Acts of the Apostles

The book of Acts is the hinge on which all the New Testament swings. It bridges the gap between what the Gospels promise and what actually comes to pass concerning Christianity. In the Gospels you read of what will be and in the Acts of the Apostles you read of that coming into existence. The church that is promised in Matthew becomes a reality in Acts. The sending of the Holy Spirit promised in the Gospels comes to pass in a display of power in Acts. The long sought redemption hinted at in the Old Testament and previewed in the Gospels is finally experienced in the book of Acts.

Abe Lincoln, one of the finest elders and teachers I have ever known, presents the early teaching of the apostles in a way that only one with the same heart and boldness can. The establishment of the church in Jerusalem and the progress of the church, spread throughout Judea, Samaria, and the entire world, is presented in Acts and Abe does a marvelous job of leading the readers through the journey. As you travel this journey you will discover that the church that was started in Jerusalem is the same church established in every city where the apostles preached the gospel.

The disciples of the early church who acts are recorded in this book of action were not merely men of words and ideas; they were men of action. There is the bold and dramatic movement from Jerusalem and its upper room to Rome and its prison. In the book of Acts, we see a growing group of men and women filled with the dynamic power of a new life. The book of Acts becomes the story of Holy Spirit empowered men who took the gospel far and wide into every nook and hamlet of the then known world.

Abe Lincoln has a unique and incisive way of expressing the spiritual truths presented in Acts. He has given us a scholarly, evangelistic and warm exposition of the book of Acts. His research on this book is the work of several years of preparing and teaching it in the Sunset School of Preaching, now known as Sunset International Bible Institute. He has influenced thousands of students and other people by his simple, yet profound, approach to this book.

I commend this book to you and pray that you will not only read it, but study it. And may the Spirit which motivated and powered heroes of the book of Acts make us equally adequate for the times in which we live. May God richly bless you as you read and study the material contained in this book.