“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”— Acts 28:30–31 Context & Key Themes Acts 28 is the final chapter of Luke’s second volume and one of the…
“Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.”— Acts 27:24 Context & Key Themes Acts 27 is one of the most detailed and technically accurate pieces of ancient sea narrative to survive from antiquity. Luke, who has rejoined the we of…
“In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”— Acts 26:28 Context & Key Themes Acts 26 is the great set-piece defense speech of Paul’s captivity. Standing before King Agrippa II, his sister Bernice, Governor Festus, military tribunes, and the prominent men of Caesarea, Paul delivers the longest and most polished version…
“I appeal to Caesar.”— Acts 25:11 Context & Key Themes Acts 25 records the transition from the corrupt governor Felix to his successor Porcius Festus, and it contains the single most consequential sentence Paul ever uttered in Roman custody. I appeal to Caesar. Those four words—well, three in the original Greek—took the case out of…
“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…