Summary: Opening We've been working our way through the book of Acts for several weeks now. This is, in fact, the 17th study on this book. And, in case there are some who have missed the previous 16 studies, let me summarise briefly what we've seen already. The book began with the Lord instructing his … Continue reading Acts 09(32–43) →

Introduction Acts 9 verse 31, which we'll get to in a few minutes, marks the end of a major section of the book of Acts which began in chapter 6 and verse 8. Up until Acts 6:8 the focus was on what was happening in Jerusalem. So, we had the Lord's ascension; the Day of … Continue reading Acts 09(19b–31) →

Introduction At the beginning of Acts 8 we read how Saul began to persecute the church. And, as a result, all except the apostles were scattered through Judea and Samaria. And wherever they went, they preached the word of God. And so Luke tells us of what happened when Philip the Evangelist went to a … Continue reading Acts 09(01–19a) →

Introduction At the beginning of chapter 8 we read how Saul began to persecute the church. So all except the apostles were scattered through Judea and Samaria. And wherever they went, they preached the word of God. And so Luke tells us of what happened when Philip the Evangelist went to a city of Samaria. … Continue reading Acts 08(25–40) →

Introduction In verses 1 to 8 of chapter 8 we saw how, despite Saul's best efforts to destroy the church, the church continued to grow as those who were scattered because of the persecution in Jerusalem preached the gospel wherever they went. And so, one of the lessons we learned is that God is able … Continue reading Acts 08(09–24) →

Introduction At the end of chapter 6 Luke tells us that Stephen was arrested. And in chapter 7 we have his speech to the Sanhedrin which culminates in his accusation that they're just like their forefathers were: Your forefathers used to resist the Holy Spirit -- and so have you. Your forefathers killed the Lord's … Continue reading Acts 08(01–08) →

Introduction In chapter 5 we had the story of Ananias and Sapphira who tried to lie to the Holy Spirit and were immediately struck down. And we also read how Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin looked set to kill them until one of them suggested that they just … Continue reading Acts 06–07 →

Introduction At the end of chapter 4 we read how the believers shared their possessions with one another so that there were no needy persons among them. And Luke names Joseph (better known as Barnabas) who sold a field and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet so that it could be … Continue reading Acts 05(17–42) →

Introduction Acts 4 finished with Luke telling us about how the early believers shared what they had with one another. From time to time, those who could sold their property. And the proceeds were used to help those in the church who were in need. And Luke mentions the name of one person who do … Continue reading Acts 05(01–16) →

Introduction It's been some weeks since the last time we were looking at the book of Acts together, so let me try to summarise what we've seen already. First of all, the book was written by Luke for this man, Theophilus, and it's a sequel to Luke's gospel. Luke's gospel was all about what the … Continue reading Acts 04(13–37) →