In Acts 17:1-34, Luke uses the gospel’s encounter with Gentile philosophy, politics and religion to highlight the Christian beliefs that God is the one true creator God and Jesus Christ is Lord and judge of all peoples.
Acts 16:6-40 The Holy Spirit and the Powers of Darkness
In Acts 16:6-40, Luke begins Part V of Acts with a problem in Philippi that provides insight into the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer contrasted to the pagan experience of spiritism.
Acts 15:22-16:5 The Jerusalem Council – 2nd Question
In Acts 15:22-16:5, the apostles and elders in Jerusalem send a letter to Gentile believers urging obedience to certain commands. Why? This is a 2nd question of covenant issue.
Acts 15.1-21 The Jerusalem Council – 1st Question
In Acts 15:1-21, the missionary expansion of the gospel among Gentiles forces the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem to address the theology of Gentile inclusion beginning with the first question of covenant.
Acts 14:1-28 Paul’s Strategy – Iconium to Derbe and Back Again
In Acts 14:1-28, we consider seven strategic actions that help us understand the missionary ministry of Paul.
Acts 13:13-52 Paul’s Speech in the Synagogue of Promise and Fulfillment
In Acts 13:13-52, we consider in this unique example of Paul preaching in a synagogue the proclamation of promise fulfilled in Jesus and the response of both Jews and Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch.
Acts 12:25-13:12 The Holy Spirit Initiates Gospel Mission to Gentiles
In Acts 12:25-13:12, from the church of Antioch gospel mission to Gentiles begins, being initiated and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 12:1-24 The Power of God, the Power of Man, and Angels
In Acts 12:1-24, two stories sharing the common factors of King Herod and an angel present for us the ongoing struggle between the power of man and the power of God.
Acts 11:19-30 The Healthy Christian Community at Antioch
In Acts 11:19-30, the first report of a church plant of Gentiles in the major urban city of Antioch provides a widow into an early, healthy Christian community suggesting principles to apply in our own communities.
Acts 11:1-18 Cornelius’ Household and Speaking in Tongues
In Acts 11:1-18, Peter reports back to the believers in Jerusalem concerning the events at Cornelius’ household, raising questions for us about the modern day understanding of the gift of tongues and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:1-48 Culture, Covenant and the Inclusion of Gentiles
In Acts 10:1-48, Peter is shaken by the implications of the New Covenant when God forces him to acknowledge the end of the ceremonial cleanliness code and to consider his own inner prejudice against non-Jews.
Acts 9:32-43 Gospel Witness Through Signs and Charity
In Acts 9:32-43, we begin the third major part of Acts with two brief stories of healing that Luke uses to build a balanced structure and to communicate the continued spread of the gospel among the Jews in Judea.
Acts 9:1-31 The Persecutor Transformed Into Ambassador
In Acts 9:1-31, God sovereignly chooses the lead persecutor of the young Christian movement as his ambassador to the Gentiles.
Acts 8:25-40 Inclusion of an Ethiopian Eunuch
In Acts 8:25-40, God sovereignly directs Philip to a man doubly excluded from the people of God and by his immediate baptism shows us the full inclusion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:1-24 The Samarian Awakening
In Acts 8:1-24, the gospel is propelled forth from Jerusalem by the persecution following Stephen’s death and into the unorthodox soil of Samaria. In this first occasion of cross-cultural witness, Samaria receives the word of God.