Did you ever think about the name of the fifth book of the New Testament? Sometimes the obvious escapes us. It is not The Thoughts of the Apostles. It is not The Goals of the Apostles. It is not The Intentions of the Apostles. It is not The Desires of the Apostles. It is not… OK, you get the idea.
The Acts of the Apostles reminds us that the early church did not first think or plan or intend or desire to serve Jesus. Rather, these early Christians were doers—speaking, reaching, loving, and living out the gospel.
Actually, scholars debate even whether to call this book “The Acts of the Apostles” at all. After all, those activated were not only apostles but included relatives of Jesus (1:14), 120 believers (1:15), a man renamed for encouraging others (4:36), seven men running a food program (6:1-6), believers scattered by persecution (8:4), despised Samaritans (8:5), a sorcerer (8:9-13), a Roman officer (10:1), a businesswoman (16:14), and even a jailer (16:29-30)—just to name a few.
When you think about it, this early account doesn’t ultimately record acts by people at all. Instead, the Holy Spirit was really the one who empowered these deeds done by the common people to share the message. This is why the Spirit is noted 64 times in Acts! But this is only part of the story of the early church, so perhaps an even more accurate title might be “Some Acts of the Holy Spirit”!
And yet the Spirit still works through us today as church history continues to be written. What a privilege to be among those whom he empowers! Does he have control of you to do his acts? Just ask him to take the reins and you will be surprised at what he can do through ordinary people like you and me.
