Jesus Is The *saviour 1: 26
v26 Listen,my brothers, sons of Abraham! Listen, you *Gentiles who *worship God! Thismessage about *salvation is for us all! v27 The people in *Jerusalem andtheir leaders did not know that Jesus is the *Saviour. They did not understandthe *prophets words, which they still read every *Sabbath. The people andtheir leaders *condemned Jesus. So, they proved that those words were true. v28They had no reason to kill him. But they asked Pilate to order Jesus death. v29In the *scriptures, the writers wrote many things that people would do toJesus. And those people and their leaders did all those things to him.Afterwards, they took him down from the *cross. And they put him in a grave. v30But God raised him from death.
v36 When Davidwas alive, he did good things. He did what God wanted him to do. After he died,people buried him in the familys grave. Then his body went bad. v37 ButGod raised Jesus from death. And Jesus body did not go bad.
v38 Mybrothers, I want you to know this: Jesus can forgive your *sins. v39 The*Law that Moses received could not free you from all your *sins. But people canbelieve in Jesus and they can trust in him. Everyone who does those things isfree! v40 Be careful! The *prophets have warned you. They have saidthis: Do not let this happen to you:
v41 Look, youpeople who joke about God!
Be surprised and die!
I will do something today
that you will not believe.
You would not believe it
even if someone told you.
The *believers Share Their Possessions : 32
v32 All the*believers thought the same way about how they should live. People did not keeptheir possessions just for themselves. They shared with each other everythingthat they had. v33 The *apostles spoke about the *resurrection of the*Lord Jesus. They spoke about it with great power. And they were very generousto each other. v34 Everyone in their group had what they needed. Thosewho owned fields or houses would sell them. They would bring the money thatthey had got from this. v35 They would give it to the *apostles. Thenthe *apostles would share it among people who needed it. Everyone had as muchas they needed.
v36 Joseph wasfrom the large group that were relatives of Levis family. Joseph was born in*Cyprus. The *apostles called him Barnabas. v37 He owned a field. He sold it. He brought the money andhe gave it to the *apostles.
Verses 32-34 The members of the first *churchcared about each other. They did not just say that they cared. They showedtheir love by what they did. People still owned things. But they would sharethese things with anyone who needed them. Some *believers owned land or houses.If anyone needed money, these people sold their land or houses. Nobody forcedthem to do this. They wanted to help each other.
In verse 33, Luke reminds us about Jesus*resurrection. This was the reason why the *church began. It is the reason whythe *church is here today. Jesus is alive!
Paul Speaks To Felix And Drusilla 2: 24
v24 Severaldays later, Felix came to the place where Paul was staying. Felixs wife,Drusilla, came with Felix. She was *Jewish. Felix sent for Paul. He listened toPaul as Paul spoke. Paul spoke about *faith in *Christ Jesus. v25 Paultalked to Felix and Drusilla about doing the right things. He spoke aboutself-control . He spoke aboutthe day when Gods judgement would come. Felix was afraid. He said, You havesaid enough for now. You may leave. I will send for you again, when I have timeto listen. v26 After this, Felix often sent for Paul. And he talkedwith him. Also, Felix hoped that Paul would give some money to him.
v27 Two yearslater, Porcius Festus became the new *governor. But Felix wanted to support the*Jews. So, he left Paul in prison.
Verses 24-27 Drusilla was the daughter of HerodAgrippa I . Felix had persuaded her to leave her husband,Azizus, the king of Emesia. A *magician helped Felix to do this. Drusilla wasFelixs third wife.
Paul told Felix and Drusilla the good news aboutJesus. But he also told them about Gods judgement. He spoke about doing rightthings. Both Felix and Drusilla had done wicked things. So, Felix became afraidand he sent Paul away. But Felix still spoke with Paul after this.
You May Like: Old Testament Stories In Chronological Order
Timothy Works With Paul And Silas 1: 1
v1 Paul wentto Derbe and then he went to Lystra. A *Christian called Timothy lived there.Timothys mother was a *Jewish *Christian. But his father was *Greek. v2The *believers at Lystra and Iconium said many good things about Timothy. v3Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him. So, he *circumcised Timothy. He didthis because of the attitude that the *Jews had there. They all knew thatTimothys father was *Greek. v4 Paul and his helpers went through thetowns. And they told the *believers what the *apostles and leaders in*Jerusalem had decided. They told them to obey those rules. v5 So, theChristians became stronger in the *faith and more people joined the *churchesdaily.
Verses 1-3 Luke introduces Timothy here. Timothybecame a chief helper of Paul. We know that Timothys mother was called Eunice. She probably became a *believer when Paul came to Lystrabefore. That was two or three years earlier. Timothy was young . But the *believers saw that he had a good character. His father was a*Gentile. So, Timothy had received a *Greek education. But he had also learnedthe *Jewish *scriptures . It was easy for him to mix with both*Jews and *Gentiles. He could mix with both because he understood both theircultures. This would be very useful later, when he *preached in differentplaces.
Verses 4-5 Paul and his helpers told many moreChristians about the four rules. He taught them in a way that made their *faithstronger.
Saul *preaches In Damascus : 20
v20Immediately, Saul went to the *synagogues. And he began to *preach that Jesuswas Gods Son. v21 All the people who heard him were very surprised.They asked, Is this really the man who caused trouble in *Jerusalem? Is itreally the man who *persecuted people? Did this man not *persecute people whocall on this Jesus name? Did he not comehere to arrest them? And did he not want to take them as prisoners to the chiefpriests? v22 But Sauls words grew more powerful all the time. Heproved that Jesus was the *Messiah. He convinced people very well by what hesaid. So, he completely confused the *Jews who were living in Damascus. And the*Jews could not answer him. v23 After many days, the *Jews plotted tokill him. v24 But Saul heard about their plan. They watched the citygates carefully, every day and every night. This was so that they could killhim. v25 But one night, Saul hid in a basket. Then his *disciples letthe basket down over the walls of the city.
Verses 20-21 How Saul had changed! He wastelling the *Jews that Jesus was the *Messiah. Saul had hated *Christiansbecause they believed this. So, it should not surprise us that people wereconfused. But Saul had met Jesus himself. Now he was certain that Jesus was the*Messiah.
In verse 23, we read after many days. We knowthat Saul went to Arabia for three years . But we do not knowexactly when he went. Perhaps it was at this time. The north-west part ofArabia was very near to Damascus.
You May Like: Bible Verse Where Your Heart Is There Is Your Treasure
Paul Goes To Caesarea 2: 31
v31 Thesoldiers obeyed the commanders orders. That night, they took Paul with them.They took him to the city called Antipatris. v32 The next day, thesoldiers that were walking returned to the *fort. The men on horses went withPaul. v33 They arrived in Caesarea and they delivered the letter to the*governor. They handed Paul over to him. v34 The *governor read theletter. He asked Paul, Which *province are you from? The *governor discoveredthat Paul was from Cilicia. v35 The *governor said, I will listen toyou later. The people that accuse you are coming here. As soon as they arrive,I will listen to you. Then he ordered men to guard Paul in Herods palace.
Verses 31-34 The first part of the journey wasthe most dangerous part. Antipatris was nearly 64 kilometres awayfrom Jerusalem. All the soldiers arrived in Antipatris with Paul. Then thesoldiers that were walking returned to *Jerusalem.
Paul and the other soldiers continued theirjourney to Caesarea. The distance from Antipatris to Caesarea was about 40kilometres .
Because Felix was the *governor of *Judea, hewas now responsible for Paul. Felix was Lysias boss. So Lysias had to explainthe situation to him. Lysias explained it in a letter.
Usually, a prisoner had his *trial in the*province where the crime had possibly happened. But sometimes the *governorcould send the prisoner to that prisoners own *province. However, Felixdecided to have Pauls *trial in *Judea. Paul had to wait until the *Jewishleaders arrived.
Paul *preaches In Rome 2: 21
v21 Theleaders replied, Nobody from *Judea has written to us about you. We have not hada bad report from our people there. They have not said anything bad about you. v22But we want you to tell us about your ideas. That is because you belong to thatnew group. We know that people everywhere are saying bad things against it.
v23 So the leadersagreed about a time when they would meet with Paul. On that day, many moreleaders came. They came to the place where Paul was staying. He explained tothem about Gods *kingdom. He tried to convince them about who Jesus is. Heused examples from Moses *Law. And he used examples from the *Prophets . He spoke from morning until evening. v24Some of the leaders agreed with what he said. But other leaders did not agree. v25The leaders argued and they could not agree with each other. As they left, Paulsaid some final words to them. He said, The *Holy Spirit told the truth toyour *ancestors. v26 By means of the *prophet Isaiah, he said:
Go to these people and say:
Youwill listen and you will continue to listen.
Butyou will not understand.
Youwill look and you will continue to look.
Butyou will not see.
v27 Thesepeople are *stubborn.
They have closed their ears.
And they have shut their eyes.
So, they cannot see and they cannot hear.
They cannot understand.
If they could understand, they would ask mefor help.
And then I would cure them.
v29 After Paulsaid that, the *Jews left. They were arguing strongly with each other.
Recommended Reading: What The Bible Says About Being Rich
The Storm On The Sea 2: 13
v13 A gentlesouth wind began to blow. The men thought, This is exactly what we want! Theypulled up the *anchor and we sailed along the coast of Crete. v14 Soon,a very strong wind blew down from that island. It was called the North-eastwind. v15 The wind hit the ship and the ship could not sail against it.So, we let the wind push the ship along. v16 We travelled along by theisland called Cauda. We were on the side where there was some shelter. It wasdifficult to hold the *lifeboat in place. But we did it. v17 The mendragged the *lifeboat onto the ship. Then, they tied *ropes round the ship. The*ropes held the ship together. The men were afraid that the ship might hit thesandbanks by Syrtis. So, the men lowered the sail and they let the ship float along.
v18 The stormwas very strong. So, the next day they threw some of the ships cargo into thesea. v19On the third day, they threw some of the ships equipment into the sea. Theydid that with their hands. v20 For many days, we could not see the sunor the stars. The strong wind continued to blow. In the end, we did not thinkthat anyone could rescue us.
Verses 13-20 So, the men started to sail and thewind was gentle. Phoenix was only 64 kilometres to the west. But avery strong storm surprised them and they were in great danger. They draggedthe *lifeboat onto the ship. They did not want the *lifeboat to break up. Theywere also afraid that the whole ship might break up. So, they tied it with*ropes, like a parcel.
Themes In The Book Of Acts
The book of Acts begins with the outpouring of God’s promised Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. As a result, the preaching of the gospel and the witness of the newly formed church sparks a flame that spreads across the Roman Empire.
The opening of Acts discloses a primary theme throughout the book. As believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit they bear witness to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. This is how the church is established and continues to grow, spreading locally and then continuing to the ends of the earth.
It’s important to recognize that the church did not begin or grow through its own power or initiative. Believers were empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit, and this remains true today. Christ’s work, both in the church and in the world, is supernatural, born of his Spirit. Although we, the church, are Christ’s vessels, the expansion of Christianity is God’s work. He provides the resources, enthusiasm, vision, motivation, courage and ability to accomplish the work, by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Another overriding theme in the book of Acts is opposition. We read about imprisonments, beatings, stonings and plots to kill the apostles. Rejection of the gospel and persecution of its messengers, however, worked to accelerate the church’s growth. Although discouraging, resistance to our witness for Christ is to be expected. We can stand firm knowing God will do the work, opening doors of opportunity even in the midst of severe opposition.
You May Like: 365 Fear Not Bible Verses List
The Holy Spirit Promised
4 While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Fathers promise.This, He said, is what you heard from Me 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?
7 He said to them, It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Genre Sources And Historicity Of Acts
The title “Acts of the Apostles” would seem to identify it with the genre telling of the deeds and achievements of great men , but it was not the title given by the author. The anonymous author aligned LukeActs to the “narratives” which many others had written, and described his own work as an “orderly account” . It lacks exact analogies in Hellenistic or Jewish literature.
Acts was read as a reliable history of the early church well into the post-Reformation era, but by the 17th century biblical scholars began to notice that it was incomplete and tendentiousits picture of a harmonious church is quite at odds with that given by Paul’s letters, and it omits important events such as the deaths of both Peter and Paul. The mid-19th-century scholar Ferdinand Baur suggested that the author had re-written history to present a united Peter and Paul and advance a single orthodoxy against the Baur continues to have enormous influence, but today there is less interest in determining the historical accuracy of Acts than in understanding the author’s theological program.
You May Like: Fear Not Is In The Bible How Many Times
Peter And John Go To *samaria : 14
v14 The*apostles in *Jerusalem heard that people in *Samaria had believed Godsmessage. So, they sent Peter and John to them. v15 When these two*apostles arrived, they prayed. They asked that the *believers would receivethe *Holy Spirit. v16 They did this because the *Holy Spirit had notcome onto anyone among them yet. They had only received *baptism into the nameof the *Lord Jesus. v17 Then Peter and John put their hands on the*believers. And then the *believers received the *Holy Spirit.
Verse 14 John came to *Samaria with Peter. Thatis interesting because, once before, John had wanted God to destroy a villagein *Samaria . But now he wanted God to *save the *Samaritans.
Verses 15-17 These verses can be difficult tounderstand. This is because all *Christians have the *Holy Spirit. They receivethe *Holy Spirit when they first believe.
Students have different ideas about what Lukemeant here. Perhaps what happened to the *Samaritans was very unusual. Perhapsthe *Samaritans who were *Christians needed to meet the *Jewish *Christians.They needed to receive *baptism into one body. Otherwise they might havestarted a separate *church, just for *Samaritans.
We may have different opinions about what Lukemeant. But this must not cause bad feelings towards other *Christians. We agreethat all *believers have the *Holy Spirit in them. But *believers can havedifferent experiences from the *Holy Spirit.
Philip In *samaria : 5
v5 Philip wentto a city in *Samaria. He *preached about the *Messiah there. v6 Thecrowds heard what Philip said. And they saw that he did *miracles. Theylistened carefully to him. v7 Evil *spirits screamed when they came outfrom many people. Many people who could not move became well. Many people whohad something wrong with their legs became well too. v8 So, the peoplein that city were very happy.
Verses 6-8 Philip was one of the 7 helpers . The *apostles had chosen them to distribute food to the poorer*believers. So, then, because the helpers distributed the food, the *apostlesdid not have to do it any longer. Therefore, the *apostles had much more timeto *preach. Philip had worked with Stephen. The *apostles had chosen them to dopractical work. But God also used them to *preach. Stephen had *preached to the*Sanhedrin. Now Philip was *preaching to the people in *Samaria. This was abrave thing to do.
When Philip *preached, the evil *spirits leftpeople. They were not able to control people any longer. Also, many sick peoplebecame well. *Miracles happened when Philip spoke about Jesus, the *Messiah.People knew that the message in the *gospel is true. Jesus *saves everyone whobelieves in him. He protects them from evil things. He cures their diseases andhe gives joy to people.
You May Like: What The Bible Says About Cremation Versus Burial