From its opening verses to its close, the book of Acts is one of the most interesting and exciting books of scripture ever written. It is of special interest and value to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because it provides great insights into the practices, doctrines and history of the early Church. From its pages one can learn much of priesthood and Church government in the primitive Church.
For example, we read in Acts about the necessity and purpose of baptism and the giving of the gift of the Holy Ghost. We see that the gift of the Holy Ghost was given by the laying on of hands. (Acts 8:14-18.) Priesthood blessings or healings were given by the laying on of hands. (Acts 9:12-17; 28:8.) Men were ordained to the priesthood or were set apart for a particular work by the laying on of hands, also. (Acts 6:6-7; 13:2-3.)We read that the Saints "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." They gathered together to partake of the sacrament on the first day of the week. They attempted to live the united order. They administered to the sick. They fasted. They made financial contributions for the welfare of the Church.
Written by Luke, the beloved physician and companion to the apostle Paul, the book of Acts might well be subtitled "A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ in the Meridian of Time."
In Acts, Luke recounts the acts or deeds of several of the leaders and members of the early Church. Peter, John, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, Paul and Silas were all prominent figures in this brief history.
Focusing first on the activities of Peter and the Quorum of the Twelve immediately after the ascension of Christ, and later on the conversion and subsequent labors of Paul, the book of Acts is resplendent with preachings, teachings, testimonies, healings, visions, missionary and conversion stories, performing of miracles, persecutions, scatterings, martyrdoms, successes, failures, and outpourings and manifestations of the Spirit.
In the opening sentences of both the Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts, Luke addresses his writing and words to "Theophilus." Some scholars believe that Theophilius was a prominent personal friend of Luke's, but because the name Theophilus may be interpreted as "Beloved of God," or "Friend of God" others suggest that Luke was addressing all persons who might read his work with an eye of faith and a love of God. Thus we may see that the Gospel of Luke as well as the book of Acts were perhaps written for us.
The book of Acts opens with a brief allusion to the 40-day ministry of the resurrected Jesus in and around Jerusalem. It closes some 30 years later with the confident preaching of the apostle Paul, confined as a prisoner in his own hired house in Rome. It is a worthy sequel to the Gospel and a continuation of the fervent testimony of Luke concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church.
Luke writes that Jesus "shewed himself alive (to the apostles) after his passion by many infallible proofs." (Acts 1:3.)
Those infallible proofs included the privilege of seeing the Savior, hearing His voice, conversing with Him, touching Him, observing Him as He ate "a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb," being taught by Him, receiving commandments from Him, and receiving from Him the assurance that they were to "be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
The apostles were then given the privilege of seeing Jesus "taken up" until "a cloud received him out of their sight." And as they continued to gaze heavenward they received from two heavenly messengers the reassurance that He would return to the earth "in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9-11.)
Strengthened by these experiences and by the ensuing outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost the apostles were well prepared to face the trials and tribulations that awaited them as they struggled to maintain the integrity of the Church and to carry out the great commission given to them by the Savior Himself: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 27:19.)
The first order of priesthood business of which Luke writes is the gathering of the 11 apostles in an upper room in Jerusalem where they "continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." Under the direction of Peter, acting in his capacity as the presiding officer or president of the Church, Matthias was chosen by revelation and ordained to the holy apostleship to take the place of Judas Iscariot, who had ended his own life shortly after his betrayal of the Savior. Thus we see evidence that the Quorum of the Twelve was to continue as a body in the Church and that new apostles were called by revelation following prayer and supplication.
Shortly thereafter, on the day of Pentecost, the assembled Saints of the early Church "were all filled with the Holy Ghost" as "there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind" which "filled all the houses where they were sitting.
"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon them." (Acts 2:2-4.)
The assembled members of the Church in the latter-days enjoyed a similar experience and manifestations of the Spirit during and at the conclusion of the dedicatory services of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. Many witnessed heavenly manifestations and spoke in tongues at that time as did the early Saints on the day of Pentecost.
The necessity, and one of the purposes, of baptism is clearly taught by Peter, who, on the day of Pentecost, boldly testified of Jesus to the multitude of Jews in Jerusalem saying, "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
When they asked Peter and the rest of the Apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter responded, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:36-38, emphasis added.)
About 3,000 souls were baptized and came into the Church that day.
The phenomenal growth rate of the early Church created challenges for the leaders in ancient times as it has for the leaders of the Church in the latter days.
As in the latter-day Church, the members of the primitive Church attempted to live the law of consecration, or the United Order, for a time. They "had all things common" (Acts 4:32), and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need. The believers were "of one heart and one mind." (Acts 4:32.)
This attempt was unfortunately short-lived as selfishness and dishonesty destroyed the chances for continued success. The news of the duplicity of Ananias and Sapphira and their subsequent deaths struck great fear in the hearts of the members of the Church. The "murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration" (Acts 6:1) necessitated the calling of "seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" to be called and appointed "over this business." (Acts 6:3.)
One of the greatest challenges of the early Church, persecution, proved to be one of its greatest blessings. The members of the Church were strengthened as they saw the persecutions they suffered as fulfillment of prophecy. (See Acts 4:23-30.)
Luke tells us that Saul "made havock of the church." But when "there was a great persecution of the church which was at Jerusalem," the members of the Church "were all scattered abroad," but "they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." (Acts 8:1-4.) Thus, efforts to stamp out and destroy the Church caused it to be strengthened and to spread and to grow more and more.
When we read of the arrests, imprisonments, and even the martyrdom of several of the leaders of the early Church we can easily see parallels in the history of the Latter-day Saints.
Peter and John were imprisoned after the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the temple. They were threatened but released. (Acts 4.)
Later, the apostles were arrested again and put into "the common prison," but they were miraculously set free by an angel of the Lord. (Acts 5.)
Stephen was taken, charged with blasphemy, and stoned to death by "certain of the synagogue" for his teaching that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. (Acts 6-7.)
James, the brother of John, was apprehended and slain with the sword. (Acts 12:2.)
Peter was again imprisoned and escaped only by divine intervention. (Acts 12.)
Luke recounts that Paul's life was sought on several occasions. He was threatened, stoned and left for dead, beaten and imprisoned.
But in spite of the persecutions, and in some measure perhaps because of them, the Church continued to grow.
Just as He has done in the latter days, the Lord in ancient times blessed certain individuals with remarkable visions. Ananias, Cornelius, Peter and Paul are each directed to some work through visions and angelic ministrations.
Revelation and guidance for the Church were given through visions. Among these is the vision of the Father and Son given to Stephen, who "being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55-56.) Thus Luke preserves for us the sure knowledge had by the ancient Church that the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct personages.
Through the vision of a vessel filled with various animals and the subsequent events which followed, Peter and the early Church came to understand by revelation that the gospel message and ordinances were not only for the members of the House of Israel, but for the Gentiles as well.
Through a glorious vision of the risen Christ while on the road to Damascus, Saul the persecutor was called to repentance and came to know and love the Lord. He proved to be as zealous in the cause of Christ as he had formerly been in his persecution of the Church. (Acts 9.)
Luke describes in the first half of the book of Acts the work of the apostles primarily among the Jews and Jewish members of the Church. In the latter half of the book he concentrates on the preaching, teaching and missionary work of Paul, particularly among the Gentiles.
Paul's practice was always to go first to the Jews with the gospel message, and then to the Gentiles. He traveled throughout the lands bordering the western half of the Mediterranean Sea, visiting the synagogues and homes of the Jews, teaching and preaching and showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. After he had gathered from among the Jews those who would hearken to his message he turned to the Gentiles.
Many were the Gentiles who were brought into the Church through the preaching of Paul and the ministering of the Holy Ghost. So many in fact that in no short time there arose a conflict and disputations between the members of the Church of Jewish descent and the Gentile converts.
The conflict was precipitated in Antioch when "certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." (Acts 15:1.)
It was already apparent from the revelation received by Peter that the gospel was for all mankind and that the Gentiles upon whom fell the Holy Ghost could be baptized and become members of the Church.
Now it was "determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about the question." The 15th chapter of the book of Acts contains Luke's record of the deliberations and decision of the council at Jerusalem.
Luke records that after much disputation Peter "rose up" and declared that God put no difference between the Jew and the Gentile who came into the Church and that "we believed that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we should be saved, even as they." (Acts 15:7-11.)
Paul and Barnabas then reported on the "miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles." (Acts 15:12.)
James then proposed that a letter be written and sent out to the Gentile converts informing them of the decision of Peter and the council, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised.
The proposal of James was accepted, the letters written and sent out, and the Church, having been led by revelation to Peter and the other apostles, was preserved.
Luke continues his narrative of the missionary work and efforts of the apostle Paul from chapter 15 through the end of the book of Acts. He tells of further arrests, imprisonments, beatings, visions, miracles, preachings and conversions, travels by sea and a treacherous shipwreck. He concludes his work with a description of Paul's courageous "preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence" even while being held a prisoner in Rome.
To Luke, the beloved physician, as to Mormon and Moroni, we owe a debt of gratitude. It is only through their writings that we have so much wonderful, faith-promoting and inspiring knowledge and information about the early Church of Jesus Christ.
