The Message of Acts

John Stott's commentary on Acts is one of the better straightforward works available. It is great for the pastor, Bible teacher, or serious laymen. But it offers standard fare, yet in a concise, clear manner. Stott does not present any new or ground-breaking information, but rather does a good job of interpreting the text and providing the reader with a basic, generally solid interpretation. Stott recognizes God's Sovereign Grace (I agree with him here), but he does not embrace the literal fulfillment of God's plans for the physical descendents of Israel (I disagree with him here). He takes the view that Paul's participating in Jewish rituals and sacrifices (Acts 21) was strictly for relational issues (so he rejects the idea that Jewish believers continued to practice Judaism, another point with which I disagree). I don't want to go hard on Stott here, because few teach otherwise. Overall, this is a solid volume worth getting and using.

Even though John Stott doesn't consider this book and its companions as commentaries, they do the trick for laypersons. There are great explanations of scripture from a conservative theological point of view meaning the Bible is considered the inerrant word of God. He brings competing interpretations into the mix and then tells you his choice and why. Great for small group Bible study leaders for students studying on their own. Best if used with his Bible Study Guides. You can't go wrong with any of his studies or "commentaries."

John Stott is a thought-provoking writer with dozens of helpful titles in print, from books about his travels [People My Teachers: around the world in 80 years], books about his life-long habit of bird-watching [The Birds Our Teachers] to the many helpful books about Christian teaching, guides to the Bible and commentaries on specific books of the Bible.His exposition of Acts has been a great help to us in our bible study group, as we are ploughing through Acts. He gives you several interpretations of controversial issues, but also lets you know his own thoughts. If you want a conservative, evangelical treatment of Luke's book about the Early Church, you will appreciate this book.The study guide is helpful, but bear in mind that it is intended to be a guide to Stott's book, not to Acts itself. As we were not studying Stott's book, but Acts, we adapted the questions to suit ourselves, and did not find this too difficult to do.Highly recommended. I am also finding Howard Marshall's Tyndale Commentary useful, as I prepare the studies for our group.

John Stott provides masterful exposition and commentary on the Acts. The Acts is an important book to master for any serious Bible reader; Stott's book may be the best one available for the lay student. Easy to read, non-technical, full of practical and insightful commentary. See my review of Stott's Romans commentary also. Complete the Study Guide at the back of the book and you will come away with a deep practical knowledge of Acts.

I couldn't bring myself to study Acts because it seemed so long, dry and boring. Boy, how Stott brings Acts to life! What an adventure. What a treasure of great thought. Dynamic principles and deep truths. Stott deftly handles the difficult passages with grace and integrity. This book will change the way you think and live!