In January of this year, we began a focus as a church on prayer and revival. Revival is an increase in the presence and power of God in a life, church, or community. This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the book of Acts, which we will look at while continuing to keep one eye on what we learn from God’s work in the early church about prayer and revival. Before we dive in, let me give some background information. Acts was written by a man named Luke, who is responsible for writing both Luke and Acts. Luke was an educated doctor who wrote in good literary Greek. We learn this from Colossians 4:14:
Colossians 4:14 - Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
He was also a travelling companion of Paul, which we learn in 2 Timothy 4:11. Also, at one point in Acts the writing goes from “they” to “we” as Luke joins Paul’s missionary team. Luke and Acts are two of the books that has the most scholarly consensus as to the author. After all, if it wasn’t Luke who wrote these books, it’s difficult to explain how the tradition connecting his name with those documents arose, since he is otherwise an insignificant figure in the early church and you would have expected it to be named after someone more well-known.
When you read the intro to Luke and to Acts, you see that Luke claims to be writing accurate history.
Luke 1:1-4 - Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
