Typology in Stephen’s Speech Stephen the table waiter of chapter 6 now becomes an angel of God (cf. 6:15), that is, a messenger of the Lord. The theme of Stephen’s sermon is Israel’s resistance to the Holy Spirit throughout its history (see Acts 7:51-53, especially v 51). But behind this theme is the typological lesson

The Believers Pray for Boldness After Peter and John exhibit boldness before the Sanhedrin (vv 19-20), they are found in prayer (vv 24-30). There is no bragging about how they stood up to the Sanhedrin, for they realize it is God who grants boldness (v 29; cf. Elijah in 1 Kgs 17:1). Peter had once

The Church’s First Fight Although our Lord was more often confronted by Pharisees, the infant Church finds its first clash with the Sadducees. While Pharisees represent religious hypocrisy, the Sadducees represent religious unbelief. 4:1-2. And the Sadducees came upon them. While the Pharisees hated our Lord manifested in flesh, as a sect, the Sadducees seemed

Introduction (3:1-12) 3:1-8. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a man who was lame from birth. There are three ways to look at the miracle of this passage. First, we can look at the man himself. Over 40 years old (Acts 4:22), he was doubt- less a pitiable sight. It is not unlikely that

In considering Peter’s message to his audience, one can find not only an explanation of the career of Christ—this is its basic thrust—but one can also find the underlying principles of that career which can be applied to Christian experience. From the Bad Part of Town 2:22. Jesus of Nazareth. This is the first recorded

God’s Harvest Program The three central feasts of Judaism, at which every male was commanded by the Old Testament to gather, have symbolic, typological significance: Passover speaks of redemption (the Cross). Pentecost is connected with harvest (the Church). Tabernacles anticipates full blessing (the Kingdom). Leviticus 23:17 and Num 28:26 connect Pentecost with harvest and first-fruits.

Reminder That Jesus’ Betrayal Was Prophesied (Acts 1:15-20) 1:15-17. Prayer results in an understanding of God’s will because it leads to an understanding of God’s Word. It is not a fuzzy or unexplainable feeling that results in the comprehension of God’s mind. Rather, the Spirit illuminates the mind of Peter as to the Word of

Prologue (1:1-3) 1:1. Theophilus (v 1) is unknown to us except from Luke’s two prologues. From the Gospel of Luke we gather he was a believer in Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 1:4). His name is found in papyri sources as early as 3 BC indicating this was his pagan name given him by unsaved parents.