Stories in Acts 1 & Meta narrative

Acts 1 in itself is composed two stories, the introductory narrative and the narrative about the re-formation and reorganization of the church after the apostasy of Judas.

But the first chapter as a whole is a story that recapitulates another theme in scripture: entering the Land or Earth.

Adam was to fill the land/earth with the image bearers of God.

Noah was to do the same.

Abraham and his offspring were to fill the earth with covenant keepers.

After the Exodus, Israel, the kingdom of priests were to enter the Land and fill it with the worship of God.

Yet all these attempts were marred by hopeless sin, rebellion and ultimate failure.

The narrative in Acts is part of this larger theme of filling the earth and entering the Land, but is distinctive because the Sinless One who infallibly inherits all the promises of God is Risen. The Spirit of God who hovered over the creation in its formation now comes to form the new creation and it will triumph because the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.

The narrative of Acts one must be read in light of the larger theme of entering the land and filling the earth and, of course, Romans 8 dovetails with it perfectly when we recognize this.

So to tell the full "story" of Acts 1, we tell at least 3 stories... the two constituent narratives and the meta narrative that begins at Genesis 1:1.