The Acts of the Apostles from Jerusalem to Rome, Wayne Jackson

The Acts of the Apostles from Jerusalem to Rome, Wayne Jackson

The establishment and growth of the New Testament church is very accurately written by the physician Luke in the book of the New Testament known as “Acts”. The church grew from a relatively small group on the Pentecost following Jesus’ crucifixion to over 20,000 by the death of Stephen. It would continue to grow, reaching huge numbers to the point that the city of Rome even had more than 100,000 Christians. Indeed, the history of the establishment and growth of the church is exciting to read and study.

Wayne Jackson has written an excellent commentary on the book of Acts that is exciting to read as one studies Acts. I have had a copy of the book and have also secured copies of the book for my children to read as they grow older. I suggested a congregation use this book for their study in the adult class since they were beginning a study on Acts. At the time, a special price was offered for a case of Jackson’s book. They decided to go ahead and use the book. They were very pleased with the book. In fact, the only complaint they had about the book was the text from Acts at the beginning of a new section was too small. (The writing done by Wayne Jackson was large enough to read; however the text for Acts is in smaller print and hard to read for some.) The book is written in such a way that it makes sitting down and reading it from start to finish a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. Sometimes commentaries are not known for the easy reading, but brother Jackson has written a very profitable book for all to be able to read, understand, and learn more about events during the growth of the early church.

The book is around 450 pages and is filled with historical background, supplemental information from historical sources, and archaeological finds that have silenced some of the charges of critics against the writing of Luke as inaccurate. Indeed, Luke was an accurate historian and archaeology has always confirmed this to be true.

In the Appendix are articles on themes that relate to the book of Acts and are very profitable reading. The Appendix includes the following subjects: Miracles, Demons, The Historicity of Jesus, The Trial of Jesus, The Use of “Believe” in Acts, The Epistles of Paul Arranged Chronologically With Pertinent Data, and Outline of the Book of Acts.

Wayne Jackson preaches for the church of Christ in Stockton, CA and has done so for many years. He has also written and published the Christian Courier, which is a monthly periodical on Biblical Studies that I highly recommend. He has also written several other commentaries and books on various religious subjects. Occasionally there will be a special bargain pack of all of his books currently in print. I encourage all congregations to seek to add all of his works to the church library. He is a widely respected writer among us. I have known Wayne Jackson now for several years and went to school with his sons, Jared and Jason, and one of his daughters-in-law, Sandy. If you have not visited www.ChristianCourier.com and read the wealth of material available for free, then you need to do so. His wife also has a web site called “Women of Hope”. His son, Jared, also writes material for children called “Christian Courier for Kids” that is excellent.

Originally printed West Virginia Christian, Vol. 11, No. 11, January 2004, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.