The Word of God taken verse by verse. The meanings of the words and verses are explained in context, and in many cases translation from the original written language for the words, phrases, and context are explained.
“And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed.”— Acts 24:25 Context & Key Themes Acts 24 records Paul’s first formal trial before a Roman governor. Five days after Paul arrives in Caesarea, the high priest Ananias comes down from Jerusalem with elders and a professional orator named Tertullus,…
“Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”— Acts 23:11 Context & Key Themes Acts 23 follows Paul from the Sanhedrin hearing the tribune has arranged into the first plot on his life since the conversion. The hearing dissolves in under a…
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”— Acts 22:16 Context & Key Themes Acts 22 is Paul’s first recorded defense speech, delivered from the steps of the Fortress of Antonia to the very mob that had just tried to kill him. He speaks…
“I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”— Acts 21:13 Context & Key Themes Acts 21 is the chapter that brings Paul, bound in the Spirit, into the city where he will be arrested. From Miletus the team sails south along the…
“I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”— Acts 20:24 Context & Key Themes Acts 20 is the last long stretch of…
“So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”— Acts 19:20 Context & Key Themes Acts 19 is the chapter of Paul’s Ephesian ministry, and it is one of the most consequential chapters in the book. Paul will spend roughly three years in Ephesus—longer than in any other city in his missionary…
“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”— Acts 18:9–10 Context & Key Themes Acts 18 takes Paul from Athens south to Corinth, the commercial…
“In him we live and move and have our being.”— Acts 17:28 Context & Key Themes Acts 17 follows Paul through three Greek cities that represent three different kinds of audience. In Thessalonica, he preaches to synagogue Jews and God-fearers and meets fierce resistance. In Berea, he meets the opposite—a congregation that studies scripture with…
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”— Acts 16:31 Context & Key Themes Acts 16 is the chapter where the gospel crosses into Europe. Paul has begun his second missionary journey with Silas. He picks up Timothy in Lystra. He tries to enter new territory several times and…
“We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”— Acts 15:11 Context & Key Themes Acts 15 records the most important theological debate of the early church and the decision that settled it. The question was simple to ask and brutally difficult to answer. Do Gentile…