The Acts of the Apostles, which is a sequel to Luke’s Gospel, is an action-packed thriller, to borrow from today’s vernacular. It’s hard to imagine reading the Acts of the Apostles and NOT coming away with a sense of enthusiasm and eagerness to proclaim the Good News! In fact, I often recommend to people that they begin their study of the New Testament by reading the Acts of the Apostles even before delving into the Gospels. In many ways, we can most easily relate to the Acts of the Apostles because it is most similar to our own experience: followers of Jesus striving to proclaim the gospel after the Ascension of Jesus, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some of the most well-known and inspiring stories in the Acts of the Apostles include the following:
• The Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2)
• A Miracle performed by Peter and John (Acts 3)
• The martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7)
• The Conversion of Saul/Paul (Acts 9)
• Peter raises Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9)
• Peter’s miraculous escape from prison (Acts 12)
• Paul and Barnabas’ mission
• The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15)
• Paul and Barnabas separate (Acts 15)
• Paul’s travels to Asia Minor and a dramatic earthquake (Acts 16)
• Paul’s travels to Europe (Acts 19)
• Paul interrogated before Felix, Festus, Agrippa II (Acts 24-26)
• Paul shipwrecked at Malta (Acts 27-28)
• Paul reaches his final destination: Rome (Acts 28)
