One of the compelling aspects of Acts is that it forms a ladder on which we can climb in order to get a good view of the early church’s history. Too many people see it as only a chronicle of people’s travels, forgetting that these travels are made up of people, places, and things specific to the journey. Much of the New Testament was written in the time period of Acts, and the majority of the epistles were directed at locations either mentioned or visited in Acts. So Acts is far more than the travel log of a few ancient missionaries; it’s a ladder on which we gain a superb look at the unhindered movement of the church in the New Testament.

To help you climb to this view, here’s a “ladder” I’ve put together that shows where in the Acts timeline many of the other events occurred. No doubt I’ve utilized many other resources, so props to several sites and books when it comes to dates and times. And there are a variety of opinions regarding some of these things (like the date of the writing of Galatians); if you find that you disagree on a minor point, join the line! My intent is to highlight Acts as not just another book in a sequence of letters, but as a framework of early church history on which many of the other letters hang.

This further proves that Acts is truly a book where two words best describe it — transition and continuation. And, in my opinion, the ladder helps bring those two words to the forefront.

(Hint: Read form the bottom up)