Acts Bible Study & Reading
The Book of Acts, also known as the Acts of the Apostles, is the fifth book of the New Testament. It provides a historical account of the early Christian church, documenting the activities of the apostles and the spread of Christianity. 

Purpose of the Book of Acts
The primary purpose of Acts is to provide a history of the early church, emphasizing the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It records the apostles being Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding world. 

Christ Revealed in Acts
n Acts, Jesus is revealed as the risen Lord who continues His work through the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit. The book begins with His ascension into heaven, signifying His exaltation and the continuation of His mission through His followers. 

Holy Spirit at Work in Acts
he Holy Spirit plays a pivotal role in Acts, empowering, guiding, teaching, and serving as a Counselor to believers. The book records the Holy Spirit's empowerment of the apostles, enabling them to perform miracles, preach boldly, and expand the church. 
 
Personal Application from Acts
The Book of Acts provides valuable lessons for believers, including the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength, the necessity of boldness in sharing the Gospel, and the significance of community and fellowship among believers.   

Summary of the Book of Acts
​ The Book of Acts records the work of the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel message throughout the world. The news of Christ’s resurrection and ascension spread rapidly, and several key churches were planted during this period.

​The apostles and other followers of Christ boldly proclaimed the Gospel, and their words were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1 ​Commentary from The Spirit Fillled Bible.
Look for Purpose, Christ Revealed, Holy Spirit at Work & Personal Application.
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Acts 1:1–26 

1:1 The former account refers to the Gospel of Luke. Theophilus is the unknown recipient. His name means “Loved by God,” and in Luke 1:3 he is called “most excellent,” a formal title of respect. Physicians like Luke (Col. 4:14) were often slaves.

Theophilus may have been Luke’s former master. Luke’s began intimates that Acts records the dynamic kingdom teaching and ministry of Jesus that the church continues to do. See note on 1:3; 

1:2 Acts reveals the transfer of Christ’s authority and mission to His disciples. 
Apostles here refers to the founding apostles. .

 1:3 Alive … by many infallible proofs: The Resurrection of Christ is the bedrock of Christianity and the initiating event of Acts (2:32, 33). 

The kingdom of God, the divine rule in human hearts, lives, and situations, was a prominent theme in Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus began to do and teach the kingdom through the Spirit’s power (Luke 4:18, 19), and He is about to transfer that power and responsibility to His disciples by baptizing them in the same Spirit that had authorized His ministry. 

1:5 You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit is the source of the phrase “the baptism ‘in’ or ‘with’ the Holy Spirit.” Acts has many synonyms for this dynamic. See Introduction to Acts: The Holy Spirit at Work.

Many understand this as a work distinct from conversion, which is seen as being referred to in 1 Cor. 12:3, where the Holy Spirit is the Agent performing the baptizing work. See notes on 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:13, and Holy Spirit Gifts and Power: How Can Spiritual Integrity Be Maintained?

1:6 The disciples are still thinking of the messianic kingdom in terms of political power.

1:7, 8 In His reply Jesus corrects their misconception and adjusts their perspective concerning the kingdom of God. He declares that the kingdom is currently spiritual in its character, international in its membership, and gradual in its expansion.

The Holy Spirit … upon one is an important concept in Luke and Acts, and Jesus is a primary example of the work of the Holy Spirit within and upon us. Jesus’ life was conceived by the Spirit, and the Spirit working within Him brought forth the fruit of good character (Luke 2:52).

Later the Spirit came upon Jesus to bring forth a ministry of power (Luke 3:22; 4:18). The distinctive purpose of the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts is to empower the church for ministry. 

1:9 The cloud is likely a reference to the radiant cloud of God’s special glory, the Shekinah (see Matt. 17:5).

1:11 Will so come in like manner: Jesus will return bodily, literally.

1:12 The mount called Olivet was just outside Jerusalem, overlooking the city from the east. A Sabbath day’s journey was about 3/4 mile.

 1:14 Fervent and persistent prayer is prominent in Acts. Here the prayer is an obedient response to Jesus’ command to wait in Jerusalem (v. 4).

1:15 The phrase Peter stood up points to the beginning of Peter’s formal leadership and the first major section of the book.

1:18 There is no discrepancy with Matt. 27:5–10. The priests, considering the bribe money paid to Judas to be his legal property, purchased the field in his name.

​After Judas hanged himself, his body fell when the rope broke or was cut by someone. Luke describes the gruesome results of the suicide.

1:22 A witness … of His resurrection was the essential requirement for serving as one of the original 12 apostles. These, of course, have died, but the general ministry of apostleship remains (Eph. 4:11).
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1:26 Casting lots was a provision of the Law (Lev. 16:8). It may be significant that following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost there is no more mention of the practice.

Notice also that on this occasion the disciples first selected the two men they judged most worthy to fill the vacancy.

The final decision was left to the Lord as they prayed (v. 24). To be certain of His will they cast lots. Afterward the Holy Spirit provided the needed guidance.

Chapter 2

2:1 Pentecost was an annual Jewish festival, also known as the “Feast of Weeks,” or the “Day of Firstfruits,” a celebration of the first buds of the harvest.

Jewish men were required by law to go to Jerusalem three times each year to celebrate the major feasts (Deut. 16:16).

Passover in the spring; Pentecost (Greek pentekostos, “fifty”) seven weeks and a day later (Lev. 23:15, 16); and Tabernacles at the end of the harvest in the fall. Lev. 23 details the dates and rituals of the Jewish festival calendar.

Those who became Christians on Pentecost were the firstfruits of a vast harvest of millions of souls.

2:2 As of a rushing mighty wind: Not a wind, but like the sound of a wind (see John 3:8), suggesting the mighty but unseen power of the Spirit.

2:3 Tongues, as of fire: Not fire, but like fire. John the Baptist foretold how Spirit baptism would be accompanied by wind and fire (Matt. 3:11, 12). This may also be an allusion to the burning bush (Ex. 3:2–5), which was a symbol of the divine presence.

This outward manifestation of the Spirit’s coming was another sign of His power.2:4 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Acts.

2:4–13 The Miracle of Pentecost, HOLY SPIRIT FULLNESS. The miracle of Pentecost happened to everyone in the Upper Room: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues” (v. 4).

The 120 gathered in the Upper Room without an expectation of what would happen—only that they should stay there until it did. Some propose that the languages spoken on the Day of Pentecost were all known languages; however, there is no support for this in the text.

First, those filled with the Spirit that day did not know the languages that they began speaking, though about a dozen of those languages understood were identified by visitors attending the feast in Jerusalem.

Second, inasmuch as all 120 spoke with tongues, it is logical and likely that many other unidentified languages were spoken—all, doubtless, in the same spirit of worshiping God’s “wonderful works” (v. 11).

The result: the church was birthed in the worshiping, ministering power of the Holy Spirit; and shortly, three thousand people received Christ.

This enablement by the Spirit initiated the spread of the gospel in the hostile environment of persecution, idolatry, and political oppression, and it is still the answer for the spread of the gospel today.

2:4 This is the initial fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in 1:5, 8. The interchangeable terms in each of the three references is common to Acts.

See Introduction to Acts: The Holy Spirit at Work. The OT expectation about the coming of the Spirit and the beginning of a new era is at last fulfilled.

Other tongues here refers to spoken human languages, unknown to the speakers but known by others (v. 6); a distinct practice of the Spirit’s fullness that evolved at some later point in the development of the church is that of speaking “with the [unknown] tongues . . . of angels” (1 Cor. 13:1).

Began to speak indicates that they continued in the process (see 11:15). Luke could be indicating that they continued speaking for an extended time; more likely, however, he is indicating that this practice continued in their lives, just as he records the church’s continuation of what Jesus “began both to do and to teach” (1:1).

Many contemporary Christians from all denominational backgrounds believe that the phenomenon of “speaking with tongues” (languages not formerly learned or known by the speaker) may accompany the occasion of a person’s initial surrender to the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

In classical Pentecostal tradition, this experience is expected and is doctrinally expressed in the words, “The initial physical evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is speaking with other tongues.” Other Christians and many Charismatics who do not accept this doctrinal terminology still apply its fundamental implications in their practice.

This modified view, which is also accepted by some Pentecostals, places less emphasis on the importance of tongues as the evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, either in terms of one’s initial experience or one’s ongoing life of Spirit fullness.

These focus more on all the gifts, with speaking in tongues seen as but one of them, since all the gifts are deemed contemporarily operational and any one of them may serve as a sign of one’s baptism in the Spirit.

Further, one’s deepened participation in worship is also seen as a fundamental indication of being baptized in the Spirit, with the continual exercise of tongue-speaking as a part of the believer’s private devotional expression (see 1 Cor. 14:1, 2, 4, 15, 39, 40).

Some other Christians who disagree with any of the above views usually explain the baptism with the Holy Spirit in one of the following ways:

(a) As an experience subsequent to salvation, bringing needed divine power for Christian witness and service, but without any expectation of the Holy Spirit’s gifts attending this experience.

(b) As exclusively synonymous with one’s conversion experience, when the Holy Spirit merges the individual into the body of Christ at the time the believer places his faith in Jesus as Lord (see note on 1 Cor. 12:3).

(c) As unique to the Book of Acts; claiming the baptism with the Holy Spirit, including its miraculous manifestations, was solely a single event of a single divine outpouring, first at Pentecost (though repeated at later junctures, when the ethnic barriers of the Samaritans [ch. 8] and Gentiles [ch. 10] were breached).

The Work of the Holy Spirit (2:4)

In the beginning
● Active and present at creation, hovering over the unordered conditions (Gen. 1:2)

In the Old Testament
● The origin of supernatural abilities (Gen. 41:38)
● The giver of artistic skill (Ex. 31:2–5)
● The source of power and strength (Judg. 3:9, 10)
● The inspiration of prophecy (1 Sam. 19:20, 23)
● The equipper of God’s messenger (Mic. 3:8)

In Old Testament prophecy
● The cleansing of the heart for holy living (Ezek. 36:25–29)

In salvation
● Brings conviction (John 16:8–11)
● Regenerates the believer (Titus 3:5)
● Sanctifies the believer (2 Thess. 2:13)
● Completely indwells the believer (John 14:17; Rom. 8:9–11)

In the New Testament
● Imparts spiritual truth (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:13–15)
● Glorifies Christ (John 16:14)
● Endows with power for gospel proclamation (Acts 1:8)
● Fills believers (Acts 2:4)
● Pours out God’s love in the heart (Rom. 5:5)
● Enables believers to walk in holiness (Rom. 8:1–8; Gal. 5:16–25)
● Makes intercession (Rom. 8:26)
● Imparts gifts for ministry (1 Cor. 12:4–11)
● Strengthens the inner being (Eph. 3:16)

In the written Word
● Inspired the writing of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21)

2:5 These international Jews had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Pentecost (see note on v. 1).

2:11 wonderful works, megaleios (meg-al-eye-oss); Strong’s #3167: Conspicuous, magnificent, splendid, majestic, sublime, grand, beautiful, excellent, favorable. Used here and in Luke 1:49. The amazed visitors at Pentecost heard the disciples in their own languages reciting the sublime greatness of God and His mighty deeds.

2:13 The mockers apparently formed this conclusion from the fact that they did not recognize some of the sounds or from the fact that there was possible misunderstood ecstatic behavior.

2:14 Peter is the spokesman for the disciples and takes the lead role in Acts at this point.

2:15 The third hour of the day was about 9:00 A.M.

2:17, 18 The last days refer to the era of the church from Pentecost to the return of Christ (see Heb. 1:1, 2). They are an overlap of this age and the Age to Come. I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh: Peter explains the unusual events of Pentecost in terms of the outpouring of the Spirit predicted in Joel’s messianic word.

The outpouring of the Spirit in the OT had been largely reserved for the spiritual and national leaders of Israel. Under the New Covenant, however, the authority of the Spirit is for “all flesh,” all who come under the New Covenant. Every believer is anointed to be a priest and king to God. Important evidences of participation in the Spirit’s outpouring are dreams and prophecies.

2:19–21 Joel prophesied that this present age would end amidst mighty portents and in divine judgment, but that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. Peter will proceed to establish that Jesus is the Lord who will return in judgment and upon whom people must now call in repentance and faith.

2:29–32 Peter proves that the Resurrection of Christ is foretold in the OT. Thus, his Jewish audience should readily accept Jesus as their Messiah.

2:33 See note on John 7:39.

2:34–36 The outpouring of the Spirit is a sign that Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father. Pentecost is a sign that Jesus is Lord.2:38–41 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Acts.

2:38 Peter calls upon his audience to change their opinion of and attitude toward Christ and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as a public acknowledgment that they had accepted Jesus as Messiah and Lord.

“Name” suggested nature or character; therefore, to be baptized “in the name of Jesus” is to confess Him to be all that His name denotes. Baptism in and of itself is not a means of forgiveness and salvation (see 3:19). For the early church, however, there was no separation between ritual and reality. Coming to Christ and being baptized were mutually inclusive.

See 22:16; Mark 16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21. The gift of the Holy Spirit must be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit (see text and notes on Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 12:1–31; Eph. 4:11). The former is the Holy Spirit Himself, while the latter are special abilities granted by the Spirit to equip believers for service (see 1 Cor. 12:1–31).

2:39 The promise of the Holy Spirit (see v. 33; 1:4, 5; Luke 24:49) is a gift for every believer in every generation. All who are afar off includes Gentiles (see Is. 57:19; Eph. 2:13, 17). Peter’s words clearly extend to every believer in every era and everywhere, full reason to expect the same resource and experience that was afforded the first believers who received the Holy Spirit at the birth of the church.
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2:42 fellowship, koinonia (koy-nohn-ee-ah); Strong’s #2842: Sharing, unity, close association, partnership, participation, a society, a communion, a fellowship, contributory help, the brotherhood. (Compare “coin,” “cenobite,” “epicene.”) Koinonia is a unity brought about by the Holy Spirit.

In koinonia the individual shares in common an intimate bond of fellowship with the rest of the Christian society. Koinonia cements the believers to the Lord Jesus and to each other.

2:42 Fellowship (koinonia), POWER OF UNITY. This first detailed description of the early Christians is wonderfully revealing. The followers of Jesus, who had been baptized by the Holy Spirit, literally devoted themselves to communication and unity with God and with each other.

In relationship to God, they “continued steadfastly” in the apostles’ doctrine (the Word of God) and in prayer. In relationship to one another, they devoted themselves to fellowship and to breaking bread with one another. As the Word Wealth article on this passage states, the word koinonia literally denotes a deep sense of spiritual unity—of spiritual communion with the Lord and with each other.

ith the coming of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the priorities of the followers of Christ focused upon spiritual unity with their Lord and with their brothers and sisters in Christ—within the church—the spiritual body of Christ.

Every true Christian is a member of the body of Christ and is related to Christ and to other believers as a member of that body. This is the essence of true spiritual unity—the unity of the Spirit.
(Ps. 133:1/Acts 4:24) P.A.C.

2:42–47 Growing as a Person of the Spirit, GOD’S POWER MINISTRY. We grow in the Spirit by engaging in the same kinds of activities as those of the early church, so that we, too, may become the kind of people who can consistently announce, embody, and demonstrate the kingdom of God.

The early church leaders described their walk with God in terms of athletic endeavor (1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:12–14). Professional athletes build muscle by doing thousands of repetitions appropriate to their sport. While we can never earn or merit anything from God, we can exert the effort necessary to build spiritual muscle and maximize God’s investment in us.

Here are the basics: study in the Word, fellowship, and prayer (Acts 2:42, 46); sharing together, giving, and caring for others (vv. 44, 45); praise, worship, and evangelism (v. 47).

(Mark 6:33–44/1 Cor. 12:1–11) 

2:42 These are four fundamental devotions of the church throughout this age. The breaking of bread is probably a reference to the Lord’s Supper in conjunction with a full meal.

2:43 Fear is not terror, but awe.

2:44, 45 This was spontaneous and voluntary benevolence as a result of truly understanding God’s love. Forced community is communism.3:1 At this early point in the history of the church, the Jewish Christians were still praying in the temple. The ninth hour was about 3:00 P.M.

Chapter 3

3:6 This healing is a demonstration of either the manifestation of the gifts of healings or of the working of miracles (1 Cor. 12:9, 10). It is an example of the church continuing the kind of healing Jesus did (see Mark 2:1–12). See Kingdom Dynamics on 28:8, 9.

3:12–26 Most of the sermons in Acts contain four elements: 1) a proclamation that the age of the Messiah has finally come; 2) quotations from the OT to prove that Jesus is the Messiah; 3) a review of the life and ministry of Jesus, especially His resurrection; 4) a call to repentance.

3:16 Healing in Jesus’ Incomparable Name, DIVINE HEALING. Immediately after the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, it is stated, “many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” Ch. 3 gives the account of the healing of a man who was lame from birth, a fact well known by everyone in Jerusalem.

Peter attributed the healing to no unique human powers, but to faith in the name of Jesus.
Note how the invoking of the name of “Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (v. 6; 4:10) rings from the apostles’ lips.

The appeals to Jesus’ name as the unmistakable Messiah (Christ), who walked as a Man among men (of Nazareth), is an establishing of His Person, His character, and His kingly office as the authoritative grounds for extending healing grace.

The use of another person’s name to declare legal rights is called “the power of attorney.” This is a privileged power that Jesus has delegated to us in confronting the retreating rule that sickness and Satan seek to sustain over mankind.

3:16 Healing is by faith in the name of Jesus. In the cultural setting of the Bible, a name could not be separated from the person bearing that name, and the very name “Jesus Christ” means “Anointed Savior.”

Therefore, Peter is saying that it was the Messiah in all His fullness who healed the man. Furthermore, the miracle power was not in Peter’s faith, but by the faith which comes through Him (see Heb. 12:2).

3:21, 24 OT prophecy has a present, spiritual fulfillment in the church (v. 24) and a future fulfillment in the Second Coming of Christ. Bible prophecy is both realized and unfulfilled. The kingdom of God is both “now” and “later.”

Whom heaven must receive: See Ps. 110:1.

3:25 Peter reminds the Jewish leaders that the Abrahamic covenant promise of Gen. 12:1–3 shows that God never intended to limit His covenant blessing to the Jewish bloodline of Abraham’s family.
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Chapter 4
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4:1 The captain was the commander of the temple police, who were responsible to maintain public order in the temple precincts. Sadducees: See note on Matt. 16:6.

4:4 Men suggests that there may have been many women and children who were not counted in this early census (see 5:14).

4:5, 6 This gathering of officials was called the Sanhedrin, a kind of Jewish religious senate and supreme court.

4:8 A believer’s interaction with the Spirit is never static; therefore, Luke describes Peter’s dynamic, ongoing relationship of the Spirit’s power and anointing with the same words he used to describe his initial experience, being filled with the Holy Spirit. See notes on 2:4 and Eph. 5:18.

4:12 other, heteros (het-er-oss); Strong’s #2087: Different, generic distinction, another kind, not of the same nature, form, or class. Here heteros denotes a distinction and an exclusivity, with no second choices, opinions, or options. “Jesus, You are the One. You are the only One. There is no heteros, no other!”

4:13 Uneducated means that the disciples had not received formal instruction in the rabbinical schools. Untrained describes them as common laymen, not professional experts.

4:16 The early debate over the Resurrection and other miracles did not concern whether or not such things occurred, but concerned the meaning of these events.

4:19, 20 The superceding of obedience to God, in instances where human authority resists His will, is modeled in this passage. While it is apparently justifiable in some instances (see 5:40–42; 1 Pet. 2:18–23), there are no grounds in this text for the toleration of a rebellious spirit. Peter and John’s demeanor, while asserting a higher moral claim, does not manifest either arrogance or presumption.

4:31 boldness, parrhesia (par-rhay-see-ah); Strong’s #3954: Outspokenness, unreserved utterance, freedom of speech, with frankness, candor, cheerful courage, and the opposite of cowardice, timidity, or fear. Here it denotes a divine enablement that comes to ordinary and unprofessional people exhibiting spiritual power and authority.

It also refers to a clear presentation of the gospel without being ambiguous or unintelligible. Parrhesia is not a human quality but a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

4:24 One Voice, POWER OF UNITY. The third and fourth chapters of Acts relate the story of the first major crisis faced by the early church. Peter and John were imprisoned and then warned by the Jewish leaders to never again mention the name of Jesus.

Instead of fleeing for their lives or separating from their brothers and sisters, they went immediately to the church and “reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them” (v. 23).

The members of the body of Christ responded together by raising their voices to God in prayer “with one accord.” This is a vivid example of the kind of spiritual unity that results in the lives of those who are “filled with the Holy Spirit” and who “walk in the Spirit.”
(Acts 2:42/Acts 4:32) P.A.C.

4:31 See note on 4:8.5:1–11 Ananias and Sapphira were judged for their hypocrisy and lying to God, not for their decision to retain some of their personal property for themselves (v. 4). The severity of the punishment for such a small offense may seem intolerant and graceless (see Luke 9:54, 55), but it was necessary both to establish apostolic authority

in the early church and to safeguard the church’s purity. A sobering lesson is that Satan has the power to distort the thinking of Christians (v. 3), thus affirming our need to allow him no place (Eph. 4:27). The believer’s best defense against self-deception is through mutual accountability to one another (especially to a local congregation, Eph. 5:21).

Constant renewing of the mind through the Word and a sustained “fullness” of the Holy Spirit are also safeguards. See Rom. 12:1, 2; 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Eph. 5:17–20.

4:32, 33 One Heart and One Soul, POWER OF UNITY. The early church grew rapidly as “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). In 4:32, 33, it is reported that the growing multitude of believers were experiencing a profound dimension of spiritual unity.

First, they were “of one heart,” which is a description in the original Greek, meaning “in tune” or “in sync” with one another. To put it another way, they were all going the same way, spiritually together.
Second, they were of “one soul” (sometimes translated as “one mind”).

This has a wonderfully deep meaning in the original Greek. It literally means “to breathe” or “to breathe spiritually together.” The results of this quality of spiritual unity were both powerful and practical: “they had all things in common” (shared everything they had); they witnessed “with great power”; and “great grace was upon them all.”

All of these glorious things took place through the unleashing of the power of the Holy Spirit in response to the corporate prayers of God’s people crying out to Him together (v. 24).

4:33 power, dunamis (doo-nam-is); Strong’s #1411: One of four great power words. The others are exousia, delegated authority; ischuros, great strength (especially physical); and kratos, dominion authority.

Dunamis means energy, power, might, great force, great ability, strength. It is sometimes used to describe the powers of the world to come at work upon the Earth and divine power overcoming all resistance. (Compare “dynamic,” “dynamite,” and “dynamometer.”)

The dunamis in Jesus resulted in dramatic transformations. This is the norm for the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church.

Chapter 5
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5:12 Signs and wonders characterized the ministry of the early church and are equally intended to be expected in and through the church today. See text and notes on 1 Cor. 12:1–31.

5:13 esteemed, megaluno (meg-al-oo-no); Strong’s #3170: To make great, to enlarge, to magnify, to increase, to make conspicuous, to extol, to show respect, to hold in high esteem. When Ananias and Sapphira were judged, many shrank from associating with the apostles and their services. Despite all this, the public looked at the new Christian worshipers favorably (megaluno).

5:15 The shadow of Peter was not magic nor was it intended to provide a formula. Sometimes God uses physical objects as a point at which our faith may make a kind of link between the seen and the unseen (see 19:12).

The bread and cup of Communion, the water of baptism, and the anointing oil (James 5:14) are some examples.5:31, 32 The gift of the Holy Spirit, whom Luke notes is given to all believers at the time of salvation, bears witness to the reality of the exaltation of Jesus (see 2:33; John 7:39).

5:33–40 Gamaliel, Paul’s former teacher (22:3), did not see Jesus as the Messiah, but his counsel to the Sanhedrin was certainly influenced by divine providence. Luke’s more subtle message is that even the highest levels of Jewish leadership had to admit that they had no valid reason for resisting the early church.

5:19 Angels in the NT, ANGELS. There are more direct references to angels in the NT than in the OT. Jesus talked about angels (Matt. 26:53; Mark 13:32; Luke 20:34–36; John 1:51); and not only were angels in attendance at His birth, resurrection, and ascension, they were active amid the early church’s life.

In Acts, angelic activity: 1) freed apostles imprisoned for their faith (see also 12:6, 7), 2) led Philip to an evangelistic opportunity (8:26), 3) told Cornelius how to find Peter in order to hear the gospel (10:3, 5), 4) struck judgment on wicked Herod (12:23), and 5) encouraged Paul caught in a killer storm (27:23).

Throughout the NT, believers are given instruction on the presence, nature, and function of angels, fallen and unfallen (Heb. 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:12; 3:22; Rev. 5:11, 12; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16; 2 Pet. 2:4).

5:41 Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name is a response that would be unusual for some Christians today. Jesus does not guarantee perpetual happiness if we agree to serve Him, but He does promise us a joy that is “inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8).

5:42 Both public services in the temple and small group meetings in private homes were employed for the nurturing of believers. Luke establishes both types of meetings as a paradigm, vital to the life of any local congregation (see 2:46).