Questions tagged [acts]
The second half of Luke's history of the church, which was commissioned by Theophilus. It covers the actions of the Apostles from Christ's ascension to heaven to Paul's imprisonment in Rome.
447
questions
2
votes
1answer
21 views
Is there a non-empty intersection between the believers at Acts 2:1-4 and the believers at Acts 4:31?
Acts 2:1-4 (ESV):
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house ...
2
votes
3answers
69 views
Was the early Church waiting for divine intervention in Acts 4:23-31?
My question is motivated by some controversy caused by a related question I asked on Christianity Stack Exchange. On that question I make the assumption that the early Church was expecting and waiting ...
4
votes
3answers
140 views
If the thief on the cross would join Christ in paradise, would Stephen experience the same in Acts 7:59?
In the Book of Acts, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, speaks directly to Christ in heaven:
Acts 7:58-59: "When [the Jewish Council] had driven him out of the city, they began stoning [...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
Why is the word "sleep" used to describe Stephen's death by stoning (Acts 7:60)?
In the Book of Acts, the Jews became enraged against Stephen (filled with the Spirit):
Acts 7:60: "Then falling on his knees, [Stephen] cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin ...
2
votes
3answers
60 views
What is the meaning behind Acts 2:44-45?
In Acts 2:44-45 (KJV) one reads
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men,
as every man had need.
Does ...
1
vote
2answers
41 views
Are the twelve disciples Galileans?
Acts 2
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came
together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own ...
1
vote
6answers
100 views
Acts: Why did some Jews want to kill Paul?
In Damascus, after many days:
Acts 9:23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy
among the Jews to kill him
In just 15 days in Jerusalem:
Acts 9:29 He talked and debated with the ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
Did the Jerusalem council allow believers to eat e.g., rabbit meat?
Leviticus 11:
6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
Paul was present when they issued the order in
Acts 15:
29
You are to abstain from food ...
4
votes
3answers
122 views
When did Jesus declare all foods clean? [duplicate]
Leviticus 11:
4
“’There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially ...
7
votes
3answers
237 views
Reason for words missing from several bibles. Acts 18:21
but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus. NKJV Youngs
Two Questions;
What ...
0
votes
3answers
82 views
Since John 1:12 says "To them gave He power that believe" we receive after Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 1:5,8) does that mean HS baptism or not saved?
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,...
-2
votes
2answers
27 views
Seven against one?! in Acts [closed]
Acts 19:
13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul ...
3
votes
1answer
38 views
Acts 18:24 Ἀπολλῶς Rev 9:11 Ἀπολλύων
And a certain Jew named Apollos (Ἀπολλῶς G625), born at
Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to
Ephesus. (Acts 18:24 - KJV)
And they had a king over them, which is the ...
4
votes
3answers
176 views
What is the word of the Lord in Acts 12:24?
Acts 12:24
But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
Is it talking about the people or the written word of the Lord?
4
votes
5answers
645 views
Did God the Father raise Christ from death (Acts 2:24), or did He have the power and ability to do that Himself (Jn. 10:18)?
With regard to His death and resurrection, Jesus stated (the Gospel of John):
John 10:18, NASB: "No one has taken [My life] away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority ...
4
votes
4answers
127 views
Did Paul act contrary to the Spirit in Acts 21:13?
Paul and Luke visited Tyre in Acts 21:
4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
The Spirit inspired the ...
1
vote
3answers
31 views
Is there a reason why Apollos' attributes are described (Acts 18:24-28) unlike those of other apostles/disciples?
In the Book of Acts, we first read:
Acts 18:24-28: "Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been ...
2
votes
1answer
23 views
Acts 4:34: Did Christians sell property 'from time to time'?
Acts 4:34 in the NIV says:
that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time
those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the
sales
While NRSV, ESV, KJV, LEB say ...
3
votes
2answers
110 views
What is the difference between Acts 10:44 - "the Holy Spirit," and v 45 - "the Holy Spirit?"
The interlinear Grk. feature to my Bible software helps with interpretation, digging deeper for original meaning. The syntax is helpful though I have no formal training here!
In verse 44, the ...
2
votes
1answer
59 views
What kind of magic did Simon practice? Acts 8:9-24
Acts 8:9-24 (ESV)
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid ...
1
vote
2answers
65 views
Did the disciples first called themselves Christians at Antioch?
Acts 11:26b
So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Did the disciples first called ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
Is there historical evidence for the persecution in Acts 8:1 where "...a great persecution broke out.. all except the apostles were scattered"
Acts 8:1-3 in the NIV says
And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered On that day a great persecution
broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the ...
2
votes
2answers
122 views
Are we ever told why Saul was blinded in Acts 9:8-9?
From the Book of Acts we read:
Acts 9:8-9: "Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9And he ...
3
votes
6answers
500 views
Did Paul allow believers to eat meat of strangled animals in Colossians 2:16?
At the Jerusalem Council, James spoke in Acts 15:29
New International Version
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual ...
1
vote
2answers
60 views
Why would the apostle Paul "delay" being baptized (Acts 22:16)?
From the Book of Acts we read the words of Ananias to the apostle Paul:
Acts 22:15-16: "For you will be a witness for [Christ] to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16Now why do you delay? ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
How exactly did the Holy Spirit guide Paul and his companions in Acts 16:6-10?
Acts 16:6-10 (NIV):
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they ...
2
votes
1answer
41 views
James converted before or after Jesus' resurection appearance?
In John 7:3-5 (NASB)
3 So His brothers said to Him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret when ...
2
votes
2answers
56 views
How do we reconcile John 5:28-29 ("all who are in the tombs") with Luke 20:38 ("God of the living")?
Christ states the following, recorded in John's Gospel:
John 5:28-29: “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29and will come forth; ...
2
votes
1answer
39 views
"Is Acts 4:23-27 [NASB] previewing in a small way Rev 16:13,14, in that kings and rulers are gathered together against God and His Christ?"
In Acts 4:25,26, the apostles, after being confronted by 'underhanded' chief priests and elders, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, are heard to be quoting David Thy servant, who, having been ...
2
votes
5answers
100 views
What is the meaning of the author of life?
Acts 3:15 (NIV)
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
What is the meaning of the author of life? How can the author of life be killed? Isn't that a ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
What is the lesson in the story of Eutychus?
Acts 20:
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight.
8Now there were many lamps ...
1
vote
3answers
99 views
How does the Holy Spirit speak in Acts 13:2?
Acts 13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. 2While ...
3
votes
3answers
63 views
Why didn't Paul and Silas declare their citizenship before they were punished in Act 16:23?
In Acts 16, the Philippi magistrates sided with the local fortune-telling businessmen to punish Paul and Silas:
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered ...
2
votes
3answers
62 views
Acts 10:3 Is the angel that Cornelius saw Jesus?
Acts 10
1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and ...
4
votes
2answers
90 views
Acts 15:19 turned or turning?
In Acts 15:20 there are four things a Gentile immediately shall stop do when entering discipleship.
1: Abstain from food polluted by idols.
2: Abstain from sexual immorality.
3: Abstain from meat of ...
2
votes
1answer
40 views
Why is Xenoglossy being mocked as Glossolalia? (Acts 2:15)
In Acts 2:6-8, the apostles perform xenoglossia, the ability to speak in a foreign language that the speaker has not learned. "And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?&...
2
votes
2answers
63 views
Why didn't Gamaliel defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin?
Acts 5
33When the Council members heard this, they were enraged, and they resolved to put the apostles to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the ...
6
votes
7answers
653 views
When did the apostles clearly see themselves separate from the OT Jewish faith?
Acts 6:5
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full
of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to ...
4
votes
1answer
241 views
Why is there a separation between Luke and Acts?
Even though there are still some discussions on that, Luke is widely recognized as the author of the book of Acts. Wikenhauser-Schmid (Einleitung, 376) list the following modern interpreters who ...
3
votes
3answers
96 views
Is Paul suggesting that our next breath and heartbeat depends on God (Acts 17:28)?
As the apostle Paul delivers his sermon at the Areopagus (Mars Hill), he declares:
Acts 17:28, NAS: "for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also ...
3
votes
2answers
212 views
Is Paul encouraging Christians to pursue an Acts 4:29-31 type of experience in Ephesians 5:18?
In Ephesians 5:18-20 (ESV), Paul encourages Christians to seek to be filled with the Spirit:
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing ...
4
votes
2answers
175 views
Was Jesus anointed upon His baptism (Matt. 3:16-17)?
Here is the passage in question:
Matthew 3:16-17: "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as ...
3
votes
2answers
246 views
Could Paul's stoning (Acts 14:19) have anything to do with his being "caught up to the 3rd heaven"? (2 Cor. 12:2-4)
This question concerns a timeline. I have often wondered if two experiences Paul describes might be connected:
2 Corinthians 12:2-4: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the ...
2
votes
2answers
112 views
Can non-disciples of Jesus cast out demons in Jesus' name or not? Mark 9:38-40 vs. Acts 19:11-16
Mark 9:38-40 (ESV):
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
Acts 2:27 - Did Jesus’ body not experience decay while it lie in the sepulcher?
In Acts 2:27, it is written,
Acts 2:27
27 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor will You [a]allow Your [b]Holy One to [c]undergo decay.New American Standard Bible. La Habra: Foundation ...
3
votes
2answers
61 views
Time span between Acts 18:2 till Acts 21:17
Is it possible to know how much time passed between Acts 18:2 and Acts 21:17, that is, till Paul's last visit to Jerusalem?
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth
(Acts 18:...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Did the Holy Spirit start to dwell in the believers in Act 2?
English Standard Version Acts 2:1-4:
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled ...
1
vote
2answers
59 views
Paul’s relationship with Barnabas
Acts 15:39a
And the contention was so sharp between them [Paul & Barnabas], that
they departed asunder one from the other
“Paul did not forgive Barnabas but rejected his companionship?” The ...
2
votes
1answer
35 views
Significance of Paul's conversation with the Tribune in Acts 22:26-28
In Acts 22, Paul is about to be flogged, but mentions to a centurion that he is a Roman citizen. The centurion gets the tribune in charge of the situation and brings him to Paul, and this conversation ...
9
votes
2answers
422 views
Where does Moses say the things which Paul attributes to him in Acts 26:22-23?
In Acts 26:22-23, Paul says that
I stand here...saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, ...
