“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up,” Acts 1:1-2.

This witness to a friend has been a blessing to countless millions over the last 2000 years and here we are studying it today!

1. It is to be noted that Christians should seek to lead friends and acquaintance to a greater knowledge of the Saviour. Luke taught his friend the wonderful truths of the gospel. He was like Andrew, of whom we heard recently when Rev Fitton preached upon his leading of his bother Peter to the Saviour. Luke informed his friend about the work of God.

2. A meditating upon how the Lord led the early Christians will help us to increase in the knowledge of God’s purpose and will. How few really understand the purpose of God and what it is He is seeking to accomplish with and through His people! This book shows us clearly the path the Lord would have His people travel on.

In this book we will see the difficulties that faced the early Christians, the attempts of the devil to hinder the gospel work, the deceivers who sneaked into membership of the early churches and the foolish mistakes that some of the best of Christians made.

These things have been “written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope,” Romans 15:4.

We will do well to study this book very closely and carefully.

3. The day of the Saviour’s departure began the new era - the gospel age. The Saviour had but recently told His disciples: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15. That proved difficult for the Jews, used to being the singular nation under heaven favoured by the Lord. However, the Lord’s turning to the Gentiles was a judgment upon the Jewish nation because of their unbelief.

“And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it,” Acts 28:25-28. Now we are drawing near to the end of the Gentile age and the return of the Saviour for the Gentiles are acting as did the Jews - rejecting the truth of God!