Luke was a researcher of the highest order and he provided us with a chronology of the growth and expansion of a narrowly focused Jewish sect into a world-wide, living organism of God's love and grace -- the Church. Luke began his narrative with the ministry of Peter, a disciple of Jesus, as he explained the gospel to the people of Jerusalem following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He transitioned his discussion to Philip, a gifted evangelist and deacon of the Jerusalem church, who took the gospel to the Jews in the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. Then Luke concentrated his efforts to describe the work of Peter, and then to Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ, as he and his team pioneered the expansion of the church to the Gentile nations. There were many obstacles and conflicts that the church had to work through in this epic undertaking and Luke describes them accurately without spin or coating them with the false glitter of political correctness. We see the people who accomplished great things for God covered in the dust and weariness of life, but we also rejoice in their abounding success as they discovered for themselves the living truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Luke makes it very clear that the work of the apostles was accomplished by means of the Holy Spirit abiding in them. They were not super-heroes of the faith; they were simply ordinary men and women who were filled with God, boldly doing what God asked them to do. Luke's gospel shows how Jesus began his ministry in the flesh; this account shows how He continued His ministry through the Holy Spirit abiding in His disciples. Today, the baton has passed on to us, for their efforts set the standard for twenty-first century believers. Let us endeavor to experience what God can do today through His willing followers. As you use this Study Guide for LIFE you will be helped by three specific tools: 1) Explanatory notes which offer insight into difficult or controversial passages; 2) Searching questions which direct you back to the text for answers, and 3) Probing questions that expand the context and challenge you to apply the truths in this book to your own culture. Our goal is that you will know what the text says, what it means and how to apply it. Furthermore, you will discover and understand the purpose, power and passion of the Apostles. It is our hope that you will be able to use these discoveries to facilitate your own intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ as He builds His church in and through you. The Study Guide is appropriate for the study efforts of individuals, small groups or teachers preparing to explain this book. Whether you are a curious seeker or a professional minister, the Study Guide for LIFE will direct your studies into the efforts of the apostles as they continue the work of Christ to establish His church. May it also stir your own heart to expand the church in yourself, your circle of friends and into the uttermost parts of the earth. For in this day, Jesus is purifying the church and gathering in the last of the lost in anticipation of His soon coming to establish His Kingdom on earth.
About the Author: James K. Crews, B-Th, MA-Th, (he prefers "Jim") is an ordained minister who has served as Bible teacher, church leader, missionary, international conference speaker, author and academic dean of a Bible college. He's done all those things, but that's not who he is. He's just your basic, analytical kind of guy who is a follower of Jesus, one who has spent his life studying God's Word and getting to know Him. He has assembled a lifetime of learning to create the Study Guides for LIFE to point believers toward Jesus so they can also know Him and make Him known. His theology is thoroughly conservative, evangelical, charismatic and Wesleyan. His study guides strive for unity in the body of Christ and a dependency on the Scriptures rather than on denominational dogma. With theology degrees from both the Independent Assemblies of God and a conservative Baptist seminary, he presents both sides of conflicting views. His goal is to expand the readers' awareness of the issues while directing them to the Scriptures and the father-heart of God so they can develop their own understanding and reach godly conclusions.