Acts 9 tells the story of the dramatic conversion of the man formerly known as saul, the persecutor. The book of luke deals with the life, teaching, ministry, death, and resurrection of jesus, while the book of acts focuses on the gift of and work of the holy spirit after jesus ascends into heaven. Acts and the epistles bible study questions and commentary. Each book tells us about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of jesus christ. False what the author means by thinking horizontally in studying the gospels is that it is helpful to be aware of the old testament issues that correlate to the new. This new book on focuses on sauls jewish roots phil.
In acts, christ had just risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and given the apostles the great commission. 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. Jul 06, 2018 the first four books of the new testament are known as the gospels. Essentially, the theme of acts focuses on the spread of the gospel from jerusalem, to judea and samaria, and eventually the world of that day or from a gospel given to the jews first chapters 29 and then to the gentiles chapters 1026. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. The importance of the book of acts liberty university. The book of acts provides a bridge for the writings of the nt.
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. We have determined three areas of introduction that can be gathered from acts. Both books were written to an otherwise unknown theophilus. Designed for individuals and small groups alike, this 12week study through the book of acts explores the history of the early church after christs ascension. To equip one another to imitate the role models of the early church. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Best act prep books 2020 which book is best for you.
Book of acts explained discover the 66 books of the bible. The title as we know it comes from the second century and only partially discloses the theme of the document. The book of acts study guide the book of acts class goals. Parsons writes his commentary acts grand rapids, mi. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. The acts of the apostles, or simply the acts, is the second part to the gospel of luke in the new testament. Here are gospelminded pastors and scholars doing gospel business from all the scripturesthis is a biblical and theological feast preparing gods people to apply the entire bible to all of life with heart and. Acts is not a complete record of everything that happened in the church after the saviors ascension.
Lets dive into 4 ways you can dig deeper into acts through specific study tips. The book of acts marks a monumental shift from the anticipation of the messiahs coming to the proclamation of the messiahs coming. To better understand the growth and practices of the new testament church. For a lot of students, it requires a lot of selfdiscipline to sit down and drill yourself on the skills you need for english, reading, math, and science.
Each volume in the series provides exposition that gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally reformed, focuses on christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the bible to our. The first four books of the new testament are known as the gospels. He included it as part of his bible studies in the book of acts. Study 1 going through the book of acts words of life. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. Mar 30, 2011 as are all the books in the reformed expository commentary series, this exposition of acts is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Neither the third gospel nor the acts provide an explicit statement of authorship, but the testimony of the early church is clear, and there is internal evidence that demonstrates lucan authorship. What conclusion do you reach about who wrote the book of acts. 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. 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. Theophilus probably was a roman official, since luke designates him as most excellent theophilus luke 1.
This book contains numerous color photographs from tarsus of cilicia modern day turkey. It ensures that the meaning of the text is readily apparent to the contemporary reader. The bible book of acts comes at a special time in the gospel story of jesus christ. Acts is the last book in the new testament that tells a story. As are all the books in the reformed expository commentary series, this exposition of acts is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. According to stuart and fee very little of the division in the church today, and throughout history, comes from lack fo precision in interpreting the events chronicled in acts. The book of acts is the authorised missionary manual of the church, dealing with the why, the how and the where of. The book begins with jesus promise of the holy spirit, which is later fulfilled in reference to. Church on fire a sixweek series on the first cycle of acts. It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. Then let class time consist of discussion that focuses on the scriptures themselves. The book focuses primarily on the acts of two apostles, peter and paul.
Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. John macarthur takes readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and. Acts of the apostles the purpose of this study is to give an introduction to evangelization through the narrative of the acts of the apostles. Lets get a highlevel overview of these four books, what. In the providence of god, saul of tarsus was selected acts 9. Acts in the picture study bible the book of acts with. Luke is giving an account of the salvation of the gentiles to theophilus, a gentile convert.
Both were probably written by luke, an early christian who traveled with the. Like the book of luke, it is written to theophilus. It is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. John macarthur takes readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. As you do make a list of major themes that are frequently mentioned in the book. The book of acts records three of pauls missionary journeys by which the church was established, the people of god, the christians who would change the world.
The book of acts clearly focuses on the beginnings of the church, and two people. The most significant help in discovering the author of acts is simply recognizing this book s relationship to the gospel of luke. The book of acts forms a bridge between the gospels and pauls epistles. Book of acts definition of book of acts by the free dictionary. The jerusalem church date sermon title sermon text oct.
The book of acts clearly focuses on the beginnings of the church, and two people the apostle peter, and the one who actually possessed the courage to go to the farthest parts of the known world with the gospel of jesus christ, his name was paul the apostle. Acts and letters of the apostles captures the joys and sorrows. Given this, you certainly dont want to be wasting your time. Research for these topics and zeollas own bible studies led to his scripture workbook. Books of the bible are taught chronologically rather than in the order they appear in the bible. Introduction to the book of acts study resources blue letter bible. Acts documents the infancy of the early church from jesus instruction of his apostles before his ascension to the day of pentecost and the explosion of christianity, which continues to this day. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. This work takes readers to a higher vantage point where they can view the thematic terrain of the bible in its canonical wholeness.
Especially their worship, leadership, sharing, perseverance, and involvement in the great commission. The gospel spread from israel, northward to antioch, and then westward to. A major figure in the book of acts and the new testament is the apostle paul. Rather, it focuses on the role played by apostles such as peter, who ministered primarily to jews, and paul, the apostle to the gentiles. His focus for the church, the body of christ, was jesus heavenly ministry. The book of acts focuses on gods mission, as god draws people into his orbit. The life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. Studying for the act probably isnt at the top of your favorite things to do. A bible study lesson series about the beginning of christianity as revealed in the book of the acts of the apostles. These guides integrate bible study, prayer, and worship to explore the acts of.
The book of acts chronicles some of the most important events in christian history. Demonic forces, worldly powers and authorities, governmental opposition, language and cultural barriers, intense suffering and bloody persecution, unjust imprisonment, unbelief, internal disunity, and even shipwrecks and snakes all threaten to slow down the gospels advance. This versebyverse bible study and commentary of the acts of the apostles the book of acts or simply acts is indepth but uses plain language that everyone can understand, as well as a format that will engage you. Making note of the use of the old testament in the book of acts will give you insights into the amazing prophecies fulfilled by jesus christ and what the jewish world was expecting in their messiah this will deepen your. Lets get a highlevel overview of these four books, what makes them different, and how theyre similar. Oxford university press usa publishes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, childrens books, business books, dictionaries, reference books, journals, text books and more. Book e covers from genesis to ruth, book f covers first samuel to malachi, book g covers the message and ministry of jesus christ, and book h studies the book of acts.
The new testament without the book of acts leaves a great yawning gap. Luke wrote mainly about the ministry of the apostle paul and included a few records about peter and the other apostles. Terms in this set 12 though called the acts of the apostles, the book focuses primarily on only two apostlespeter and paulwho in christian art are. Book of acts synonyms, book of acts pronunciation, book of. The book of acts focuses on these relationships in many places. Acts chapter 1 explained discover the 66 books of the bible. The gospel of luke and the book of acts form a single, twovolume work. There are several major themes in acts, and here let us consider three of them. These two books are actually two volumes of the same book. The book of acts ties the other books of the new testament together. As we study the book of acts, many theological questions come to mind.
The book of acts provides a glimpse into the first three decades of the early church a. The new dictionary of biblical theology will quickly establish itself as an essential building block of every library of basic biblical reference books. Let the teacher use other scriptures, questions, applications, and comments to. Here are a few of the reasons why actsand thus our study of this bookis so important. Includes lessons about the kingdom of christ, church organization and worship, examples of conversion, the nature and purpose of miracles, and the work of the holy spirit. Makes up over onefourth of the entire new testament. Particularly striking is that in many places in acts, when luke evidently joins the company of paul during his travels, the narrative stops saying that they did such and so, and says that we did such and so see acts 16. Jul 10, 2014 in acts, the gospel expands not through human strength, but through weakness, opposition, and persecution. The main theological emphasis of the book of acts is the holy spirit. Free new testament study guides and bible class books. The acts of the apostles was written by a physician named lucian in english luke. Nov 16, 2015 it is my personal belief that since the book of acts ended having no conclusion or ending acts 28.
Both were probably written by luke, an early christian who traveled with the apostle paul. First, evangelization requires some foundational principles. Top 5 commentaries on the book of acts ligonier ministries. The book of acts is focused on gods mission, as god draws people into his. But he did not start off as a hero to the church of god, but rather a villain. Acts is a fastmoving historical account of the first three decades of the church. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes two.
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