New Testament · Acts

Acts

From the Upper Room to the empire's capital.

Author: Luke
Audience: Theophilus, the Church
Date: c. AD 62
Chapters: 28

Purpose

To narrate the Spirit-empowered expansion of the Church.

Key Themes

Spirit
Mission
Church

Key Verses

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”

Wesleyan–Holiness Reflection

Pentecost is the paradigmatic outpouring; the Church of God (Anderson) reads Acts as the recurring pattern of Spirit-baptism and holy power.

Chapter Insight

Jump into any chapter for cross-references and a Wesleyan reflection.

Watch & Learn — Seedbed

Seedbed is the Wesleyan–Holiness teaching ministry of Asbury Theological Seminary.

Cross-References in Acts

Joel 2:28quotation'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.'
Who
Joel
To
Judah after a national disaster
Where
Jerusalem, post-locust plague
When
A promise of universal Spirit-outpouring in the last days
Why:Peter explains the tongues of fire at Pentecost as the inauguration of Joel's 'last days.'
Context:This is the founding text of Pentecostal-Holiness theology — and a Wesleyan witness to Spirit baptism for all believers, not a priestly elite.
Read Joel 2:28 →
Psalms 16:8quotation'I saw the Lord always before me... my flesh shall rest in hope.'
Who
David
To
Israel at worship
Where
Liturgical psalm of trust
When
David's confidence that God will not abandon him to the grave
Why:Peter argues David died and was buried — so the psalm's promise of incorruption must point to the resurrected Messiah.
Context:It is one of the earliest Christian uses of the OT to prove resurrection from the text itself.
Read Psalms 16:8 →
Isaiah 53:7quotation'He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.'
Who
Isaiah (Servant Song)
To
Exilic / post-exilic Israel
Where
Babylonian exile
When
The fourth Suffering Servant Song — vicarious atonement portrayed
Why:Philip uses the Ethiopian eunuch's reading of Isaiah 53 as the doorway to preach Jesus.
Context:Isaiah 53 is the OT chapter most explicitly fulfilled at the cross. The eunuch's baptism takes the gospel toward Africa.
Read Isaiah 53:7 →

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