Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Acts”
Acts 20:1 When the unrest in Ephesus (Acts 19) had calmed down, Paul decides to travel on to Macedonia. Paul had spent 3 successful years in Ephesus and now it was time to move on (Acts 20:31). Acts 20:3 It was not that the Jews as a people were against Paul and the Christian faith. Jesus, Paul and all the …
Acts 19:23-28 In Ephesus there was a large temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, or Diana as she is also known, which was considered to be one of the seven wonders of antiquity. Many travellers visited the temple, worshipped Artemis and bought a statue or something similar. This, of course, brought considerable income to the city’s craftsmen, an income that …
Acts 19:1 Ephesus, also known as the “Light of Asia”, is today a ruined city in Turkey, but in New Testament times it was the fourth largest city in the world, located on the west coast of Asia Minor. Ephesus attracted many people, partly because its geographical location made it a hub of trade, but also because many religious pilgrims …
Acts 17:1-4 Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and had about 200,000 inhabitants at the time. It is interesting to note that Paul passed through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia on his journey from Philippi to Thessalonica. All of these cities were within a day’s walk of each other on the main Roman road called …
Acts 16:16 When Paul and his associates go to the place of prayer, they meet a girl with a spirit that is believed to be able to predict the future. Where the Bible says “divining”, it translates directly from the original Greek text as “python-ing”. In Greek mythology, the Greek god Apollo killed a large snake called Pyton. In Delphi, …
Acts 16:6-8 Paul intends to continue his missionary journey and “preach the word in Asia”, but is stopped by the Holy Spirit. Of course, there was nothing wrong with wanting to preach in Asia, but the Holy Spirit prevented Paul from doing what we normally think of as something positive, because God had other plans. Sometimes our plan may be …
Acts 12:1 This Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great who tried to murder Jesus when he was born and the nephew of Herod Antipas who executed John the Baptist and who was involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. Herod was raised in Rome, but tried to prove his Jewishness by following the Jewish laws in every …
Acts 11:19 The city of Antioch was founded in 301 BC by Selevko Nikator, who had a penchant for naming cities after his father, Antiochus, which he did 15 times. At the time of the New Testament, Antioch, also known as the “Queen of the East”, was the capital of the Roman province of Syria, and had about half a …
Acts 9:2 Paul, who had previously persecuted Christians in Jerusalem, now goes to the city of Damascus to persecute Christians there as well. Paul is backed by the religious Jewish elite in Jerusalem. The extreme religious zeal that Paul experiences can be extremely dangerous. Anyone who believes he is doing God’s will can be prepared to do just about anything. …
Acts 8:26 Philip was one of the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6:1-7. It may seem strange that an angel of the Lord asks Philip to leave a very successful and fruitful missionary activity (Acts 8:4-13) to go out into a desolate wilderness. God always looks beyond us and always has a long-term plan. We need to trust that God …