Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James
The book of Acts is commonly called the Acts of the Apostles, but really is should be called "Acts of the Holy Spirit." These notes on the book of Acts are supporting the Grammar Uses Version by Gary Gallant. This version is from the Byzantine Lectures or Majority Text. These notes will explain the verb tenses and the choice of use for participles and infinitives. We have also included a brief synopsis and commentary on each verse. We included our Simplified Greek Grammar to explain how we came up with this translation.
The brief study of the Acts which follows is really no more than a first glimpse into a land of promise. It is the announcement of a discovery made by the writer that this narrative is a revelation of the Holy Spirit in his relations to believers as Christ’s witnesses, and to the church as the witnessing body; and that, from the opening chapter on, there is a progressive unfolding of this great theme, which it is our humble endeavour to trace. Nothing is claimed for what follows, save a suggestion; like all discoveries, it needs confirmation by a fuller examination and more thorough exploration. But if the hints herein found shall prove grapes of Eshcol, tempting others, who are more competent, to search this goodly land more successfully and thoroughly, and lead God’s people to its more thorough occupation and enjoyment, the desire and purpose of the author will be fulfilled.
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
Though "community" has become a common byword in the contemporary Western church, the practice of communal sharing has effectively fallen by the wayside. Unfortunately, it is often the poor who are left wanting because we no longer come together. Reta Halteman Finger finds a solution to this modern problem by learning from the ancient Mediterranean Christian culture of community. In the earliest Jerusalem church, in holding the responsibility for preparing and serving communal meals, women were given a place of honor. With the table fellowship and goods sharing of the early church, Luke says, there were no needy persons among them (Acts 4: 34). Finger thoroughly examines this agape-meal tradition, challenging traditional interpretations of the community of goods in the Jerusalem church and proving that the communal sharing lasted for hundreds of years longer than previously assumed. "Of Widows and Meals" begins a discussion of need in community that can revolutionize the contemporary church's interaction with the world at large.
A modern classic--revised with more than 70 percent new material--is based on seven Scriptural realities that teach Christians how to develop a true relationship with the Creator.
The Bible teaches us that we are to be filled with God's Spirit and that God's presence and grace is manifested among his people as they serve, love, and minister to one another. Yet some of the gifts that God offers to his people aren't commonly seen in many churches today. Gifts of prophecy, healing, tongues, and other supernatural gifts of God seem to be absent, and many Christians are unsure how to cultivate an atmosphere where God's Spirit can work while remaining committed to the foundational truth of God's Word. How can Christians pursue and implement the miraculous gifts of the Spirit without falling into fanatical excess and splitting the church in the process? In Practicing the Power, pastor and author Sam Storms offers practical steps to understanding and exercising spiritual gifts in a way that remains grounded in the word and centered in the gospel. With examples drawn from his forty years of ministry as a pastor and teachers, Storms offers a guidebook that can help pastors, elders, and church members understand what changes are needed to see God move in supernatural power and to guard against excess and abuse of the spiritual gifts. If you long to see God's Spirit move in your church and life, and aren't sure why that isn't happening or where to begin, this book is for you.