The Acts of the Apostles
Preface
The fifth book of the New Testament has been known from ancient times
as The Acts of the Apostles; but this title cannot be found in the book
itself. One of the earliest manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus, gives as
the title the simple word Acts, with no mention of the apostles. There is
a reason for this. Acts was intended to be more than a brief history of
the service rendered by the twelve disciples, much more than the principal
events in the lifework of its four leading characters, Peter, James, John,
and Paul.
The book of the Acts was written by "the beloved physician,"
Luke, a Gentile convert, for the whole church, Jews and Gentiles alike.
While it covers a period of a little more than three decades, it is filled
with important lessons for the church in every age. In the book of the
Acts God clearly indicates that the Christian today shall experience the
presence of the same Spirit who came with power at Pentecost and fanned
the gospel message into a flame. The acts of the Holy Spirit through Peter
and Paul, John and James, and others, can be repeated in the modern
disciple.
The abruptness with which the book of Acts closes is not accidental; it
deliberately suggests that the thrilling narrative is unfinished, and that
the acts of God through the Spirit are to have their sequel throughout the
Christian dispensation--each successive generation adding a chapter full
of beauty and power to the one that preceded it. The acts recorded in this
remarkable book are in the truest sense the acts of the Spirit, for in
apostolic times it was the Holy Ghost who appeared as the counsellor and
helper of the Christian leaders. At Pentecost the praying disciples were
filled with the Spirit and preached the gospel with power. The seven men
chosen as deacons were "full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom." Acts
6:3. It was the Holy Spirit who led in the ordination of Saul (9:17); in
the acceptance of Gentiles into church fellowship (10:44-47); in the
separation of Barnabas and Saul for missionary work (13:2-4); in the
Council of Jerusalem (15:28); and in Paul's missionary journeys (16:6, 7).
Another time when the church suffered intensely at the hands of Roman and
Jewish persecutors, it was the Spirit who sustained the believers and kept
them from error.
The Acts of the Apostles was one of the last books written by
Ellen G. White. It was published a few years before her death. It is one
of the most illuminating volumes that came from her prolific pen. The
average reader will find in it light for Christian witnessing. The message
of the book is up to date, and its relevancy is reflected in the effort of
the author to show that the twentieth century will witness a bestowal of
spiritual power exceeding that of Pentecost. The work of the gospel is not
to close with a lesser display of the Holy Spirit's power than marked its
beginning.
That the reader might participate in this re-enactment of the glorious
scenes of the early church and at the same time be preserved from the
subtle counterfeits of the enemy of souls is the prayer and earnest wish
of--
The Publishers.
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