This is very interesting. If you take the title, in most English bibles, it will say "The Acts of the Apostles." Originally, this letter had no title whatsoever. So whatever title you have in your English bibles, it is not inspired. It had no title.
But the word Acts comes from the Greek word PRAXEIS that means practices. They added the word apostles from Acts 1:13 because they said this is all about the apostles. So, they called it the Acts, or the Practices of the Apostles.
But this is very misleading. If I had any influential weight to change the title of the book of Acts, I would try to do it. And I think that a lot of people in their approach to the book of Acts, and in their approach to the teachings in the book of Acts, they do so because they say here are the Acts of the apostles.
It's not the Acts of the apostles. It doesn't record what the apostles did. It records what Jesus did through the apostles. There's a difference. Many people will look at the book of Acts and they'll say "Well, now that Jesus is gone, look at all the stuff they did for Him!"
No! As a matter of fact, if you take my challenge, as you read through Acts, start reading through the chapters and you will find out that they did not have a clue as to what to do. They had no "committee meetings," nothing! Even when they were waiting in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit, they didn't know when He was coming.
The Lord had a specific day and a specific time. They didn't know that! After His ascension, they waited for 10 days before the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. I say all of this because everything that's done in the book of Acts is the Acts of Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, through the apostles.
IV: NOW ABOUT THE THEME OF THE BOOK:
This is very interesting. If you take the title, in most English bibles, it will say "The Acts of the Apostles." Originally, this letter had no title whatsoever. So whatever title you have in your English bibles, it is not inspired. It had no title.
But the word Acts comes from the Greek word PRAXEIS that means practices. They added the word apostles from Acts 1:13 because they said this is all about the apostles. So, they called it the Acts, or the Practices of the Apostles.
But this is very misleading. If I had any influential weight to change the title of the book of Acts, I would try to do it. And I think that a lot of people in their approach to the book of Acts, and in their approach to the teachings in the book of Acts, they do so because they say here are the Acts of the apostles.
It's not the Acts of the apostles. It doesn't record what the apostles did. It records what Jesus did through the apostles. There's a difference. Many people will look at the book of Acts and they'll say "Well, now that Jesus is gone, look at all the stuff they did for Him!"
No! As a matter of fact, if you take my challenge, as you read through Acts, start reading through the chapters and you will find out that they did not have a clue as to what to do. They had no "committee meetings," nothing! Even when they were waiting in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit, they didn't know when He was coming.
The Lord had a specific day and a specific time. They didn't know that! After His ascension, they waited for 10 days before the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. I say all of this because everything that's done in the book of Acts is the Acts of Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, through the apostles.
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