Boldness and Unity (Acts 4:23-37)
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
From Fishermen to Fearless: Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1-22)
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
The Lame Man (Acts 3)
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
A Man Approved by God (Acts 2:22-26)
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
When the Holy Spirit Came (Acts 2:1-21)
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.
Judas & Matthias (Acts 1:15-26)
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
Opening of Acts (Acts 1:1-14)
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.
By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them (Matthew 7:15-20)
By Bob Wilkin and Zane Hodges Question: Doesn’t Matthew 7:15-20 teach that all believers will inevitably have some good fruit in their lives? Does the evidence of good works in a person’s life prove they are saved? Bob Wilkin (BW): The saying, “You will know them by their fruits,” is found twice in Matt 7:15-20,
Possessing the Kingdom (Matthew 5:3)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3). With these words the King opens His famous Sermon on the Mount. He has been proclaiming a message that declared: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). So He opens the Sermon with a reference to