Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Acts

By Larry D. Alexander

In Luke’s Gospel account, he emphasized the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT in the life of CHRIST JESUS. However, in the Book of Acts, he emphasizes the role of the HOLY SPIRIT, in the growth and development of the early Christian Church in its infancy.
In the first century, the world was rife with myths, mystery religions and magic, and it was probably because of these confusions that Luke set out to more accurately record the facts of the origins of Christianity. He was intent on proving, through his Gospel account, and through this Book of Acts, that Christianity is not rooted in such myths and fables, but rather, has its roots in history, beginning with the birth of the Messiah in Palestine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365021466

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Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Acts

Home and Church Bible

Study

Commentaries from the

Book of

ACTS

by

LARRY D. ALEXANDER

Copyright © 2016 by Larry D. Alexander

All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

ISBN: 978-1-365-02146-6

No part of this book may be reproduced

for any purpose except for brief excerpts

regarding  reviews or articles by magazines,

newspapers or broadcast, and, use in churches

for Sunday school, bible study, etc.

without the express written consent of the publisher.

Larry D. Alexander

[e-mail]

Cover Design by Larry D. Alexander

OTHER BOOKS ON CHRISTIANITY BY LARRY D. ALEXANDER INCLUDE:

* Sunday school lessons from the book of the Acts of the Apostle

* Sunday school lessons from the Gospel according to John Mark

* Sunday school lessons from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans

* Home Bible study commentaries from the Gospel of John

* Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the book of Hebrews

* Home and Church Bible study commentaries from Paul’s letter to the Romans

* Home and Church Bible study commentaries from Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians

* Home and Church Bible study commentaries from the Book of Ezekiel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry D. Alexander is a well-known visual artist, who was called by GOD several years ago to learn, and to teach GOD’s holy word. Alexander has been teaching Sunday school and bible studies for the past thirteen years, and, has an online weekly Sunday school lesson commentary (http://larrydalexander.blogspot.com/index.html) that is based on the International Sunday School Lesson curriculum.

He is a devout Christian who lives with his wife of 36 years, Patricia, in Texas’ Dallas-Fort Worth area. They have four grown children, one son, and three daughters, and, they also have five grand children. Alexander has written several books that teach and train on the Christian faith doctrine of JESUS CHRIST. Among them are the trilogy, Sunday lessons from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Sunday school lessons from the Gospel according to John Mark, and Sunday school lessons from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, which were aimed at helping Christians conform, more fully, to the word of GOD, in their churches, homes, and communities. Alexander believes that too many of today’s professed Christians have proven themselves to be very naïve concerning the spiritual battle that is set before us, and are grossly unprepared for Christian service, or to fulfill the Great Commission of CHRIST JESUS.

Alexander’s trilogy was followed by bible study guides such as "Home Bible Study Commentaries from the Gospel of John", a complete chapter by chapter study guide of the Apostle John’s account of JESUS’ three-year ministry here on earth, "Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Hebrews", the book of the bible that, perhaps, exalts the deity of CHRIST JESUS more than any other book in scripture, and Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. "Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the books of Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians" is written to give old and new believers a little more insight into the letters of the Apostle Paul, and the doctrine of Christianity, and his last book, and "Home and Church Bible Study Commentaries from the Book of Ezekiel", his first published commentary on the Old Testament.

These study guides is written to promote Christian spiritual growth, as well as to help us to understand JESUS’ life and purpose, and our own life and purpose, as HIS followers. This, like all of Alexander’s books, serves to help develop understanding, fear, and reverence for the ONLY WISE GOD, WHO is our SAVIOR through JESUS CHRIST WHO sent us the HOLY SPIRIT.

HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE

Much has been written about how GOD inspired men to write the pages of the bible. GOD used about forty men to write the scriptures and some of these authors remain a mystery even today. The writers of the last chapter of Deuteronomy, the book of Job, and many of the Psalms are classic examples of biblical texts with unknown human authors. We do not have a single manuscript in the handwriting of Moses, Isaiah, Paul, or any other original writer. That of course always leads to this eternal question, "How do we know that the bible we have today is the written word of those original writers who were inspired by GOD?

We already know that GOD did not inspire all those who copied, or translated the bible into various versions, as HE did the original writers. It is quite evident to those who study to be scholars, that, while the original writers were guided and kept from making mistakes by the power of GOD, both copyists and translators were not, and, could and did make errors.

Even though we have no part of the bible in the handwriting of the original writers, we do have two kinds of sources from which we can learn what the original writers wrote. These sources are called manuscripts and versions. Manuscripts are documents written by hand. In the days before printing was invented, this was the only way of producing books. There are no known bible manuscripts that were written by the original authors available to man today. However, we have many copies of manuscripts that were copied from the original manuscripts, or, copies of them.

Versions are translations of a document into a different language. Some of our ancient versions were actually translated from copies of manuscripts older than any we have today. Therefore, they help us to know exactly what the original writers wrote.

The Old Testament books were written in the Hebrew and Aramaic languages between 1400 and 400 B.C. The oldest bible manuscript copies we have today were the ones found among the now famous Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and later. These copies date back to circa 100 B.C. The oldest known version of the Old Testament is the Greek version known as the Septuagint, which was written by seventy Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt in about 250 B.C., from Hebrew manuscript copies older than any we have today.

In the first half of the second century the bible was translated into Syriac, and not much later, into Latin. A more careful Latin version was completed, around 400 B.C., by the famous scholar Jerome called the Vulgate, which means common and proper. This version became the official bible of the Roman Catholic Church, and, of Western Europe. Made from very ancient manuscript copies, this book helps us to be sure the bible we have is approximately the same as the original writings.

In 1380 John Wycliffe and his team of scholars translated the bible into middle English, a blend of "Norman French and Anglo-Saxon languages. This version was translated directly from the Latin Vulgate. In 1525, William Tyndale wrote an English version, of the New Testament. He later translated some of the Old Testament books into English. His version was translated directly from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscript copies. English churchmen angrily opposed Tyndale’s version, and they, along with king Henry VIII, decided instead to go with an English version written by Myles Coverdale. Coverdale used the Latin Vulgate and Martin Luther’s German version for his translations.

In Geneva, Switzerland, William Wittington and his group of scholars wrote a revised English version that came to be known as the Geneva Bible in 1560. Some of the marginal notes in the Geneva bible offended the Bishops of the Church at England, and this led to the writing of the Bishops Bible in 1568. Through the remainder of that century, the Bishop’s Bible and the Geneva Bible were split among the churchmen in popularity.

In 1604, however, King James I appointed a commission of 54 scholars, led by Robert Barker, to write a new English version of scriptures. They mostly followed the Bishop’s Bible, but they also consulted other English translations, along with the German, Greek and Hebrew text, the Syriac, the Septuagint, and several Latin versions. In 1611 they completed the book that went on to become the most printed and used text in the history of the English Language, The King James Version of the Bible.

But as the world would have it, all living languages are constantly changing. Many words used in the King James version are now unknown, or obsolete. Some examples are nessing, besom, and wist. Other words have actually changed their meanings. For example let, in those days, meant to hinder (Romans 1:13). Now, however, it means to permit. The word conversation, in those days meant your whole way of living, but today it just means talk.

Today, just like in the old days, every Christian needs a bible, translated in their modern native tongue, and in this country that means a New Living Translation version of the bible. No translation or version has ever been translated without error, and that includes the King James Version. And the reason that it has never been done is because there has never been a perfect scholar, or perfect man period, except CHRIST JESUS, and HE didn’t choose to write one.

However, most of our available versions are good enough to familiarize us with the Word of GOD that has been handed down to us since the foundation of this world. We should trust that GOD is still with us, just as HE was with the original writers. And while we may think or believe that there may be no more inspired writers, I believe more so that GOD still wants us to get to know HIM through HIS word, and the best way we can understand HIS word is in our own modern-day language.

So let’s just try and retire the King James Version to our library of reference books, where it can serve us in our studies most efficiently. GOD wants us to get to know HIM and just like in all generations before us, HE raises up scholars to interpret HIS word in our own present-day language.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ACTS

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles is written by Luke, and is more or less, a continuation of his Gospel account. In this book, he attempts to enlighten us about the beginnings of the Christian Church, and its gradual spread to nearby and distant lands. His book of Acts chronicles the sudden explosion of missionary activities, led by the Apostle Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and other prominent early Church workers.

In Luke’s Gospel account, he emphasized the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT in the life of CHRIST JESUS. However, in the Book of Acts, he emphasizes the role of the HOLY SPIRIT, in the growth and development of the early Christian Church in its infancy.

In the first century, the world was rife with myths, mystery religions and magic, and it was probably because of these confusions that Luke set out to more accurately record the facts of the origins of Christianity. He was intent on proving, through his Gospel account, and through this Book of Acts, that Christianity is not rooted in such myths and fables, but rather, has its roots in history, beginning with the birth of the Messiah in Palestine.

Perhaps more than any of the other Gospel writers, Luke proves to us most successfully, that JESUS was both 100 percent human, and 100 percent GOD (the Hypostatic Union). He also wanted the world to know that CHRIST’ Gospel was actually being spread by eyewitnesses of HIS life, who actually saw HIS miracles performed, and, who actually heard HIM speak on many occasions. And shortly after their quest to spread the Gospel began, those early followers and eyewitnesses became widely known, first, as Adherents of the Way.

The Book of Acts takes us from Jerusalem, into many cities within the Roman Empire, including Asia Minor and Europe. Luke gives us vivid and dramatic depictions of the trials and triumphs in the lives of these early missionaries. We can see very clearly that GOD is with these missionary teams as they traveled throughout the world as it was known at that time, spreading the Gospel.

In the three decades that are covered in the Book of Acts, we see the Christian message being spread diligently and vigorously, as Christian churches (mostly House Churches) begin to pop up in every major population center in the Roman Empire. The locations of these house churches were secretly guarded as to prevent their discovery by the Emperor Nero and those antichrist opponents, who vigorously sought to destroy the work of the believers, and eradicate the very idea of Christianity from civilization.

This book also stresses the fact that, whenever GOD gives us a task to do, HE always gives us the power (exocea – authority) necessary to carry out and complete that task, to HIS OWN satisfaction, not ours. Oftentimes, GOD has already prepared us, long in advance, for the work HE will call us to do at some future date.  However, part of the human struggle, is that, we are often unaware of GOD’s plan for us, and, when HE makes it known to us, we then, either have a problem in the waiting to get started and often find ourselves getting ahead of GOD, or straying from HIS plan, or, we have a fear of taking the steps that are necessary (going with HIS plan), to move into the unknown, where JESUS is.

Remember, Samuel anointed David King, while he was still a shepherd boy, and long before he actually got to sit on the throne of Israel (15 years). And then there is Moses, who was called by GOD to free Israel from bondage in Egypt, 40 years before he was actually instructed to re-enter Egypt to begin the exodus of HIS people from their miseries.

CHAPTER ONE:

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1:1-5

1 (1) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that JESUS began both to do and teach,

(²) Until the day in which HE was taken up, after that HE through the HOLY GHOST had given commandments unto the apostles whom HE had chosen:

(³) To whom also HE shewed HIMSELF alive after HIS passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of GOD:

(⁴) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the FATHER, which, saith HE, ye have heard of ME.

(⁵) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the HOLY GHOST not many days hence.

COMMENTARY:

Here in the opening lines of the Book of Acts (Acts 1:5), JESUS instructs HIS Disciples not to leave Jerusalem until GOD had sent them the HOLY SPIRIT, with which, they would be spiritually baptized and empowered. The HOLY SPIRIT would forever be their Protector, Comforter, Counselor, and Guide, as they moved forward to fulfill the great commission of CHRIST.

They were to continue the work that JESUS had started, by fighting the great spiritual battle that JESUS HIMSELF fought with satan. The HOLY SPIRIT would be assigned by JESUS as their DIVINE HELPER, and would forever represent the literal power of GOD in them. In fact, beginning in Jerusalem on Pentecost Day, GOD would actually allow the HOLY SPIRIT to be infused into every Christian who believes, and desires to do HIS will and HIS works, in the world, from that day forward.

JESUS’ ASCENSION BACK INTO HEAVEN

Acts 1:6-11

1 (6)  When they therefore were come together, they asked of HIM, saying, LORD, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

(⁷) And HE said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the FATHER hath put in HIS OWN power.

(⁸) But ye shall receive power, after that the HOLY GHOST is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto ME both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

(⁹) And when HE had spoken these things, while they beheld, HE was taken up; and a cloud received HIM out of their sight.

(¹⁰) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as HE went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

(¹¹) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen HIM go into heaven.

COMMENTARY:

The Disciples expected JESUS to immediately set up the Earthly Kingdom that had been spoken of by the ancient Prophets since the dawn of creation. In verse 7, we see that JESUS does not deny the Prophets’ visions, but rather, diverts their attention back to the task at hand. HE tells them that GOD will keep HIS Old Testament promises, in HIS own time, but right now, they were to concentrate on bringing CHRIST’s message to the world.

It is still the duty of every Christian today, as Adherents of the Way, to carry out the Commission of CHRIST, by spreading the Gospel to any and everyone who is willing to listen. And JESUS promises us that, when we do, lo, I AM with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20b - KJV).

Shortly after this final meeting with HIS disciples, JESUS was taken up into Heaven while they were watching, and HE soon disappeared into the clouds. As the group of stunned men strained their eyes to see what was taking place before them, two white-robed men suddenly stood in their midst, and delivered one of the greatest promises from GOD of all times. The men said to them in unison, Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? JESUS has been taken away from you into Heaven. And someday, just as you saw HIM go, HE will return!

THE DISCIPLES REPLACE JUDAS ISCARIOT WITH MATTHIAS

Acts 1:12-26

1 (12) Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey.

(¹³) And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

(¹⁴) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of JESUS, and with HIS brethren.

(¹⁵) And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

(¹⁶) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the HOLY GHOST by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took JESUS.

(¹⁷) For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

(¹⁸) Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

(¹⁹) And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

(²⁰) For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

(²¹) Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the LORD JESUS went in and out among us,

(²²) Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that HE was taken up from us, must