The third ring is the book of the Bible in which the verse or passage appears. What is the book’s theme and purpose? How does the verse contribute to, or relate to, the emphasis? We have noted one theme in Acts, which is the spread of the Gospel. As we study Acts, another theme stands out. The number of conversion stories shows that the writer, Luke, is telling Theophilus (and other readers like us) how to be saved. Knowing that purpose, Peter’s Pentecost speech makes perfect sense. As the first conversion story in Acts, it goes into detail about Peter’s saving message (Acts 2:14-36). Then it shows how the first 3,000 came to Christ to receive salvation (Acts 2:37-41). The rest of Acts shares more conversion stories, highlighting various points that, taken together, give a full picture of how one comes to Christ. Paul’s conversion story is so important that it is repeated three times. It shows how to call on the Lord for cleansing from sin (Acts 22:16 cf. 1 Peter 3:21).
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