our faith, the One who holds the seven stars in Your hand and walks among the golden lampstands. You began to do and to teach, and You are still doing, still teaching, still moving, still saving. Make us faithful to Your calling. Let us be living epistles, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God.

We pray for every city, every nation, every language and tribe. Let the Gospel go forth to the ends of the earth. Let the sound of Your name be heard in every land. Let the unreached be reached. Let the forgotten be remembered. Let the persecuted be strengthened. Let the saints be unified. Let the world know that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And Lord, let us live with the urgency of the unfinished. Let us remember that Acts is not a closed book but a continuing testimony. Let our lives be pages written by Your Spirit. Let the history of salvation continue through us, through the Church You have called, through the people You have redeemed. Do in our day what You did in theirs—and even greater things, as You promised. Not by might, not by power, but by Your Spirit, says the Lord.

We await the day when You shall come again in glory, O Christ, to judge the living and the dead, to consummate what You began, to gather the harvest of the ages. Until that day, may we be found laboring, praying, proclaiming, healing, and hoping. May we not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.

To You, O Lord, be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, world without end. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

In the matchless name of Jesus Christ our risen King,

Amen.