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Conclusion: The Revolution Continues

We have pointed out that if the Gospel of Luke is “The Story of Jesus, Part One,” then Acts is “The Story of Jesus, Part Two.” While the Gospel tells how Jesus accomplished our salvation through his life, death, resurrection and ascension, the book of Acts tells what Jesus continued to do through his church. Jesus’s followers (his “witnesses”)—filled, empowered, and guided by the Holy Spirit—took the message of salvation from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and all the way to Rome. The theme of Acts is the unstoppable progress of the gospel. The gospel is unstoppable because it is the work of God—the fulfillment of his promises to bring salvation to all people everywhere. The gospel that began in Judaism was the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants (genesis 12:1–3). The church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, is now the instrument of these blessings.

The book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome, boldly and fearlessly continuing to preach the gospel. Yet this is by no means the end of the Story. While relentlessly moving forward, the gospel has not yet reached “the ends of the earth” (acts 1:8). Although Part One and Part Two of the story of Jesus have been written, Part Three is being written today. You and I, and all those who confess Jesus as Lord, are commissioned to finish the task. Like our spiritual ancestors before us, we are Jesus’s witnesses—filled, empowered, and guided by the Spirit of God. Our task is to carry forward the Revolution, to take the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth. Let’s write the rest of the Story!