Book of Acts: Story of All that Jesus Began and Continues to Do and Teach

This article by Timothy George (the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School) is about new biblical-theological commentaries, i.e., "the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (Brazos Press); The Church’s Bible (Eerdmans); and two series in sequence from InterVarsity Press: the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Reformation Commentary on Scripture," and reading The Book of Acts with the Reformers. From the conclusion to the article:

The Book of Acts is the only New Testament writing that ends with an adverb: akolutos, “unhindered.” Paul’s evangelical odyssey has led him from Jerusalem to Rome. He is under house arrest, still in chains, but able to proclaim the Good News of God’s kingdom, “no man forbidding him” (KJV), “with all boldness and without hindrance” (NIV). This is the end of Acts, but not its conclusion. For, as Eugene Peterson has written: "The story of Jesus doesn't end with Jesus. It continues in the lives of those who believe in him. The supernatural does not stop with Jesus. Luke makes it clear that these Christians he wrote about were no mere spectators of Jesus than Jesus was a spectator of God—they are in on the action of God, God acting in them, God living in them which also means, of course, in us."

Bob Dylan

An interesting article by Stephen H. Webb on Bob Dylan, the Book of Acts, Dylan's 2012 interview for Rolling Stone, and Dylan's song "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."

Commentaries: Book of Acts

Ligonier recently ran a post with Dr. Keith Mathison's "top 5" commentaries for each book of the Bible. I've been preaching through Acts so I thought I would compare his recommendations against what I've been utilizing for sermon prep. Mathison's top 5 for Acts are:

• Darrell L. Bock — Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 2007).
• F.F. Bruce — The Book of the Acts (New International Commentary on the New Testament, 1988).
• C.K. Barrett. — Acts 1-14, Acts 15-28 (International Critical Commentary, 2004).
• Ben Witherington — The Acts of the Apostles (1997).
• I. Howard Marshall — Acts (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 1980).

Mathison also gives some major kudos to Craig Keener's currently unfinished multi-volume commentary (he says when it is complete he will probably put it in his top 5), and also lists these other works as runners up: David Peterson, James Montgomery Boice, Dennis Johnson, J.A. Alexander, R. Kent Hughes, Ajith Fernando, Gordon Keddie, Richard N. Longenecker, William Larkin, John Polhill, and David Williams.

For sermon prep I have predominantly been leaning upon:

• Darrell L. Bock — Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 2007).
• F.F. Bruce — The Book of the Acts (New International Commentary on the New Testament, 1954).
• F.F. Bruce — The Book of Acts (The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 1973).
• Richard N. Longenecker — Acts (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1995).

Originally I was also using I. Howard Marshall's Acts, but eventually dropped it because in general he wasn't uncovering anything already addressed by Bock, Bruce, and Longenecker. And I did not find Fernando or Polhill to be helpful enough for frequent reference. In addition, I have referencing commentaries by Jaroslav Pelikan, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, William Willimon. In general, a good deal of overlap between my list and Dr. Mathison's recommendations. That is encouraging. 

Victory in Jesus: I Heard An Old, Old Story

I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

/Chorus/
Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit"
I then obeyed His blest command and gained the victory

/Chorus/

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory
And I heard about the street of gold beyond the crystal sea
About the angels singing and the old redemption story
Oh and some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory

/Chorus/

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

(The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, 473)

Scriptural Reference:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

Reconciled

"The reconciled world is the church." -- St. Augustine (Sermon 46).

"But the sum is this, that Christ doth repair with his grace the world, being destroyed; which cometh to pass when he reconcileth us to the Father." -- John Calvin (Commentary on Acts 8:5).

Prayer: A Concert of Voices (Craving God's Help)

"When Satan afflicted the early church with fierce persecution, the New Testament church met corporately for prayer until the Lord heard their cries and filled them with boldness to continue preaching (Acts 4:24-31). Acts 4:24 says, "They lifted up their voice to God with one accord." The Greek word used here actually means 'a concert of voices'" (Joel R. Beeke, The Family at Church: Listening to Sermons and Attending Prayer Meetings, 44).

Frigid Teaching

"For nothing is more frigid than a teacher who shows his philosophy only in words: this is to act the part not of a teacher, but of a hypocrite" (St. Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily I. NPNF1 11:4).

Frigid teaching is the worst, indeed. Yowsers!

God's Plan

"[T]he essential teachings of Christianity is that God has a plan for man and the world. We are bound to believe that history is not a haphazard conglomeration of chance events which are going nowhere. We are bound to believe that there is some divine far off event to which the whole creation moves and that when that consummation comes Jesus Christ will be Judge and Lord of all. The Second Coming is not a matter for speculation and for illegitimate curiosity; it is a summons to make ourselves ready for that day when it comes" (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 14).

Christian Witness

"The one basic mistake in Christianity is to regard Jesus as someone who lived and died, and whose life we study and whose story we read. Jesus is not a figure in a book. He is a living presence, and the Christian is the man whose whole life is a witness to the fact that he knows and has met the Risen Lord" (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 10-11).

Drama: Pentecost

From A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship: commenting on on the portion of Peter's sermon recorded in Acts 2:37-39, Michael Horton exclaims,

Now that's drama! At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descends to empower the proclamation of his Word and to bring about the acceptance of it by sinners who were otherwise hostile to it. Then he sweeps them into that pentecostal reality through baptism into Christ and the plot that connects us to those who played their parts before us and who now cheer us on from the stands (14-15).

OT: Pre-Christian--Glorifies Christ

"…I would argue that the Old Testament functions within Christian scripture as a witness to Jesus Christ precisely in its pre-Christian form. The task of Old Testament theology is, therefore, not to Christianize the Old Testament by identifying it with the New Testament witness, but to hear its own theological testimony to the God of Israel whom the church confesses also to worship. Although Christians confess that God who revealed himself to Israel is the God and Father of Jesus Christ, it is still necessary to hear Israel’s witness in order to understand who the Father of Jesus Christ is. The coming of Jesus does not remove the function of the divine disclosure in the old covenant" (Brevard Childs, Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context, p. 9).

The Old Testament is exactly that, an Older Testament. God really did reveal himself to Israel (Heb. 1:1), and as Christians we should seek to understand that witness, for it too glorifies Christ, the Messiah (Acts 18:28).

In the past (in history), the Lord spoke through the prophets, he really did, and we should endeavor to understand the testimony of the prophets. And now the Lord speaks through Jesus Christ, he really does, and we should endeavor to understand the testimony of Jesus Christ. However, to affirm that Christ is the heart of the Scriptures does not mean that we should collapse the witness of prophets into the witness of Christ the Prophet. As Childs states, Jesus did not remove the function of the divine disclosure of the OT.

In the NT, Christ tells us that he fulfils the witness of the prophets. To fulfil does not mean to obliterate (Mat 5:17). And here is the rub: If you separate the OT from the NT or collapse the OT into the NT, then you are not taking the historical fact that God spoke to the prophets seriously, and when you do this you are attacking their witness. And since that very witness corresponds by figure to Heavenly events (Heb 8:5), in reality what you are doing is attacking Jesus Christ. (Leithart makes this very point: Knowledge of the Scriptures equips us to live in the world as it truly is, and I would go on to clarify that this knowledge includes knowledge of the Older Testament. So, knowledge of the Scriptures is knowledge of Christ; and that knowledge, which is grace from God, allows us to live in the world as it truly is. Christ truly is King, and when we do not attack him, that is, when we submit to him and bow our knees to him, then we are actually living in the world as it truly is. And not only living, but through prayer, the sacraments, worship, etc., we are also meaningfully participating in the world as it truly is.)

It is Easter. Please, do not be like the pagans and the hypocrites; please do not attack Christ. If you separate the OT and NT, then you are attacking Christ. If you collapse the OT into the NT, you are attacking Christ. You are not, however, attacking Christ if you hold the OT and NT in union, for their unity is in Christ.