Overview
A balanced, accessible commentary for Spirit-filled Christians
The Spirit who inspired the authors of the New Testament is at work today around the globe, as evidenced by the explosive growth of pentecostal, charismatic, and renewalist movements; the number of adherents is now estimated at more than half a billion.
The Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament meets the need for a balanced, affordable, and accessible commentary series aimed at Christians who identify as Spirit-filled.
Features include:
· Written by pastorally sensitive biblical scholars from the Spirit-filled tradition
· Paragraph-by-paragraph commentary
· Images, illustrations, and sidebars on pentecostal/charismatic/revival history or insights
· Engages biblical books in their ancient setting
· Emphasizes how we listen alongside ancient audiences for the Spirit's voice in our time and contexts
Series volumes explore how God works in the biblical texts and how Christians can expect God to work today, even if in new or culturally surprising ways. Series editors are Holly Beers, Westmont College, and Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary.
The Spirit who inspired the authors of the New Testament is at work today around the globe, as evidenced by the explosive growth of pentecostal, charismatic, and renewalist movements; the number of adherents is now estimated at more than half a billion.
The Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament meets the need for a balanced, affordable, and accessible commentary series aimed at Christians who identify as Spirit-filled.
Features include:
· Written by pastorally sensitive biblical scholars from the Spirit-filled tradition
· Paragraph-by-paragraph commentary
· Images, illustrations, and sidebars on pentecostal/charismatic/revival history or insights
· Engages biblical books in their ancient setting
· Emphasizes how we listen alongside ancient audiences for the Spirit's voice in our time and contexts
Series volumes explore how God works in the biblical texts and how Christians can expect God to work today, even if in new or culturally surprising ways. Series editors are Holly Beers, Westmont College, and Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary.
Table of Contents
Series Preface
Introduction
Acts 1:1-14 Introduction: The Prophetic Call
Acts 1:15-2:47 The Prophetic Vocation Embraced
Acts 3:1-6:7 Prophetic Witness in Jerusalem
Acts 6:8-9:31 Prophetic Witness in Judea and Samaria
Acts 9:32-12:25 The Beginning of Prophetic Witness to the Gentiles
Acts 12:25-19:41 Paul's Prophetic Witness in the Diaspora
Acts 20:1-28:31 Paul's Prophetic Witness Reaches Rome
Indexes
Introduction
Acts 1:1-14 Introduction: The Prophetic Call
Acts 1:15-2:47 The Prophetic Vocation Embraced
Acts 3:1-6:7 Prophetic Witness in Jerusalem
Acts 6:8-9:31 Prophetic Witness in Judea and Samaria
Acts 9:32-12:25 The Beginning of Prophetic Witness to the Gentiles
Acts 12:25-19:41 Paul's Prophetic Witness in the Diaspora
Acts 20:1-28:31 Paul's Prophetic Witness Reaches Rome
Indexes
Endorsements
“Written by the two best Pentecostal New Testament scholars today, Acts showcases the vision of the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament series. It takes readers to the first-century Spirit-filled church and its missionary enterprise. At the same time, the commentary brings the ancient text to today’s Pentecostal-charismatic believers. This will be one of the favorite reference books for Pentecostal thinkers and practitioners.”
Wonsuk Ma, distinguished professor of global Christianity, Oral Roberts University
“I can think of no two Pentecostal scholars who are better qualified to provide a commentary on the Acts of the Apostles than Menzies and Keener. Their scholarship is impeccable, their comments discerning, and their wisdom inspiring. Pastors, students, and scholars alike will benefit from their insights. This commentary will be a very reliable resource on this important historical and theological book and is intended to help today’s church understand its place in the ongoing story of Christ’s church.”
Cecil M. Robeck Jr., senior professor of church history and ecumenics, Fuller Theological Seminary
“The book of Acts gives witness to the explosive power of the Holy Spirit in empowering the early church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus in words and miraculous acts. Robert Menzies and Craig Keener read and exegete the book of Acts in the acknowledgment that the same Spirit continues his glorious work in his church. This faithful and insightful commentary will become not only a standard text in Luke-Acts studies but a classic one.”
Corné J. Bekker, dean and professor, School of Divinity, Regent University
Praise for the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament Series
“Whereas existing pentecostal commentary series have been addressed to the growing pentecostal readership, volumes in the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament series bring pentecostal-charismatic perspectives to wider evangelical and ecumenical audiences, both ecclesial and academic. Each installment gets us one step closer to appreciating how every New Testament document was written not only after Easter but also after Pentecost, and the cumulative witness to the Word and the Spirit will enable deeper awareness of the fundamentally trinitarian character of Christian faith.”
Amos Yong, professor of theology and mission, Fuller Theological Seminary
“There is nothing else like the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament, and this series fills a major void! It features top scholars who not only exegete the text with precision but also share personal spiritual insights along the way, bringing together the best of both worlds.”
Michael L. Brown, founder and president, FIRE School of Ministry; host of the Line of Fire radio broadcast
Authors
Robert P. Menzies
Robert P. Menzies (PhD, University of Aberdeen) has lived in East Asia for most of the past three decades and serves as director of the Asian Center for Pentecostal Theology. He has taught at seminaries in over a dozen nations. He is the author of many books, including Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience (with his father, William Menzies), Empowered for Witness: The Spirit in Luke-Acts, and Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story.
Craig S. Keener
Craig S. Keener (Ph.D., Duke University) is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is author of 37 books, 5 of which have won awards in Christianity Today. More than a million copies of his books are in circulation; the most popular is The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, which provides cultural background on each passage of the New Testament. Craig is also the New Testament editor for the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, which won the International Book Award for Christianity and Bible of the year in the Christian Book Awards. Craig is editor of the Bulletin for Biblical Research and is past president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Craig's wife, Dr. Médine Moussounga Keener, was a refugee in her home country of Congo; their story appears in Impossible Love: The True Story of an African Civil War, Miracles, and Hope against All Odds (Chosen, 2016). His blog site is www.craigkeener.com.