Acts

Acts is the sequel to Luke's Gospel and the church's first history, tracing the gospel's journey from an upper room in Jerusalem to the capital of the empire. At Pentecost the Spirit descends like wind and fire, and a frightened band becomes a fearless movement. Stephen's martyrdom scatters the believers; Philip crosses into Samaria; Peter learns that God shows no partiality; and Saul the persecutor becomes Paul the apostle. Through shipwrecks, riots, councils, and prisons, the word of God keeps growing. The book ends mid-stride, with Paul in Rome preaching the kingdom unhindered, as if the story continues still.