Acts agrees with pauls letters on the major outline of pauls career. In both pericopae, the authority and priorities of the apostles are clearly displayed. For most, it is an agreedupon list of twentyseven books that includes the canonical gospels, acts, letters of the apostles, and revelation. There is a conjunction between three elements as the gospel goes forth. We have gained these insights partly through spiritual numbers related to the order of books in the. Fee and stuart helpfully outline six general principles for interpreting historical narratives in order to get at whether luke is describing or prescribing. Book of acts a prophetic witness bible numbers for life. The outline is based on the theme verse of the book of acts.
Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy. The book of acts tells us of some of the acts of some of the apostles, but more so it tells us history. Book of acts a prophetic witness we present to you the notion that the book of acts is a prophetic witness. The acts of the apostles is a unique and therefore crucial book of the new testament.
It is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. Carefully, paragraph by paragraph, the book of acts has been evaluated in the following pages. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. 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 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. This commentary is based upon my personal devotional notes and reflections on the book of acts. Written by the same author and for the same purpose, both were addressed to a christian named theophilus and were designed for the purpose of presenting to him a complete and well authenticated narrative of the early history of the christian movement. The title the inscription the acts of the apostles probably reaches back to the beginning of the second century ce, since it is found in virtually every ms which contains this book, as well as the antimarcionite prologue to luke c.
The books of the canon of the new testament were written before 120 ad. Ludlow whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1. A licence fee is paid in those instances in which the government authority is invoked simply to confer a permission or a privilege. If you want to know what the book of acts is about, it is acts 1. This is an especially crucial matter to the hermeneutics of the historical narratives, 126 like the book of acts. Acts concerns the very vital period in christian history between the resurrection of jesus and the death of the apostle paul, the time when christian ideas and beliefs. It tells of cities and dates and people that were affected by the gospel. The acts of peter and philip the evangelist are recorded here as well. Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. 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.
Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. The government is quite impartial toward the church, a situation. Really, very little is written about the apostles in acts. It also may be divided around the expansion of the gospel in acts 1. In the book of acts, for instance, we find references to men such as gallio, in chapter 18 verse 12, gamaliel, in chapter 5 verse 34, felix, in chapter 23 verse26, and festus, in chapter 24 verse 27, all of whom were wellknown in the ancient jewish and roman world. Acts is clearly on some of the acts or deeds of mostly peter. In the bible, god outlines authority structures that provide direction for the family, church, workplace, and government. The power of the holy spirit to perform signs and wonders to confirm the preaching of the word c.
Study basics about bible books, people, dates, places, and content, and take webbased selftests. Stephen said some words from the book by the prophet isaiah isaiah 66. Paul and the other apostles refused to obey commands from people in authority to stop preaching the gospel, for instance acts 5. If the book was just before or after pauls release, then it was likely written around 63 a. 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 gospel spreads to the uttermost parts of the world.
Outline on biblical authority darron steele ii timothy 3. The high priest and chief men informed festus of paul. Bradd words in boldboldbold and underlined are the answers to the blanks on the acts study guides acts 1 the book of acts was written by luke to a man named theophilus. Otherwise, how can we ever learn what authority is. Now, lets look at some outlines that will help us read acts. It is intended to help you better understand some of the background and issues in lukes second volume. As the churches are not to be dominated by any external ecclesiastical authority. Without this historical record, little would be known about the expansion of the church. 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 opposition to it. We will explore how luke used summary statements for six periods of time in his. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women. Acts of the apostles 4 imprisonment in rome are 6062 a.
If a member of a local authority fails throughout a period of six consecutive months from the date of his last attendance to attend any meeting of the authority, he shall, unless the failure was due to some reason approved by the authority before the expiry of that period, cease to be a member of the authority. The book of acts sermon outlines this material is from, a web site containing sermon outlines and bible studies by mark a. The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts. Both the books of luke and acts are addressed to the most excellent theophilus. We are on the wrong road if we meet man first before we obey authority. 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 commentary on the acts of the apostles by pastor galen l. The introduction of acts and the book of luke help us to determine the author of acts. The reason many churches today dont have the glory of god in them is that theyre not under the government of godappointed, fivefold ministries the first. But stephen reminded the jews that god was bigger than any temple. It triumphed under the rule of the exalted christ and through the power of the. In the book of acts, the government of the church was in the hands of the fivefold ministry, where god placed it. Acts intro to acts biblica the international bible society.
The acts of the apostles, abbreviation acts, fifth book of the new testament, a valuable history of the early christian church. The government acts like a business person and the public acts like its customers. The book is called acts or the acts of the apostles because it contains an account of some of the apostles. Since the book of acts is the continuation of the gospel account of all jesus began to do and teach, it catalogs what jesus continued to do and teach through the holy spirit. Acts was written in greek, presumably by the evangelist luke, whose gospel concludes where acts begins, namely, with christs ascension into heaven. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible.
We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Acts records the apostles being christs witnesses in jerusalem, judea, samaria, and the surrounding world. When we come to the book of acts, the first question we may ask is why was it written. Acts of the apostles executable outline study resources. The canon of the new testament is the set of books christians regard as divinely inspired and constituting the new testament of the christian bible. The title the inscription the acts of the apostles probably.
Whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1. Trace the major sections of the book, consider the purpose and historical context of the book and study the major events in acts of the apostles, early church and the holy spirit. We hope this outline of acts will help you as you seek to find gods truth in the pages of his letter to you. This course encounters the major changes in gods relationship with the world and his people in this key transitional book of the bible. Many people call acts the acts of the apostles, but really, if you want to add to the name acts, perhaps, a better name would be the acts of the early church. But you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you. Paragraphbyparagraph outline for the book of acts josh.
Acts records the beginnings of the church and reveals the steps one must obey to become a christian. They are episcopal, presbyterian, congregational and non governmental, but it should be noted that those terms are by no means restricted to their corresponding denominational name e. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. It might also be called the acts of the holy spirit, as that person of the godhead is very much an active participant throughout the book. 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. How did the residents of jerusalem react to the church. The book of acts, which continues the narrative that luke began in his gospel, is especially important because it was the first written history of the christian church. Standing between the gospels and the epistles, the book of acts is a bridge between the life of jesus and the ministry of the apostle paul. There are four basic forms of church government in existence today. The book of acts sunday school lesson series january 2, 2011 by kelly henderson take your students on a journey through the book of acts where they will learn lessons from the early church after jesus ascended to heaven and believers received the gift of the holy spirit. The preaching of the gospel of jesus and his kingdom b.
The acts of the apostles often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth. For there is no authority except from god, and the authorities that exist are appointed by god. Commonly called the acts of the apostles, it is simply titled acts in some of the oldest manuscripts. This is the second lesson in our series the book of acts. Acts syllabus and course overview ministry development. Lets begin with lukes emphasis on words that carried authority in the church. The book of acts the acts of the holy spirit the bible teachers commentary an outline and map survey paul j. Acts and historical narrative, at luther seminarys bible tutor. 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. This would indicate it was matthew, mark, luke, or john. The book of acts is a vital link between the gospels and the epistles.
For assurance of our own salvation, we can compare our own conversion experience with those in acts. Our purpose is to reveal that the book of acts is not only merely a history book, but also foreshadows end time events in detail. Our story starts off where the gospel of luke left offjesus is back now that hes resurrected, jesus decides to hang out and chat with his disciples whom luke calls apostles for forty days. The authorship of acts is ascribed to luke for these reasons. The book of acts sheds light on the gift of the holy spirit, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our counselor. Jan 02, 2020 the emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission. Doughty southside christian church january 2014 introduction.
Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after jesuss ascension. 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. 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. Acts 9 niv bible meanwhile, saul was still breathing. The title as we know it comes from the second century and only partially discloses the theme of the document.
The early church had the pattern, therefore, the glory. Pauls arrest and fouryear imprisonment by the roman government in acts. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. The book of acts contains important information for all today. Author although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. Church government definition and meaning bible dictionary. Let us not see the man but only the authority vested in him. As the book of acts describes the power of the holy spirit that was released through the early church, so the book of revelation describes the power of the holy spirit that will be released through the endtime church. Acts is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles.
This is, in effect, an outline of the book of acts see plan and outline below. In this case, the reader looks at acts for how the word expands from jerusalem and judea to samaria and to the ends of the earth. The new testament without acts leaves a great, yawning gap. Understanding spiritual authority understanding spiritual authority before we talk about moving into ministry, lets recap some basic principles that we have learned in these studies. One may divide the book as acts 112 peter and acts 28 paul. The book of acts is the only historical record of the birth and early days following christs establishing his church. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book.
Meanwhile, saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the lords disciples. Author though he does not mention himself by name, the author is undoubtedly luke, physician and frequent traveling companion of the apostle paul. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The book of acts was penned by luke, the physician. The preparation of the leaders of the jerusalem church for the gentile mission 11. God and civil government, a sermon outline david padfield. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history.
And, when the book of acts begins, he carefully outlines what he has written in the book of luke, as i read already. The temple in this book called acts was the third temple. Ludlowthe book of acts was written by luke after his gospel as the second part of a great twovolume work on jesus christ and the early christians. The new testament without the book of acts leaves a great yawning gap. This is a geographical outline of the book based largely on what appears to be the organizing verse in acts. On pentecost, the holy spirit descends and confers gods power on them, and. 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. 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. 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.
Although many faithful servants were used to preach and teach the gospel of jesus christ, saul, also called paul, was the most influential. The title of the book of acts comes from the greek word praxis, a word often used. The life and travels of the apostle paul are followed. Commentary on the book of acts bible study notes and comments by david e. Preparation for the coming of the spirit, chapter 1 1. Each paragraph in the esv translation of acts has been evaluated and a factual statement about its content was recorded in one sentence. We read of the evangelistic methods and message of the early apostles and preachers 3. General resources for the book of acts check the scripture index for links and study resources pertaining to specific pericopes.
Rapid evangelism resulting in the establishment of local churches. Those who reject governmental authority reject gods authority rom. The letters or epistles after acts tells us of the supreme care and guidance that god has for his people then, now, and in the future. The gospel of luke and the book of acts are closely related.
Section 85 of the local government act 1972 states. In fact, the work is given in detail of only two of the apostles, peter and paul. The lord jesus christ at work by the holy spirit through the apostles in jerusalem, chapters 17 a. Purpose of the book as indicated previously, the original purpose of both the gospel and acts may have been to assist. Luke had written to him before and had told him about the things that jesus did and taught. Rather, the focus is clearly on some of the acts or deeds of mostly peter the key figure in. Acts of the apostles chapter twentyfive objectives in studying this chapter 1 to consider the circumstances in which paul appealed to caesar 2 to observe paul before king agrippa summary shortly after festus arrived in caesarea, he went to jerusalem.