The book describes the spread of christianity from its origins with jews in jerusalem, to eventually include all peoples, even in the capital city of the roman empire. Acts is a book of history, but it is also a book of theology. The book acts was written by luke and contains 28 chapters. Acts ends with paul under house arrest, awaiting trial before caesar, c. Useful not only for the study of acts but also early christianity, this work sets acts in its firstcentury context. Unlike most history books, acts is filled with references to god, jesus christ, and the holy spirit. The acts of the apostles is a unique and therefore crucial book of the new testament. The acts of the apostles, written by luke as a sequel to his gospel, presents a selective history of the early church from jesus resurrection and ascension to the dispersion of the good news from jerusalem to rome, the center of the known world. A simple outline of the book can be formulated on the basis of jesus statement at acts 1. The story simply wouldnt have been possible without god. John chrysostom found it repletewith christian wisdom and sound doctrine to guide believers.
Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. An introduction to the book of acts jack wellman patheos. Acts forms an indispensable link between the accounts of jesus life gospels and his disciples interpretation, preaching, and application of his acts and words in the letters of the new testament. Their acts, their labor for the lord and the working of the church is being written in heaven, i believe, by god to perhaps be taught to those who. A structure carrying a road or a path across an obstacle such as a river or a ravine. The gospel of luke and the acts of the apostles are both parts of the same story with one following directly after the other. Apr 27, 2019 the purpose of this book, then, is to explain how god directed the progress of the gospel message, through the acts and lives of the apostles, as it spread from jews to gentiles, and from jerusalem to rome. As with the other books of the bible that record history in. The earliest of the external testimonies appears in the muratorian canon c. Her insightful additions and deletions make our commentaries easier to read and understand. It is also called the acts of the apostles it is a companion book written by luke to the gospel of luke. It makes reference to about 100 geographical places including regions, provinces, cities, and islands. We see the gospel first preached publicly and mightily at pentecost in jerusalem.
A chapterbychapter bible study of the book of acts 4 acts a short introduction heres what well be reading as we study through the book of acts. May 15, 2005 introduction to the book of acts the book we know as the acts of the apostles has also been, probably more accurately called the acts of the holy spirit through the apostles. The book of acts recounts the rise and spread of christianity, beginning in the provincial jewish capital of jerusalem and ending in rome, the great capital of the empire. Color map map of the new testament world this map reveals the nations within the ancient world during the. It chronicles the works and speeches of the apostles as they carry forward the proclamation that gods redemptive program, that culminated in the. The earliest date for the book of acts is the two year imprisonment which is recorded in acts 28. Introduction for bible study on acts of the apostles. Acts is designed to trace the spread of the gospel from jerusalem to antioch to rome. Acts tells of the birth of the christian church through the coming of the holy spirit. It has also been shown to be a book that is accurate historically. The book of acts provides a bridge for the writings of the nt. The main theological emphasis of the book of acts is the holy spirit.
The latest date for the book of acts is in the second century writings of the church fathersc. It shows how the holy spirit worked through the apostles of jesus in the life of the early church. Historically, the book serves as a vital link between the gospels and the epistles. May 06, 2019 book of acts the book of acts provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of jesus christ. Most can be obtained from a good religious bookstore. Our contributors explore the book of acts as a theological treasure that can engage and shape our discipleship today.
The divisions between them are marked by variations on the phrase, the word of god continued to spread and flourish. It interprets the words, actions, life, death and resurrection of jesus, and it forms the basis of much of what christians believe. Archaeological findings support the accuracy of lukes account. Where do we see gospel expansion in the book of acts. There are different ways to divide the book of acts. It begins with the ascension of jesus and concludes with paul in rome during his first imprisonment. Introduction to the book of acts study resources blue letter bible. Acts of the apostles, abbreviation acts, fifth book of the new testament, a valuable history of the early christian church. We read of the evangelistic methods and message of the early apostles and preachers 3. It is a journey i have been looking forward to going through with you as i have been reading through this book over and over again the last month or so.
Mar 03, 2021 simple bible overview of acts introduction and chapter 1. In this volume, the first of four, keener introduces the book of acts, particularly historical questions related to it, and provides detailed exegesis of its opening chapters. There are two major divisions in the bible the old testament before jesus and the new testament since jesus. Acts introduction commentary peoples new testament. Both were written by luke, a physician who traveled with the apostle paul. Acts of the apostles is the one historical book of the new testament, and much of what we know about the early years of christianity comes from this book. The book of acts recounts the rise and spread of christianity, beginning in the provincial jewish capital of jerusalem and ending in rome, the great capital of the. In the former treatise he tells what jesus began both to do and teach. The book of acts mentions about 100 individuals by name. Previous index next acts of the apostles introduction title commonly called the acts of the apostles, it is simply titled acts in some of the oldest manuscripts.
It might appropriately be called some of the acts of some of the apostles since it does not try to describe all of the acts of all the apostles. The traditional name for this book is acts of the apostles, but a more accurate name might be a few acts of a few of the apostles. The epistles the book of acts relates to us the way in which the holy spirit worked and empowered the foundations of the church. Each one describes a successive phase in the expansion of the community of jesus. Introduction to acts of apostles a brief overview of the book of acts, a history of the beginning of the christian congregation and its rapid growth despite opposition. Rather, the focus is clearly on some of the acts or deeds of mostly peter. Church gospel holy spirit chapters 28 next 20 years major emphasis.
This morning we begin a journey through the history of the early church as recorded in the book of acts. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. Both books are addressed to theophilus, and the latter acts refers to the former luke. In the acts of the apostles luke continues the account of christianity begun in the gospel which bears his name. We will after the first of the year actually begin a verse by verse study of the book of acts. The inscription of the acts of the apostles probably reaches back to the beginning of the second century ce, since it is found in virtually every manuscript which contains this book, as well as.
Nov 11, 2012 introduction the book of acts spans three decades, from early 30s ad to 6162 ad. These verses are a repeat and an expansion of the last verses of the book of luke. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. He was also the author of its companion work, the gospel of luke. This book is commonly called the acts of the apostles, but it does not discuss most of the apostles it focuses only on peter, and then paul. These have recorded the life, words and acts of our savior from his birth to the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, and the great commission. Authorship of actsluke is the author of the book acts. Acts of the apostles introduction title commonly called the acts of the apostles, it is simply titled acts in some of the oldest manuscripts. Barbara callaghan, offers a brief introduction to the book of acts. The obstacle we are crossing over is the ravine a gulf really that has historically separated the. The book begins with jesus promise of the holy spirit, which is later fulfilled in reference to. The following sermon transcript does not match the video version of the sermonit matches only the audio version. The second volume, the book of acts, has six parts.
The book of acts is noteworthy for its narrative qualities. The recipient of the book, theophilus, is the same person addressed in the first volume, the gospel of luke see introduction to luke. John macarthur routinely preaches a sermon more th. Kruschwitz the acts of the apostles is a hidden treasure in the new testament. The book of acts is the fifth book of the new testament. Aug 28, 2014 the book of acts is not simply a book about the acts of the apostles or of the church but it is the acts of the holy spirit bringing men, women, and children to faith in jesus christ. It is mainly about two of the apostles peter and paul. It makes reference to about 100 geographical places including regions, provinces, cities, and islands around or near the mediterranean sea. Introduction to the book of acts helpful tools for study the following tools will be helpful in this study. While there are some areas of great detail of the acts of the apostles, many times you must use cross references to the gospels of matthew, mark, luke and john as well as some other epistles in the new testament to get the full picture of what was. It bridges the gap between the jesus of history and the christ of faith.
Rather, the focus is clearly on some of the acts or. It is striking that the book focuses on peter and paul and says so little about the rest of the apostles. There seems to have been a threefold purpose for the writing of acts. The abrupt ending of acts allows for an early date around the time of the events, but could also be understood theologically to emphasize the continuance o. The life and teachings of jesus christ are established in the four gospel narratives, and the book of acts provides a coordinated account of the beginning and. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.
The fifth book of the new testament begins where the first four end. It starts dramatically with christs ascension into heaven and closes just before the apostle pauls trial in rome, and before the martyrdom of james. It records the story of the messianic community from its. Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. The author of the acts of the apostles is the same author of the gospel of luke. Bible study of acts join us for an inspiring study on the. The title as we know it comes from the second century and only partially discloses the theme of the document. As it is expected, the book of acts has a similar literary style as the gospel of luke because it is the second volume of lukes account.
The events described in acts occurred over a period of about 30 years about a. It is a history of the beginning of the christian congregation and its rapid growth despite opposition. The book of acts is the first volume of the congregations of god. T he book of acts in the bible, written around 6263 a. Introduction of the book of acts god in our lives everyday. Tgc course introduction to acts the gospel coalition.
This book is in the genre of history, written by an historian, luke. Many scholars assume acts was written then because it does not record pauls defense, release, and further gospel preaching. It is the report of an adventure, replete with arrests, imprisonments, beatings, riots, narrow escapes, a. Nov 14, 2020 introduction to the book of acts pentecote by jean ii restout, 1732 god running is a place for anyone who wants to or even anyone who wants to want to love jesus more deeply, follow jesus more closely, and love people the way jesus wants us to. Introduction to acts of the apostles christian bible reference site. Introduction to the book of acts welcome to soul thoughts. The acts of the apostles often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament.
Introduction to the book of acts from a jewish perspective. Intro to acts biblica the international bible society. Im not sure exactly which sunday marching into january, but we will do that. For assurance of our own salvation, we can compare our own conversion experience with those in acts. Color map map of the new testament world this map reveals the nations within the ancient world during the first century a. Luke records many examples of conversion in the book of acts e. Introduction to the book of acts 1 introduction to the book of acts 2 general characteristics of the book.
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