Series preface Author's preface Abbreviations Introduction Reassurance concerning God's purposes: the purpose(s) of the Book of Acts Excursus: assumptions concerning authorship, audience, and interpreting Acts 1. Living between the times: the kingdom of God The sovereignty of God The kingdom of God The continuing reign of the Lord Jesus Suffering: the fullness of the kingdom has yet to come Conclusion Excursus: an expositional outline of Acts 2. The hope of Israel: the resurrection and the arrival of the last days Resurrection hope Resurrection in Luke's Gospel Resurrection in Acts Jesus death and the resurrection in Acts Preaching the Gospel in Acts Conclusion Table 1: Verbs used to describe the action of apostolic preaching Table 2: Summary descriptions of the message preached in Acts 3. Israel and the Gentiles: the kingdom and God's promises of restoration Kingdom restoration and Israel (Acts 1:6--8) Pentecost and all Israel (Acts 2) Samaria and the restoration of Israel (Acts 8:1--25) Outcasts and the restoration of Israel (Acts 8: 26--40) The Servant who restores Israel and brings salvation to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47) The rebuilding and restoring of David's fallen tent (Acts 15:13--18) Conclusion 4. The promise of the Father: the gift of the Holy Spirit The prophetic hope of the Spirit The kingdom of God and the promised eschatological gift of the Spirit The Holy Spirit is bestowed by the risen and exalted Lord Jesus God's empowering presence A restored people of God One people of God Faith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Spirit in Acts Conclusion 5. The end of an era: the temple system and its leaders The debate about the temple in Acts The Davidic king, the last days, and the temple (Acts 1--3) The temple, temple leadership, and Jesus? universal authority (Acts 3--5) Stephen, the temple and Jesus (Acts 6--7) Conclusion 6. The end of an era: the law is no longer the direct authority for God's people The debate about the law in Acts Jesus: the one to whom the law pointed has now come Apostolic leadership and authority Sensitivity to Jewish beliefs about the Law Conclusion 7. Concluding Summary Bibliography Index of authors Index of Scripture references Index of ancient sources.