About This Book

Acts is the second volume of Luke’s work, written to strengthen confidence in the gospel by showing what Jesus continued to do after his resurrection. The Lord reigns from heaven, pours out his Spirit, and builds a church that bears witness with boldness, clarity, and costly love. For preachers and teachers, Acts is a training ground for mission shaped by Scripture, and for church life shaped by the word, prayer, and courage in the face of pressure.

The movement of Acts is both geographical and theological. The gospel goes out from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria, then into the wider Greco Roman world, until it reaches Rome itself, while the church learns that salvation is by grace alone through faith, for Jew and Gentile alike. Along the way, Luke highlights decisive moments where the Spirit clarifies the gospel, guards the church from internal distortion, and opens doors for witness in city after city. The story is not a collection of heroic anecdotes, it is a sustained testimony that the risen Christ is gathering his people and advancing his kingdom through ordinary saints and faithful proclamation.

Acts trains the church to confess that the risen Jesus rules history, and to live as his witnesses by the power of the Spirit.

Preach Acts with a clear eye on Luke’s purpose for assurance and confidence, keep asking what each section teaches the church about gospel advance, and resist turning narrative into mere moral example. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Structure of the Book

This outline is intentionally high level. It is designed to keep sermon planning tethered to the flow of the book.

1. The risen Jesus commissions his witnesses
   Prologue, ascension, and the promise of Spirit empowered testimony, ch.1
2. Jerusalem: the Spirit forms a witnessing church
   Pentecost, gospel preaching, signs, opposition, and the word spreading in the city, chs.2 to 7
3. Judea and Samaria: the gospel breaks barriers
   Scattering, Samaria, the Ethiopian, Saul’s conversion, and Peter’s widening ministry, chs.8 to 12
4. To the nations: the first major missionary thrust
   Antioch, early journeys, and the gospel confronting idolatry and hostility, chs.13 to 14
5. Gospel clarity under pressure: the Jerusalem Council
   The church protects the truth of grace for Jew and Gentile, then moves forward in mission with renewed strength, ch.15 to ch.16:5 :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
6. Into Europe and beyond: the word advances city by city
   Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus, showing varied responses and the Lord’s steady triumph, ch.16:6 to ch.19:20 :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
7. To Jerusalem and to Rome: witness through trials and travel
   Paul’s resolve, arrests, defences, and the voyage, ending with gospel boldness in the heart of the empire, chs.19:21 to 28

Key Themes

• The reign of the risen Christ, Acts is clear that Jesus is not absent, he is enthroned and active, directing his mission and sustaining his people.
• The Holy Spirit and gospel power, the Spirit empowers witness, convicts hearers, forms communities, and guards the church’s doctrine and holiness.
• Word centred church life, preaching and teaching drive the narrative, and the church grows through the word received, believed, and obeyed.
• Prayerful dependence, the church prays in weakness and threat, and the Lord answers with boldness, guidance, and endurance.
• Salvation by grace for all peoples, the gospel creates one people from Jew and Gentile, not by law keeping, but through faith in Christ.
• Opposition and joyful perseverance, suffering is not a surprise but a normal setting for faithful witness, and it often becomes a platform for the gospel.
• Providence in mission, doors open and close, journeys are redirected, and the Lord places his servants where the message must be heard.
• Gospel integrity and church unity, internal threats are faced with Scripture, testimony, and wise pastoral judgment, especially in ch.15. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• The unstoppable spread of the word, Luke repeatedly signals progress, the word increases, disciples multiply, and the gospel prevails.

Recommended Commentaries

Recommendations are grouped to help you build a working shelf. A top choice aims to serve as your primary companion for preaching and teaching. A strong recommendation provides a second trusted voice that complements your main volume. A useful supplement helps with structure, background, or a particular angle, without demanding more time than it is worth.

A simple strategy, choose one main commentary you will actually consult weekly, then add a second voice only where the passage is especially complex, especially in chs.10 to 15 on Jew and Gentile inclusion, and chs.17 to 28 where speeches and trials invite careful handling.

• The Book Of Actsby F. F. Bruce, Score: 9.2

  A classic evangelical standard for Acts that combines exegetical accuracy with pastoral usefulness

• Actsby R.C. Sproul, Score: 9.2

  A warm, Spirit-filled, pastorally rich exposition of Acts that strengthens believers and equips preachers with clarity and conviction.

• The Message of Actsby John R.W. Stott, Score: 8.8

  A gospel-centred, pastorally rich guide to Acts that strengthens preaching, teaching, and church mission.

Browse all Acts reviews

Extra help is often most valuable in chs.10 to 11 as the gospel crosses a decisive boundary, in ch.15 as the church clarifies grace and unity, and in chs.17 to 20 where the mission meets sophisticated cultures and entrenched religion. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Preaching and Teaching Helps

Acts is narrative, but it is not aimless. It offers a carefully shaped account that trains the church for confident witness, wise leadership, and resilient discipleship.

• Preach the purpose, not just the episodes, keep showing how each scene strengthens certainty in the gospel and confidence for mission, especially as the story moves into Europe and beyond. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Handle speeches as preached theology, Peter, Stephen, Paul, and others are not giving filler, they are proclaiming Scripture fulfilled in Christ, with clear calls to repentance and faith.
• Explain the “hinge” chapters patiently, chs.10 to 11 and ch.15 are pivotal for understanding Jew and Gentile, church unity, and the gospel of grace.
• Avoid simplistic imitation, not every detail is a direct model, but every passage reveals priorities worth learning, the centrality of the word, prayer, holiness, and courage.
• Use the city movements for series planning, the progress through key locations can form natural sermon units, and it helps congregations feel the widening horizon of the mission. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• Preach providence without fatalism, Acts teaches purposeful divine direction alongside real human decisions, disagreements, and perseverance.

This Book in the Story of Scripture

Acts stands at a decisive point in redemptive history, the promises are fulfilled in the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, and the Spirit is poured out to gather the nations. Luke shows the gospel moving from Israel’s Scriptures into the world, not by abandoning the Old Testament, but by proclaiming Christ as the fulfilment of God’s plan. The church’s mission is not a new idea, it is the outworking of God’s ancient promise to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham, now revealed and accomplished in the risen Lord.

For the church today, Acts shapes assurance and holiness by reminding us that Jesus rules, the Spirit empowers, and the word does the work. It steadies us when mission feels weak, it warns us against internal distortion, and it calls us into sacrificial love and patient courage, trusting that the Lord can open doors, sustain suffering saints, and bring the gospel where he wills.

Because the risen Christ reigns and the Spirit is given, the church can obey with courage, suffer with hope, and speak with confidence until the ends of the earth hear the name of Jesus.