15. Luke's Checkpoint Summaries
Luke's writings are among the most accomplished in the New Testament, and he was clearly an educated individual who was aware of Hellenistic literary styles and conventions. His works are structured clearly and logically, and in both his Gospel and in the Book of Acts the evangelist utilizes a narrative technique which is extremely helpful to his readers: the summary. By "summary" we do not mean a summary at the end of the book, but the use of ongoing "checkpoint" summaries given every so often to show the continuing development in his story.
These checkpoints tell us many things. Luke uses them in his Gospel to provide short summaries at important points in the life of Jesus (for example, Luke 2:40, 52). He uses them throughout the Book of Acts in the same way to provide summaries at key points in the careers of the apostles and the development of the early Church. The summaries tell the reader what has been accomplished, give us a sense of where we are now in the story, and help us understand what needs to be done next.
For example, in Acts 2, as we saw earlier, Luke summarizes the situation in the Christian community directly after the momentous events of the Day of Pentecost:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common (Acts 2:42-44).
Luke gives many such summaries in the course of narrating Acts, and each one not only tells us numerous things about the early Church, but some also give us a point of comparison – something to think about in our own lives. Looking at Luke's description of these early, Spirit-filled days, we see only superlatives in everything he describes – believers who are "devoted" to learning and fellowship, "filled" with awe, and having "everything" shared.
To take another example, in Acts 9:31 Luke summarizes the conditions at a time the Church was enjoying relative peace and security:
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
In this example we see that periods of peace and quiet gave the early Church special opportunities to be strengthened and grow. What happens when we have periods of peace and quiet – free from trials or stresses – in our lives? Do we just relax and coast? We may be appreciative and feel blessed, but do we use the opportunity to be strengthened and to grow?
That is exactly what Acts shows us occurred after one of Luke's summaries in Acts which forms the half-way point in the book: "But the word of God continued to spread and flourish" (Acts 12:24). Directly after this summary, major new growth is seen throughout the second half of the book.
It is clear that if we study them carefully, Luke's checkpoint summaries can be helpful in understanding the life of the early Church. It's a highly effective literary device and one that we can use in our own lives, too. Rather than just moving through life in either a condition of pleasure and coasting or perspiration and coping, we too can take stock regularly and ask ourselves what has been accomplished in our lives so far, where we are now in our walk with God, and what needs to be done next.
Just as Luke's short checkpoint summaries are of great value in understanding the growth of the early Church, if we use them in our own lives, short checkpoint summaries can be extremely useful in helping us understand and continue the story of our own growth.
PART TWO: