By Luke
The Book of Acts, or the Acts of the Apostles, is the only historical record of the birth and early days of the church. I have read through and studied it many times, but with each reading, I find the story of the early church more exciting and more miraculous. The book begins with the ascension of Jesus, then offers many accounts of the apostles' preaching to crowds in Jerusalem, which results in many people deciding to believe in this God of love who can take away their sin. Through their witness, God performs miracles, including miracles of healing and escape from prison. However, jealous practitioners of rival religions (especially Judaism and the cult of Artemis) try to discredit the early Christians, and many leaders suffer. One especially harsh persecutor is the Jewish Pharisee Paul. He is bringing letters of accusation to use against the Christians in Damascus when, out of nowhere, he hears the voice of Jesus. He loses his vision and is taken to the home of a believer, where he eventually recovers, and turns from persecution to preaching the message of Jesus! The book continues with many accounts of Paul's preaching to unbelievers and 3 missionary journeys, on foot and by boat. Through it all, Paul experiences prison, shipwreck, and beatings. But his faith only grows, and many people come to Christ as a result.
The book is written by Luke, the physician who also wrote a gospel account. While Luke did not witness every act first-hand, he surely was aboard for much of the action that is related in this book. One example would be in Acts 16, when he switches from "they" to "we": So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace," Acts 16:11.
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