“the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed” (Acts 17:10b-12a, NLT)
Luke
The ‘official’ name of the book is “Acts of the Apostles,” but we all know it as the book of Acts. It appropriately follows the four gospels chronologically and chronicles approximately thirty years of Jesus’ apostles in action after His ascension. Which documents the empowerment and beginning of the body of Christ (the church), the planting of various local churches, the continuing struggle with Jewish and Roman authority, the stoning of Stephen the first Christian martyr, the conversion of Paul and his missionary journeys, as well as several acts and miracles of God. The author initially focuses on the life of Peter and then later in the book focuses on the actions of the apostle Paul.
The author is Luke, yes, the same Luke that wrote the book of Luke. All early commentators and theologians agree that he was the writer of both books. The gospel account was written before, which bridges nicely into the book of Acts, but both are believed to have been written between 64-68 A.D. He is also unique among the writers of the Bible in that he is the only non-Israelite author in the New Testament (with possibly the exception of a few inserts found in the book of Daniel, perhaps the whole Bible). In addition to not being Jewish, he was considered a physician (see Colossians 4:14). Luke was a friend and often a traveling companion of the apostle Paul who is introduced in this book.
Being written only a few years after the events occurred makes this history book potentially very accurate as details would be fresh in people's minds, and even though not an eye-witness himself for the gospel account he wrote, much of what Luke reports here in the book of Acts was seen and heard by him directly.
It is interesting to note that Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916), a world-renown chemist and a Nobel Prize winner in 1904, attempted to disproved the Bible. He did significant research investigating Luke and Acts, but instead of finding evidence to support his presupposition that the Bible was wrong, he found that Luke’s accounts, as recorded in both the Gospel and the book of Acts, to be trustworthy and true. He placed “the author of Acts among the historians of the first rank.”[1] Ramsay then became a Christian and wrote several extensive and well-researched books on various aspects of the Bible.
The book of Acts, like the gospel of Luke, was addressed to Theophilus. We know very little about this person. His name means “lover of God,” making some believe that it is a title instead of a name. Many believe that these books were written to aid Paul’s defense during his many trials, which could explain why the book never reports anything negative regarding the Romans.
I. God at Work through the Apostles in Jerusalem, Acts 1:1-7:59
A. Preparation for the Coming of the Spirit, Acts 1
1. Introduction, Acts 1:1–2
2. Forty Days Post—Resurrection ministry of Jesus, Acts 1:3–8
3. Ascension and promise of the return of Jesus, Acts 1:9–11
4. Waiting for the Spirit, Acts 1:12–14
5. Appointment of an apostle, Acts 1:15–26
B. Day of Pentecost, Acts 2
1. Coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1–13
2. First sermon in the Church Age by Peter, Acts 2:14–47
C. First Miracle of the Church; Peter’s second sermon, Acts 3
1. Healing of a lame man, Acts 3:1–11
2. Appealing and revealing address of Peter, Acts 3:12–26
3. Believing five thousand men, Acts 4:4
D. First persecution of the Church; Power of the Holy Spirit, Acts 4
E. Death of Ananias and Sapphira; Second persecution, Acts 5
F. Appointment of deacons; Witness of Stephen, a deacon, Acts 6
G. Stephen’s speech and Martyrdom (First Martyr), Acts 7
II. God at Work through the Apostles in Judea and Samaria, Acts 8–12
A. Conversion of Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts 8
B. Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, Acts 9
C. Conversion of Cornelius, Roman Centurion (Son of Japheth), Acts 10
D. Peter defends his ministry; Gospel goes to Antioch, Acts 11
E. Death of James; Arrest of Peter, Acts 12
III. God at Work through the Apostles to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth, Acts 13–28
A. First Missionary Journey of Paul, Acts 13–14
B. Council at Jerusalem, Acts 15
C. Second Missionary Journey of Paul, Acts 15:36–16:40
D. Second Missionary Journey (continued) Paul in Thessalonica, Athens, Acts 17
E. Second Missionary Journey (concluded) Paul in Corinth; Apollos in Ephesus, Acts 18
F. Third Missionary Journey of Paul (in Ephesus), Acts 19
G. Third Missionary Journey of Paul (continued), Acts 20
H. Paul goes to Jerusalem and is arrested, Acts 21
I. Paul’s defense before a mob at Jerusalem, Acts 22
J. Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin, Acts 23
K. Paul before Felix, Acts 24
L. Paul before Festus, Acts 25
M. Paul before Agrippa, Acts 26
N. Paul goes to Rome via storm and a shipwreck, Acts 27
O. Paul arrives in Rome, Acts 28 (Last seen preaching to Gentiles)
The Acts of the Apostles - A Commentary on the Book of Acts
© 2026 by David A. Heywood. All rights reserved. Published by Rediscover the Bible Ministries, Inc.
Unless otherwise noted or verses marked ESV, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001, 2016, 2025 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Verses marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Verses marked GW or God’s Word are taken from GOD’S WORD. Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation A Corporation Not for Profit, La Habra, California. All Rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Verses marked NET are taken from The NET Bible (Second Edition). Copyright © 1996, 2006, 2019. Used by permission of Biblical Studies Press. Thomas Nelson.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All sections and chapter of this book were written using the following reverse interlinears as the primary source of the original Scriptural texts:
Old Testament
McDaniel, C. (2009). The English-Hebrew Reverse Interlinear Old Testament English Standard Version. Lexham Press. This reverse interlinear aligns the ESV Old Testament with the Lexham Hebrew Bible. Copyright 2009 Lexham Press.
New Testament
Schwandt, J. (2009). The English-Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament English Standard Version. Lexham Press. This reverse interlinear aligns with the ESV New Testament with the SBL Greek New Testament. Copyright 2009 Lexham Press.
[1] Ramsay, W. M. (1907). St. Paul the traveller and the Roman citizen (pp. 3–4). London: Hodder & Stoughton