Acts 1–12 for You: Charting the Birth of the Church (God’s Word for You | GWFY)

Top Highlights

“The New Testament, however, doesn’t recognize any unbaptized believer. Baptism is a necessary sign of obedience and discipleship. We do not need to be baptized to be saved, but if we are saved, then we will get baptized.” (Page 39)

“This verse is one of the most important in the book of Acts. First, it shows us that the power the Holy Spirit gives to God’s people is the power to witness to Christ. Second, this verse also functions as a second ‘Great Commission’ (see Matthew 28:18–20). Jesus describes the gospel moving out through concentric circles from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and finally to the entire world. Finally, this verse functions as a preview of the entire book of Acts, which will track the movement of the apostles as they travel from Jerusalem to the outer reaches of the Roman Empire.” (Page 13)

“With this response Peter shows us how to rightly respond to the gospel. First, we forsake sin and repent. Sin demands repentance because sin is a violation of God’s commandments. Mentally assenting to the wrongness of sin is not enough. That is not repentance. Feeling sad about the consequences of sin is not sufficient. That is mere regret. We demonstrate true repentance by a genuine hatred of sin with a Spirit-empowered desire to never engage in that sin again and a Spirit-driven determination to obey Jesus instead.” (Page 38)

“Luke also indicates that these men and women were devoted to prayer. This devotion to prayer was an act of obedience to Christ (Luke 18:1). Trusting in the promise of the coming Holy Spirit, the group relied on asking God in prayer to guide their actions. It was because of the disciples’ devotion to prayer that the Lord began to work through them to build his church.” (Pages 16–17)