This post is written by Katie Orr as a companion for Unit 32, Session 3 of The Gospel Project for Adults, Volume 11: From One Nation to All Nations (Spring 2024).

Throughout the Bible, we have displays of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. The interpretation of some of these verses can be contentious, especially through passages in the book of Acts. As with all of Scripture, it is important to know the author, audience, and aim of a book of the Bible. These facts ought to shape our reading, study, and interpretation of the work. As we seek to understand the book of Acts, we need to reject some common misconceptions so that we can better understand the original intent of Luke’s writing. Here are four things the book of Acts is NOT.

Acts Is NOT Simply a History Book

Luke did not intend for Acts to be a basic chronicle of the early church. This book is primarily theological. Yes, there is chronology. Yes, there are historical accounts. But the primary goal of the book is theological. Through the vignettes provided of the early church and God’s work through her, Acts teaches us more about God’s character, His plan of salvation for the nations, and His strategy to work in and through the local church.

Acts Is NOT a Comprehensive Account of the Early Church

The book of Acts spans thirty years of ministry. If Luke meant to be comprehensive, it would be much longer. Instead, Luke handpicked stories to represent the work of God through the acts of the early church to encourage and embolden his readers to continue that work. It is easy to read the narratives in Scripture and assume one episode rolled right into the other. Often there are many years between one episode and the next. We don’t have the entire story, but we do have enough to get a clear picture of God’s purpose for the local church. Which brings us to our next misconception.

Acts Is NOT a Prescription for How to “Do Church”

This is where many get it wrong. It’s easy to read Acts and think, “Our church needs to be more like that,” or, “Wow, the early church got it right. I need to take these same actions.” Acts is not a prescription for the church as a whole or for the individuals in it. There is much about the early church we can and should emulate, but when we start seeing the early church as the absolute ideal that we must return to, we have turned the book of Acts into a prescription. We can (and should) take theological principles from the early church and apply them to today’s church. But when we begin to make to-do lists of specific things done in specific ways, then we’re likely to extend our application of Scripture past the original intention.

This was a unique and transitory time. Today we stand in the new covenant age when the Holy Spirit dwells within all believers. In Acts, we have a record of old covenant people transitioning into the new covenant. This was not instantaneous. It was a process. The Holy Spirit was poured out on Jerusalem believers at Pentecost, a full fifty days after Jesus died. Ten years passed before the Spirit came to indwell the Gentiles. There were a total of four instances of pouring out of God’s Spirit, where He sealed believers who were already spiritually alive during this unique time in redemptive history. The rest of the New Testament is clear that the Holy Spirit now seals and indwells every believer at the moment of salvation.

Acts Is NOT a Random Collection of Stories and Sermons

I’ve already mentioned that the book spans a thirty-year timeframe. The stories that are told and the sermons that are included are there with great purpose. Even the order in which Luke placed them is intentional. Luke used a common literary tool of the day that summarized speeches. The sermons found in Acts are not word-for-word transcriptions. (This explains Paul’s sermon that was so long it led to a boy falling asleep and falling out the window, but when you read it in Acts, it’s only two paragraphs long!) Luke used the sermon summaries to teach his readers about God, reiterate the theology found in the previous stories, or introduce a theme found in the stories that followed.

So, when we approach the book of Acts, let us study with these facts in mind and a dependance on the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the spiritual truths we need to see.

Katie Orr is the author of Secrets of the Happy Soul, seven FOCUSed15 Bible studies, and is the creator of the Bible Study Hub community, where women can receive training, encouragement, and accountability to enjoy God’s Word. Katie holds an MA in Discipleship from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Chris, along with their three children, live in Central Florida.