Click on any of the topics below to get more information that will help you with your individual or small group study of Acts: Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
The following resources are from The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: John and Acts and the Life Application Bible Commentary: Acts. 

Foundational Elements of Early Christian Life
Missionaries of Acts and Their Journeys
The Missionary Travels of Peter
Four “James” in the Early Church
Paul’s Use of the Old Testament
Names and Titles for Jesus in Acts

Foundational Elements of Early Christian Life

Luke lists four features that characterized the lives of the first Christians.  They devoted themselves to:
1.  Instruction: The Apostles’ Teaching:  The 12 apostles had a significant role in the beginnings of the church.  They taught these new Jewish believers all about Jesus’ life and teaching, including much of what came to be included in the four Gospels.
2.  Fellowship:  It was important to these early believers to spend a lot of time together.  They would have discussed the apostles’ teaching, encouraged each other, and challenged one another to do those things that please God.  They also cared for the needs of those poorer members of their new community.
3.  Worship: The Breaking of Bread:  This expression refers both to sharing ordinary meals together and to remember the significance of the death of Jesus by celebrating “the Lord’s Supper.”  In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was held in conjunction with a common meal in homes throughout the city.
4.  Prayer:  The first Christians spent a lot of time praying.  They prayed privately and they prayed together as a group.  Some Christians even maintained the Jewish pattern of setting aside three times a day to pray. 

Missionaries of Acts and Their Journeys

The Missionary Travels of Peter

Paul wasn’t the only missionary in Acts who had a productive missionary career.  Peter had a widespread ministry as well.  His travels aren’t as well documented as Paul’s, but the New Testament letters give us clues. 

We know that Peter was in Jerusalem for a brief period in A.D. 46, where he met with Saul (Gal. 2:9).  Shortly after he was in Antioch of Syria, where he and Paul had a disagreement (Gal. 2:11-15).  He then returned to Jerusalem in 49 for the Jerusalem Council.

It’s possible that Peter visited Corinth sometime between 52 and 55, based on a group in Corinth that claimed they were “of Cephas” (1 Cor. 1:12).

Did you know Peter had a wife?  According to 1 Corinthians 9:5 (written around 54 or 55), Peter had a wife who accompanied him on his missionary travels.

Peter must have spent considerable time in northern and central Asia Minor, since he addressed his two letters to believers in those regions.

It is unlikely that Peter ministered in Rome for any length of time in the 40s and 50s, because Paul never mentions him.  However, at some point, probably in the early 60s, Peter did journey to Rome, and it was from there that he wrote his two letters.  He refers to Rome in his first letter as “Babylon” (1 Peter 5:13).

Peter was martyred in Rome under the persecution of Nero around the same time Paul was put to death.

Four “James” in the Early Church

Paul’s Use of the Old Testament

In Paul’s address to the philosophers in Acts 17:16-34, he makes many references to the Old Testament:

Names and Titles for Jesus in Acts