A survey of the book of acts explained

This is the second lesson in our series the book of acts. An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. The message of acts is the church of jesus christ is divinely established and spiritually empowered to proclaim the gospel and plant believing communities locally, regionally, and globally. For example, pauls speech to the ephesian elders in acts chapter 20 has an amazing. Jan 02, 2020 the emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission. The book of acts also describes the work of the two apostles peter and paul. Chapterbychapter bible studies acts kathleendalton. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. Oct 04, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Stephen said some words from the book by the prophet isaiah isaiah 66. Acts was apparently written in rome, perhaps between ad 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier.

Since luke is the author of acts, any date between ad 60 and 100 is reasonable as conzelmann points out. This is the second part of an introductory course to the new testament, covering the books from acts to revelation. Acts was written in greek, presumably by the evangelist luke, whose gospel concludes where acts begins, namely, with christs ascension into heaven. The rest of the book is by the same author, as is evidenced by the same style and unity. The new testament without the book of acts leaves a great yawning gap. Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after jesuss ascension. Books of the bible explained scripture by scripture. Acts 2 niv bible when the day of pentecost came, they.

Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. Go to the bottom of that page to see the index chapters, which are hot links. Detailed accounts of peter are given in chapters 1 through 12. Detailed accounts of paul are given in chapters through 28. This seminarylevel study also retains its depth and uses an engaging interactive format. It is titled acts to emphasize that this book records the acts of the apostles through the work of the holy spirit.

Luke described to theophilus in his first letter about jesus life up to the resurrection. It is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. Click here for an exhaustive list of content on acts. Paul, along with sosthenes, as noted in 1 corinthians 1. If the book was just before or after pauls release, then it was likely written around 63 a. More than likely, luke completed the book before either of these events occurred, sometime between ad 60 and ad 62, while paul sat in prison, awaiting the resolution of his appeal. When the day of pentecost came, they were all together in one place. The acts of the apostles, abbreviation acts, fifth book of the new testament, a valuable history of the early christian church. And we will follow this same pattern as we survey his work. Survey of the book of acts sermon by scott chambers, acts 1. Acts is the second volume of a twopart treatise written by luke to theophilus about all that jesus began to do and teach. The acts of the holy spirit the bible teaching commentary. The gospel spreads to the uttermost parts of the known world.

When a chapter or section is finished, you will see at the bottom of the page. Each section contains a questionnaire which follows the section which has been done. Acts records the apostles being christs witnesses in jerusalem, judea, samaria, and the surrounding world. The book begins with the ascension of jesus and goes on through pauls jail time in rome, which opens his ministry to the church at rome. The ending of acts plays an important role in route of determining the book s date. Zechariah emphasized that god has used his prophets to teach, warn and correct his people. The next step is to enter your payment information. In the first book, o theophilus, i have dealt with all that jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up from us. Lukeacts is dedicated to an individual, whom luke calls most excellent theophilus. The ending of acts plays an important role in route of determining the books date. In the latter portion of acts, luke recorded three rejections of the jews to pauls overtures of salvation.

As already mentioned, the book of acts is the second part of a work by which the author wants to give an important person an overview over the beginning of christianity, i. Learn more about its significance in the new testament. Survey of the book of acts sermon by scott chambers, acts. Before we begin in the book of romans we need to look at the penman, paul.

We do not recommend loose translations or oneman translations. The book of zechariah was likely written in two primary segments, between 520 and 470 b. Luke recorded three rejections by the jews to peter and the apostles associated with him to the message of repentance and proclamation of the kingdom. The temple in this book called acts was the third temple. His jewish name was saul and his roman name was paul.

Survey participants rated over 50 different sexual and romantic behaviorsfrom masturbating to using vibrators to playful whippingfor how. The book of acts is the second of a twopart work, both traditionally attributed to luke. It provides important background for the principal writers of the epistles or. Saul means asked and this was the name he was using when he was persecuting the christians. Survey of the acts of the apostles author and title. An ancient prologue to lukes gospel indicates that luke was first a follower of the apostles and then became close with paul. Authorship it is generally held that luke, the physician and traveling companion of paul wrote both the gospel of luke and the book of acts. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and. This may also be the same person mentioned in acts. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes two. This is implied in the first verse of acts when luke again addresses theophilus and speaks of his former book, that is, his gospel 1.

In acts, luke recorded that paul preached for three sabbath days to the jews in the local synagogue acts 17. Luke, the author of the gospel of luke, was a doctor and gentile. The book of acts gives the history of the christian church and the spread of the gospel of jesus christ, as well as the mounting. Many of the events related to pauls life and ministry are recorded in the book of acts. The book of acts the acts of the holy spirit the bible teachers commentary an outline and map survey paul j. A chapterbychapter bible study of the book of acts 6 acts 1 50 days 1. The purpose of the book of acts is governed by the jews response to peter and paul. It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. After paul started the church in thessalonica, he wrote this first letter to the believers there within just a few months of leaving. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. The book of acts ends with paul in house arrest waiting to present his case before caesar. Acts continues from there on starting with christs resurrection. The book has been called the acts of the apostles, really a misnomer because acts has very little to say concerning most of the original twelve apostles. Reading the book of acts, we are enlightened and encouraged by the power of the gospel as it spread throughout the world and transformed lives.

Acts of the apostles 4 imprisonment in rome are 6062 a. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. Click on a book listed below which will take you to its introduction page. Acts is the second book in the history that luke wrote. The offering sent by barnabas and saul to the jerusalem elders. The main issues revolve around whether he is a man perhaps a greek official for whom lukeacts is an apologetic for the gospel or a kind of generic everyman since the name means lover of god. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts. Sosthenes was most likely acting as pauls secretary also called an amanuensis, writing down pauls words. The book focuses primarily on the acts of two apostles, peter and paul. If the book of acts were gone, there would be nothing to replace it the last recorded fact about jesus in the gospel of matthew is the resurrection.

The books of acts is often called the book of the holy spirit or the book of the apostles. Acts has an abrupt ending because the life of jesus is still going on. The genre of the book of acts is narrative history with several sermons. The emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission. Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy. Perhaps luke was using it to mean any christian reader. But it is more likely that theophilus was a real person. Provides an overview of acts and two outlines for the book of acts as well as an index for bff acts articles, powerpoints and audiovideo podcasts. A book of history, sometimes grouped with the gospels, sometimes treated as a unique work. Most can be obtained from a good religious bookstore. Acts with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.

What follows is an an organized and curated list of content. When a chapter or section is finished, you will see at the bottom of the page over the links, go to the next section. Book of first thessalonians overview insight for living. Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. Overview of the new testament brief overview of the new testament cork bible institute 2007 page 5 continued acts of jesus from heaven by the holy spirit through his church. A good study bible we recommend the following features. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. But stephen reminded the jews that god was bigger than any temple. Please take all courses in order as listed on our home page the computer. We look at the places mentioned in acts, taking them in alphabetical order. The phrase means your excellency, and could refer to a.

The first chapter of acts picks up where the gospels leave off with jesus commissioning his disciples and ascending into heaven. Understanding the book of acts in the bible learn religions. Purpose of the book as indicated previously, the original purpose of both the gospel and acts may have been to assist. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. 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. Although the author is unnamed in acts, the evidence leads to the conclusion that the author was luke. And, when the book of acts begins, he carefully outlines what he has written in the book of luke, as i read already. In this book we see the first mention of the dispensation of the holy spirit and jesus command to take his gospel to all the world. The presence and working of the holy spirit is the dominating mark of the book of acts. Acts facts people, places, and verse by verse study. Alleged differences in style shorter words can be explained by his use of sources that differed from his own style and the influence of the greek translation of the old testament used in his work.

The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. Lesson 1 investigates the author, historical setting, and the theological background of the book of acts. Verse 1 luke referred to his gospel here as my first book. Book of acts versebyverse bible study and indepth commentary of the acts of the apostles in plain english for everyone to understand. T he book of acts in the bible, written around 6263 a. Peters activities are described at some length, and john and philip are mentioned, but more than half of the book is about paul and his connection with the christian movement. The book of acts sheds light on the gift of the holy spirit, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our counselor. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy english. Several questions can be answered from the first 2 verses. Watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In acts, jesus sends the holy spirit to empower his disciples as they carry.

The book of acts describes how the church spread after jesus ascended to heaven. A better title would be the acts or the workings of the holy spirit, because he is the real main character of the book. Peter then explained what he had learned from the inspired revelations he had received. Acts chapters 27 has the disciples filled with the holy spirit boldly proclaiming the gospel message. In the book of acts detailed accounts are given for the two apostles peter and paul. Each place is located on a map and then we note the people and events associated with that place. This summary of the book of acts provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of acts. The acts of the apostles, the second volume of lukes twovolume work, continues lukes presentation of biblical history, describing how the salvation promised to israel in the old testament and accomplished by jesus has now under the guidance of the holy spirit been extended to the gentiles. To present a historical, accurate account of the beginnings and growth of the early church by carrying out the great commission to spread the gospel mt 28. We can trace the timeline of the book of acts which highlights the five major sections of the book.