Sir william ramsay, after making a critical study of lukes writings, declared that luke was the greatest historian, ancient or modern. Acts furnishes a ladder on which to place the epistles. The main theological emphasis of the book of acts is the holy spirit. The book of acts is the only historical record of the birth and early days following christs establishing his church. There is a conjunction between three elements as the gospel goes forth. Acts intro to acts biblica the international bible society. By carefully noting the use of we and they in the book of acts, we glean.
Outline studies in the book of the acts of the apostles. The book begins with jesus promise of the holy spirit, which is later fulfilled in reference to the jews ch. Because acts is primarily a historical narrative, not a theological treatise like romans or hebrews, it contains relatively few interpretive challenges. Introduction this work is not meant to be exhaustive in scope, but to introduce you, the student, to a major overview of the gospels of luke and john plus the acts of the apostles. The gospel spreads to the uttermost parts of the world. Hopefully, youve had a chance to complete the suggested assignments in our bible study of acts orientation in these next few lessons, were are going to be diving into some background material for acts. If you are leading this study on the acts of the apostles, i would encourage you to complete our guide for bible study leaders. Pairs of books that were originally one literary work, such as 1 and 2 samuel, 1 and 2 kings, and 1 and 2 chronicles, are outlined together. In fact, the work is given in detail of only two of the apostles, peter and paul. When we come to the book of acts, the first question we may ask is why was it written.
Those that exist mainly concern the book s transitional nature see historical and theological themes and involve the role of signs and wonders. These bible book outlines are intended to assist you as you study gods wor d. The book is called acts or the acts of the apostles because it contains an account of some of the apostles. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. Then i ask, how many of you were intentionally taught about the ministry and person of the holy spirit. Luke described to theophilus in his first letter about jesus life up to the resurrection. In this book we see the first mention of the dispensation of the holy spirit and jesus command to take his gospel to all the world. It makes reference to about 100 geographical places including regions, provinces, cities, and islands around or near the mediterranean sea. In many ways acts is the most exciting book in the new testament because it is full of movement and interest.
The main issues revolve around whether he is a man perhaps a greek official for whom luke acts is an apologetic for the gospel or a kind of generic everyman since the name means lover of god. We do not recommend loose translations or oneman translations. An important feature of acts is the activity of the holy spirit, who comes with power upon the believers in jerusalem on the day of pentecost and continues to guide and strengthen the church and its leaders throughout the events reported in the book. Study 1 going through the book of acts words of life. Rapid evangelism resulting in the establishment of local churches. The introduction of acts and the book of luke help us to determine the author of acts. In the churches youve attended, how many of you were intentionally taught how to pray. Watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
What is proposed as the primary purpose of the book of acts. The book of acts tells how the multiethnic, international. Acts of the apostles executable outline study resources. Author of the book of acts the author of the book of acts is luke. Acts of the apostles bible study notes, commentary, and comments. The book of acts mentions about 100 individuals by name. If the purpose of the book is to show the spread of christianity, it fails in a great part. An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. The events described in acts occurred over a period of about 30 years about a.
The gospel of luke and the book of acts are written as. The books of acts is often called the book of the holy spirit or the book of the apostles. A 35outline study of the birth and growth of the church of christ paperback may 20, 2014 by david e sproule ii author 5. It provides a helpful orientation to our lesson plans as well giving you some important guidelines for maximizing the impact of your bible study. The book of acts, sometimes called the fifth gospel, is a continuation of the gospel of luke. These studies will be expository, devotional, practical and varied, and this is an introduction to the whole book.
The book of acts sermon outlines this material is from, a web site containing sermon outlines and bible studies by mark a. R reference to the holy spirit comes in a variety of ways. Introduction to the book of acts acts study guide medium. Luke is the writer, as he states in his introduction v. Most can be ob tained from a good religious bookstore. In this section, we gather all of the pdfs from our site into one central location. Over the centuries it has been called simply acts, or the acts eusebius. A complete outline of the book s content is provided in each introduction except for the introduction to psalms. Click on a link below to start the download process. A chapterbychapter bible study of the book of acts 4 acts a short introduction heres what well be reading as we study through the book of acts. Without this historical record, little would be known about the expansion of the church. Book of acts versebyverse bible study and indepth commentary of the acts of the apostles in plain english for everyone to understand.
Acts is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. The waiting in rome for two years, yet preaching and teaching 28. For genesis, two outlines a literary and a thematicare given. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. Free printable bible study lessons bible study blueprint. Acts continues from there on starting with christs resurrection. When we study the gospel of luke, we have three other gospel accounts with which to. The outlines were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. These all not only affirm authorship of the acts by luke, but lukan authorship for the book which bears his name, too. The book is most commonly called the acts of the apostles, although it is quite probable that, in its original form, it had no title at all. Welcome to our free printable bible study lessons center. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section.
The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. The significance of acts as a historical account of christian origins cannot be overestimated. Bible blender november 10, 2010 detailed outline of the book of acts of the apostles 20171014t10. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts.
Acts introduction, good news bible gnb the bible app. Studies in acts chapters 1 3 by francis dixon study verses. Chapterbychapter bible studies acts kathleendalton. The book of acts is a vital link between the gospels and the epistles. Read an introduction to the book of acts in a study bible, bible. Luke refers to his first epistle to theophilus, the book of luke, which included all that jesus began both to do and to teach until he ascended into heaven vs. This is, in effect, an outline of the book of acts see plan and outline below. Intro to acts biblica the international bible society. Acts of the apostles chapter five objectives in studying this chapter 1 to examine the sin of ananias and sapphira in lying to the holy spirit 2 to note the amazing signs and wonders that were done by the apostles, in which all were healed 3 to consider the apostles response when government seeks to stifle the preaching of the gospel summary in contrast. A good study bible we recommend the following features.
What are the main divisions of the book as suggested by the key verse and the outline in the introduction. Detailed outline of the book of acts of the apostles. The new testament without acts leaves a great, yawning gap. Archaeological findings support the accuracy of lukes account. The book begins with the ascension of jesus and goes on through pauls jail time in rome, which opens his ministry to the church at rome. Once complete, locate the pdf on your hard drive, open it and print. This allows you to download our materials and print them at your own convenience. The early christian message is summarized in a number of sermons, and the events recorded in acts show the power of this. In the gospels we have the newly established church of the lord in the epistles we. Bible study of acts join us for an inspiring study on. In the book of acts, we discover how gods multiethnic, international church grew through persecution and missionary journeys throughout the world. The preaching of the gospel of jesus and his kingdom b. These notes are the culmination of many years of my teaching new testament studies, but as time rolls on, and the lord permits, i will add more information. Author two lines of argument lead to the conclusion that luke, the friend, fellow missionary, and physician of paul wrote this book, under the.
Commonly called the acts of the apostles, it is simply titled acts in some of the oldest manuscripts. Since water baptism is essential for salvation, it must be the one baptism that continues today. The preparation of the leaders of the jerusalem church for the gentile mission 11. Blue letter bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the bible easy and rewarding. In acts, jesus sends the holy spirit to empower his disciples as they carry. Without the book of acts, our knowledge of the early history of the church would be limited to the small amount provided by the new testament epistles.
637 530 765 341 1186 1394 235 37 1212 1366 619 198 890 736 1396 629 340 832 224 1306 1319 1218 978 63 1408 444 1104 323 1324 1020 1368 1135 1065 629 57 639 1046 788 1167 192 690 660 976